8/26 Update from JMS

[Satai Delenn]

Sounds like things are going along pretty well for JMS and films to look forward too.

[Joseph DeMartino]

'Food'? - just goes to show never type when eating.

Or when hungry. And I suppose in a way it is very food news for JMS, since with the extra money he'll certainly be able to buy better food, among other things, than he did before. (I'm sure Buddy is looking forward to moving up to that cat food they always show being served in crystal or being mistaken for pate in those TV commercials. )

Regards,

Joe

[Circular Reason]

'Food'? - just goes to show never type when eating.

Great news.

[Circular Reason]

Tis very food news. JMS's star is ascending.

[Susitcha]

I have to say, I am so happy for JMS. I know he has always been successful, but this seems to have elevated his status to an unpresedented level. I am thrilled that he has finally got such an opportunity, and soon the "mainstream" viewers and movie goers will have a chance to appreciate his work. It can only mean good things for B5 in the future also. If it is ever done (as a movie), it will be done right, which is what JMS has always held out for.

[Joseph DeMartino]

From: [email protected] (jms at b5)
Subject: Re: JMS: Straczynski-verse?
To: rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5.moderated
Date: 12/7/2004 4:45:22 AM

[Material on other projects omitted]

Since it's no longer an issue, because the show was not picked up, the series I'd mentioned that had come to me to talk about coming aboard as an EP was Warren Ellis' Global Frequency. I'd met with the people involved, been approved by the network, went by to meet Warren during filming in Vancouver, who seemed like a very nice sort, and was waiting for the next round of serious conversations...but the show has not been picked up by WB. I know they're shopping it elsewhere, so we'll see, but for now, at least, that's that. (I have to say, by the way, that the pilot script is probably the smartest script I've ever read. It could really be one hell of a series.)

So no, he didn't write the pilot and wasn't involved in producing it. He would have come aboard as showrunner if the pilot had been picked up. My guess would be that the folks producing the pilot didn't have the experience in getting a show out week after week, on time and on budget that JMS did, so the studio or the network wanted him aboard to make sure things went smoothly.

See the full post here.

Regards,

Joe

[Ranger1]

Ahhhhhh there's always hope for new B5, i just love that.

[SmileOfTheShadow]

Lots of good news! I'm excited for the other movie and TV projects as well. It seems like awhile since JMS has had much for us to watch. I was talking to you earlier about Global Frequency. Does anyone on the board know if he actually wrote the pilot episode, or was he just slated to be on as executive producer if the show aired? I've always wondered that.

[Jan]

Since the archive page seems to be stuck right now, I'm posting this in its entirety:

Title: update from jms
Author: [email protected]
Date: 26 Aug 2006 01:42:39 -0700
Message-ID: <[email protected] om>

Boy howdy, has it been a hectic few weeks.

Okay, where to start? The second draft of the script for Ron Howard
will be going to him next week, and sometime in September we'll learn
where this all lands in terms of production schedules. It's looking
very good at the moment.

Hot on the heels of finishing that script, we've closed the deal for me
to write another feature for Universal, the big-budget
historical/action film alluded to earlier. That deal is now set, and
I'll be starting the writing shortly. So that's two firm done-deals
in feature films in the last few months, and if a recent meeting at
Paramount provides the expected results, I may have a third deal in
hand for the coming year, another big-budget film to be based on a
novel coming out in September.

I've also started in on the writing for the first B5: Lost Tales
script, and we've now spoken to several of the original cast members,
who are on board with the idea. It's still going to be a factor of
what deals can be made and with whom, as well as story elements that
are now being worked out, but things are moving ahead. Because some of
the crew and others we wanted won't be available until October, we've
pushed a bit, which is fine, since it gives me a bit more time to get
the script where it needs to be and start laying out my shot list as
director.

The pilot script for "Borrowed Lives" has been very well received by
Touchstone, and with a few minor notes we should be able to get this in
to the network in a few weeks. Then we shall see what we shall see,
but it looks promising for now.

For the comics fans out there...the solicitations went out this week
for the first issue of my miniseries "Bullet Points" for Marvel. I'm
really, really proud of this thing, and I commend it to you highly. So
if you're interested, let your comic store know to set aside copies,
because I think it's gonna sell out fairly quickly.

I should be receiving the approval CDs containing the final versions of
"The Adventures of Apocalypse Al" this week from the CBC. Assuming no
tweaks are needed, that should be it. I think they're talking about
October for an airdate, but that depends on their scheduling windows.
After that, as noted previously, it goes to Sirius and a bunch of
overseas markets.

Finally, I've cleared out a window of time so I can get the next B5
script book out the door on schedule. It's the only thing that I've
had any flexibility on in terms of deadlines, so it got pushed, but I'm
now in a position to come up for air a bit.

As you can guess, the last few weeks have been nonstop meetings and
nonstop writing. This is the busiest I've been since years 4 and 5 of
B5. It's been pretty breathtaking at times, a lot of deadlines that I
wasn't always sure I could make, but in the end it seems to be laying
out pretty clean. The best part, to be honest, has been working with
Ron Howard and the Imagine folks on the script. When I've heard people
say "Each draft got better than the one before it," I've never believed
it because my experience of studio people was that each draft generally
got stupider. Not this time. It really has gotten better with each
iteration, more filmic, for lack of a less moronic term. I like
learning from people, and the learning curve here has been both steep
and deeply satisfying.

So I'm very happy. Tired beyond description just now, but happy
nonetheless.

jms