Babylon 5 Movie through Studio JMS

[Nastastu]

I was hoping due to the W's desire to take a break that JMS would be able to focus some on B5. I haven't searched for any new information and don't know how long the W's "break" was intended to be.

[Jan]

Really? He's mentioned the script fairly recently? I don't have home internet, haven't for like 6 months or so, so pretty outta the loop. *sad face*

I'm still half terrified of what will happen if it does get made, but my other half wants it to happen more than anything!!!

It was at the tail end of a mostly-SENSE8 interview. All he said was that he intended to *finish* the script later this year (this was probably Sept, I think). But as far as we know, he's deeply embroiled in writing season two of SENSE8.

I posted to his FB page asking for an update in the Straczynski-verse several days ago but no answer so far.

Jan

[Delenn_of_Mir]

While JMS has said that he'll give WB the chance to be involved (read: cough up some money (IMO, of course)), it's not up to them at all. JMS owns the feature film rights so he can do this on his own via his Studio JMS. As for progress, we know it's gone from intending to 'write the script' to intending to 'finish the script' so we know that progress has been made despite how busy he is.

Jan

Really? He's mentioned the script fairly recently? I don't have home internet, haven't for like 6 months or so, so pretty outta the loop. *sad face*

I'm still half terrified of what will happen if it does get made, but my other half wants it to happen more than anything!!!

[Jan]

Would be nice to get an update on progress. Maybe it is written (first draft at least) and there will be no announcements until Warner Bros. make a decision.

While JMS has said that he'll give WB the chance to be involved (read: cough up some money (IMO, of course)), it's not up to them at all. JMS owns the feature film rights so he can do this on his own via his Studio JMS. As for progress, we know it's gone from intending to 'write the script' to intending to 'finish the script' so we know that progress has been made despite how busy he is.

Jan

[wilbers]

Could be like one of the long running threads in a Red Dwarf forum - Still no Red Dwarf XI news, then when there finally was the green light for the next series, a not so long running thread Still there's Red Dwarf XI news.

[wilbers]

Would be nice to get an update on progress. Maybe it is written (first draft at least) and there will be no announcements until Warner Bros. make a decision.

[Jan]

WHY ISN'T THE SCRIPT DONE YET?!?!?!?!?! (Sorry, I just wanted to say something.)

For all you know, it is. You think JMS is gonna report in to us every step of the way? Oh, I know he should...but I've resigned myself to the fact that he won't. Same as he won't send me drafts of everything he writes as he writes it. Silly man....

Jan

[Looney]

WHY ISN'T THE SCRIPT DONE YET?!?!?!?!?! (Sorry, I just wanted to say something.)

[Vorlon_Stacy]

I think one of those Sheridans was supposed to be Sinclair? Yeah, it seemed that Delenn in the outline stayed much more Minbari than the one we saw in the show. I'm not sure which I prefer, really. It would have been kind of nice to see aliens with truly alien outlooks.

Yeah, sorry, the second one was Sinclair. I've corrected it in my previous post now.
I think I like more a more human Delenn. However, I suppose the relationships between Delenn and Sheridan in the actual version and the relationships between Delenn and Sinclair in the original version depended not only on Delenn but on her partner as well. I liked much the Delenn/Sheridan love story, while I'm not sure I would've liked that much the Delenn/Sinclair's one. I don't know how to explain it, Sinclair somehow seems more alienated (well, I can't actually find the right word), more Mimbari-like, so the idea of Sinclair/Valen transformation was really good. So maybe Sinclair matched better a more alien Delenn, while Sheridan matches better a more human Delenn that we actually got from the season 2.

[Vorlon_Stacy]

BTW, Vorlon_Stacy, it looks like you may have run into our forum glitch already where posts get cut off? DougO's been trying for ages and vBulletin can seem to fix it. I think it's usually triggered by punctuation, for some reason. If you see a post get munched, use your 'back' arrow' and copy your post then edit the munched post. It's a pain but it works and keeps frustration down. Jan

Thanks, Jan I've noticed it happened when I put a space after an apostrophe. So I don't do it anymore, hope it works.

[Jan]

Also, it seems according to the review that there was not gonna be a big love story between Denenn and Sinclair (it seems more like merely fulfilling the prophesy), as it was between Delenn and Sheridan, as I can't imagine why Delenn and Sheridan would have decided to separate, while Delenn and Sheridan did.

I think one of those Sheridans was supposed to be Sinclair? Yeah, it seemed that Delenn in the outline stayed much more Minbari than the one we saw in the show. I'm not sure which I prefer, really. It would have been kind of nice to see aliens with truly alien outlooks.

Anyway, I think what we got is definitely better.

Probably. But a 7-page outline of *ten years* of story is hard to judge. I'm happy with what we got, though.

BTW, Vorlon_Stacy, it looks like you may have run into our forum glitch already where posts get cut off? DougO's been trying for ages and vBulletin can seem to fix it. I think it's usually triggered by punctuation, for some reason. If you see a post get munched, use your 'back' arrow' and copy your post then edit the munched post. It's a pain but it works and keeps frustration down.

Jan

[Vorlon_Stacy]

Thank you, Ubik!
Well, yes, the version we got really seems much better! The description of the seasons seems quite boring, but the last part, BABYLON PRIME, seems really interesting. To my mind, it would have been much better to set a base for the Interstellar Alliance on a neutral territory and not on a specific planet, so the B4 in the original version suited quite well the purpose. However, if JMS wanted the Alliance to remain on the neutral territory, I suppose in the actual version he could have let the Alliance's headquarters stay on B5 instead of moving them to the Mimbar. And as it didn’t do so, this means he didn’t want to. While in the actual version the B4 served a much more interesting target being moved to the past.
It's also interesting to see some of the David’s possible storyline in the original version.
Also, it seems according to the review that there was not gonna be a big love story between Denenn and Sinclair (it seems more like merely fulfilling the prophesy), as it was between Delenn and Sheridan, as I can't imagine why Delenn and Sheridan would have decided to separate, while Delenn and Sinclair did.

And this notion seems quite funny:
"Final scene is Sinclair, retired, alone on an otherwise uninhabited world....fishing. "

Anyway, I think what we got is definitely better.

[Ubik]

Where can I read more about it?

As the Vol.15 script books go for silly money, here's a rough synopsis a fan posted on the Trek BBS:

http://www.trekbbs.com/showthread.php?t=53739

[Vorlon_Stacy]

Some people are thinking that JMS might go back to the outline that we saw in Volume 15 of the script books where Sinclair stayed all 5 years

Where can I read more about it?

[Vorlon_Stacy]

I do always wonder if JMS might revert back to some of the original story arc that would have existed if Michael O'Hare / Sinclair had remained the commanding officer of B5. What we got was definitely more interesting, Valen, etc... but it could be cool to see slight, perhaps even radical, diversions from established B5 lore and timelines.

I totally agree that what we got was really interesting and when I was watching WWE I had a feeling as if the Sinclair/Valen story had been meant to be there from the beginning, it was such a cool idea.
But yes, it would be interesting to know the alternative version, especially what would have happened in WWE if Sinclair had remained the commanding officer of B5... As JMS said he had made a draft for the WWE while writing the Babylon Squared script, what had he been planning to do with Sinclair? Would he have still become Valen and travelled to the past or would he have remained on B5 and stayed with Delenn? I read somewhere that Delenn would have travelled to the past later to join Siclair (already Valen), but I don't remember where I read it, may be it was just some fan's idea... Please correct me if I'm wrong.
Speaking about the alternatives, what I would also like to know is what would have happened if Sheridan hadn't gone to Z'ha'dum...