JMS at SD Comic-Con 2011

[AmyG]

Pilots that don't go anywhere. That makes me think of the AMAZING and killed-in-its-cradle "Global Frequency." Warren Eillis and JMS. And Michelle #&$!ing Forbes!!!

[Jan]

Here's an excellent report on JMS's spotlight with lots more detail than I gave:

http://www.comicbookresources.com/?p...ticle&id=33519

The only confusion is that they seem to think that the current negotiations are from the 'ask me in April' project but from the way JMS stated things, the current negotiations are for something other than what had been planned for the new distribution system that failed to materialize.

Jan

[JoeD80]

Well sounds like there's still something being discussed. Not all is dead in the water. Projects in Hollywood morph and change and get killed and reborn all the time. Remember it took Joe about five years from treatment to air-date for the original pilot of Babylon 5.

[vakie]

Well sounds like there's still something being discussed. Not all is dead in the water. Projects in Hollywood morph and change and get killed and reborn all the time. Remember it took Joe about five years from treatment to air-date for the original pilot of Babylon 5.

Exactly. And WB and JMS don't owe us anything. I'm just glad there are active talks going on somewhere in a WB office on doing more B5 in some form, that's really all I can ask. If there is a way, it will happen. And if it doesn't, we are no worse off than we were when there was nothing being discussed. Which seemed to be the case right after Lost Tales.

[Dan Dassow]

http://www.comicbookresources.com/?p...ticle&id=33519
CCI: JMS Spotlight
by Chris Evans, Contributing Writer
CBR's coverage of Comic-Con 2011
July 24, 2011

A cleanly shaven J. Michael Straczynski greeted the packed room with a loud, "Howdy." The popular creator, almost unrecognizable without his signature goatee, was clearly in a good mood. ...

JMS explained his newly-shaved face as being the result of a shaving accident. Apparently, the cleaning people at his hotel knocked his electric shaver onto the ground, and when they picked it up, they accidentally changed the length setting, so when he woke up to shave, he ended up taking a whole chunk of his beard off. ...

[JoeD80]

Some cuts from a comment on Joe's facebook:
(posted this in the April announcement thread as well)

Re: B5...the studio offered a full season of a new and rebooted B5 as part of a new distribution venue they were creating
...
The negotiations...dragged on for over a year, we were told repeatedly this is going to happen, but finally, the participants couldn't make the math work. So we and the other three shows that they were hoping to put out there got set aside.
...
But again, B5 was never created to be a Deep Space Franchise, we wanted to do our 5 years and get out clean. That was my intent going into this, and if that's where this ends up, I'm happy to stick with that.

[DGTWoodward]

...And if it doesn't, we are no worse off than we were when there was nothing being discussed. Which seemed to be the case right after Lost Tales...

So you don't mind then, having hopes and expectations built up, then disappointment, then being built up again, then more disappinotment again, then yet more expectation and more building of hope with even JMS saying things like " big announcement in April" and "movement in the long grass" and even "announcement before Comic Con" and then..?

As a casual observer of where we are with new B5, yes you are correct, in that respect there is no change.

As a fan it's horrendous! And dare I be the first to say (and I doubt that I am actually alone in this, even if no one else posts it here) that on this occasion JMS must shoulder some of the blame. Why tease anyone, announce anything, telling us about big things 'yet to come' if the deal was that fragile and where there was clearly nothing concrete on paper.

That was just plain silly.

PS:

....a full season of a new and rebooted B5...

There it is...the word we all feared, loathed and dreaded. The 'reboot' of a story that has already been done. That, to me and after all the expectation, is like being flicked in the face with a wet sandy towel. If a reboot was all we were going to get, than I am sort of pleased actually, that it failed to go any further. No, I've got my VHS, my Laserdiscs (growing slowly) and my DVDs of all available B5 related products and that's enough for me.

[JoeD80]

JMS saying things like " big announcement in April"

I would like to point out that Joe didn't say "big announcement in April" - he said "ask me after April"...in other words, wait until the contracts have been worked out; hopefully there will be something. It didn't work out, so there wasn't something.

"announcement before Comic Con" and then..?

His words were "I'll have something to say on the other matter before comiccon."

Why tease anyone, announce anything, telling us about big things 'yet to come' if the deal was that fragile and where there was clearly nothing concrete on paper.

He had guarantees from WB for all he wanted (full season, high budget, creative control); the contract fall-through was between WB and whatever their distribution system was. This was just one of four shows that got dropped because of that. Probably shouldn't have cut that part of the quote out:

The negotiations (not between us but between the participants of the venue) dragged on for over a year

There it is...the word we all feared, loathed and dreaded. The 'reboot' of a story that has already been done.

Not all of us were against it. You can't judge something that was never produced, IMHO. We don't have knowledge of the details of what was planned.

[lotjx]

While I agree with some of your points are you making Joe mainly that JMS didn't say big April Announcement, however, its also fair to say not all of us were in favor of the reboot. Now, I am going to reserve judgement on what exactly did he mean by "reboot". Was he going to do the show over again with a new cast and same story or do the Star Trek thing and do a parallel world? Either way, I am skeptical.

This really is a blow to B5 fans out there, no matter how you look at it. All the major scifi franchises have had new products in the last 5 years from Star Wars to Star Trek to Planet of the Apes to Battle Star to V. Yet, this is the one franchise with a great track and fans that seems to be left out in the cold. Maybe in the next few years when the Harry Potter money is gone they will come crawling back, but I doubt it. It is a disappointment and JMS' new series sounds more like a trailer for a movie I saw before Cap than an actual long running series.

[DGTWoodward]

Well Joe, thank for the definitive demonstration in splitting hairs. Tell me, you do understand the meaning of the term 'paraphrasing'...right? But still,

Originally Posted by DGTWoodward
JMS saying things like " big announcement in April"

I would like to point out that Joe didn't say "big announcement in April" - he said "ask me after April"...in other words, wait until the contracts have been worked out; hopefully there will be something. It didn't work out, so there wasn't something.

Well there is a huge difference there...oh, wait...no, no there actually isn't.

Originally Posted by DGTWoodward
"announcement before Comic Con" and then..?

His words were "I'll have something to say on the other matter before comiccon."

Isn't 'having something to say' and 'an announcement' the same thing? Yes, that's right, that's what I thought too. Which leaves 'before Comic Con' and 'before comiccon' but I think that you can figure that one out for your self.

Originally Posted by DGTWoodward
Why tease anyone, announce anything, telling us about big things 'yet to come' if the deal was that fragile and where there was clearly nothing concrete on paper.

He had guarantees from WB for all he wanted (full season, high budget, creative control); the contract fall-through was between WB and whatever their distribution system was. This was just one of four shows that got dropped because of that. Probably shouldn't have cut that part of the quote out:

A complete waste of text/time/typing. It changes nor adds anything. Channeling G'Kar a little I'd say that the guarantee that depends on a finite and clearly weak condition, is no guarantee at all is it? I mean...look, we are not getting any new B5 from it are we?

So the actual value of these guarantees, is..?

Exactly...zero!

Originally Posted by DGTWoodward
There it is...the word we all feared, loathed and dreaded. The 'reboot' of a story that has already been done.

Not all of us were against it. You can't judge something that was never produced, IMHO. We don't have knowledge of the details of what was planned.

Can't judge..? OK. So the term reboot means what to you, exactly?

Me? Well, let's see now, let's see if there is any precedent that I can call up to give a fairly informed opinion of the meaning of the term 'reboot'...

They have rebooted STAR TREK and has begun again from scratch.
They rebooted JAMES BOND and it started from scratch.
They rebooted BATMAN (again!) and it started from scratch.
They rebooted THE INCREDIBLE HULK and started from scratch.
They have rebooted SPIDERMAN from (you guessed it!!) scratch.
They are rebooting JUDGE DREDD from scratch.
They are rebooting SUPERMAN from (yep, you guessed it again!!!) scratch.
They are rebooting FANTASTIC FOUR and...GUESS WHAT? They are starting, yet again, from scratch.

So remind me again because I must really be missing something...what does the term reboot mean to you?

[KoshN]

IF the B5 project whose venue "never materialized" was "Babylon 5" reboot, I'm OVERJOYED that it's dead. "Babylon 5" does not need a reboot. I wonder how they got JMS to drink the Kool Aid.

[KoshN]

So the actual value of these guarantees, is..?

Exactly...zero!

Agreed. Exactly ZERO!


Trace: I'm startin' to feel like some kind of Yoyo.
Dureena: Some kind of what?
Eilerson: Yoyo, slang for fool or idiot.
Trace: I meant the toy.
Eilerson: Well then there's that, too.

[JoeD80]

Well there is a huge difference there...oh, wait...no, no there actually isn't.

He said specifically "wait until after April"..."I'm not being coy, I don't know until then" etc. etc.

Isn't 'having something to say' and 'an announcement' the same thing?

No.

Channeling G'Kar a little I'd say that the guarantee that depends on a finite and clearly weak condition, is no guarantee at all is it? I mean...look, we are not getting any new B5 from it are we?

If you were actually channeling G'Kar you wouldn't be insulting me by saying stuff like "A complete waste of text/time/typing."

Can't judge..? OK. So the term reboot means what to you, exactly?

No you can't judge something that doesn't exist. I'm not arguing with you about what reboot means, because that wasn't the point of what I said.

[DGTWoodward]

If you were actually channeling G'Kar you wouldn't be insulting me by saying stuff like "A complete waste of text/time/typing."

That by you is an insult? Seriously? Dude, you've not lived !! Besides which, G'Kar was more than capable of insults !

But the nett result of my assessment stands, we have no BABYLON 5 beyond the "we are still at the negotiating stage" stage(which is how it's been for years anyway) so the 'guarantees' were in fact meaningless, to all intents and purposes.

And having 'something to say' and an 'announcement' are the same thing, I asked my wife and she said that this is so, and she is never wrong.

[JoeD80]

I've certainly received much worse, having been online for 20+ years, but I don't see how saying I wasted my time typing can be perceived as a positive.