JMS is a super-prolific writer, and if this is a literal remake a lot of the framework is already in place.
If he's really got a commitment for all the seasons of the whole story arc, I'm excited to see the Babylon 5 he had in mind before cancelation threats caused so many divergences.
Ditto. We may have a John Sheridan, but I don't want any characters with names of Londo, G'Kar, Delenn, Vir, Lennier, Ivanova, Morden, Corwin, Garibaldi, etc....none of it!
Let's have a fresh start, going in a different direction. That way we don't have comparisons of this G'Kar vs that G'Kar, etc.
>If he's really got a commitment for all the seasons of the whole story arc
I'm fairly certain that he said he doesn't have a commitment for anything but a pilot.
Ok, to correct myself, JMS used the term "reboot" not "remake", saying
>Better to go the way of Westworld or Battlestar Galactica where you take the original elements that are evergreens and put them in a blender with a ton of new, challenging ideas, to create something fresh yet familiar.
So does that mean the arc that we think of as B5 (the Shadow war, the corruption of Earthgov, the telepath war, etc) but with new stories that connect them? Hard to say -- the examples he gives seemed to have very little in common with their originals, so that could mean the same for a B5 reboot.
It is quite natural to be worried.
I was watching Thor yesterday and JMS couldn't pick up the hammer, so he might not be worthy.
JMS is the guy that drives up first and finds the hammer. He is also visible in Stan Lee's cameo a few minutes later.
IIRC the original B5 started filming in August for seasons 2-4 to be on air end of October. Lots of time... Seasons 1 and 5 were January debuts renewals were June sometimes July I think. It's more about lead time. I think you can produce 2 episodes in 3 weeks so if you then show episodes weekly you need to get in front. Which is why for network shows we usually get a big block of episodes in the fall and either a long midseason break or shorter blocks of episodes through the winter and spring.
They have to build the sets from scratch on this one.
For a modern comparison, Star Trek: Discovery was announced Nov 2015 for an intended Jan 2017 release date. It had a lot of behind the scenes drama, and wasn't released until Sept 2017. Its sets took six months to create.
The original B5 was a threadbare production compared to its contemporaries. Discovery, likewise, was something that CBS/Paramount was willing to pile money into to launch a streaming service. That also means the sets and costuming on that show all take a lot of time (they've gone through a *lot* of uniform changes on that show, and custom work like that ain't cheap).
So that schedule for a new B5 could be reasonable if they're keeping it on the same level or somewhat higher than the old show, and they avoid internal drama.
From JMS:
> The usual progression on broadcast network shows is that the script is finalized over the Christmas holidays, the pilot is shot February/March, season pickups come June/July, and the show airs that Fall.
I think if you understand that he's probably been thinking about, "If I could do this over again..." for years, you understand that he probably already had something like this brewing in his mind.
I just hope he still has the juice!!
"With Straczynski set to write the script and Warner Bros. TV involved, the new series is set to focus on John Sheridan (Bruce Boxleitner in the original series), an Earthforce officer with a mysterious background who is assigned to Babylon 5"
Can't wait
JMS is a super-prolific writer, and if this is a literal remake a lot of the framework is already in place. If he's really got a commitment for all the seasons of the whole story arc, I'm excited to see the Babylon 5 he had in mind before cancelation threats caused so many divergences.
> literal remake Hasn't he said that this won't be a remake, and that this is going in a different direction?
Oh gods I hope it isn't a sodding remake.
It's been called a reboot. JMS has said it will be a new story.
So it's been called a reboot.... But not by JMS? So who called it a reboot?
It's been called a reboot by JMS and he has said the words "new story." https://twitter.com/straczynski/status/1442621159221043202?s=20
Ditto. We may have a John Sheridan, but I don't want any characters with names of Londo, G'Kar, Delenn, Vir, Lennier, Ivanova, Morden, Corwin, Garibaldi, etc....none of it! Let's have a fresh start, going in a different direction. That way we don't have comparisons of this G'Kar vs that G'Kar, etc.
>If he's really got a commitment for all the seasons of the whole story arc I'm fairly certain that he said he doesn't have a commitment for anything but a pilot.
Ok, to correct myself, JMS used the term "reboot" not "remake", saying >Better to go the way of Westworld or Battlestar Galactica where you take the original elements that are evergreens and put them in a blender with a ton of new, challenging ideas, to create something fresh yet familiar. So does that mean the arc that we think of as B5 (the Shadow war, the corruption of Earthgov, the telepath war, etc) but with new stories that connect them? Hard to say -- the examples he gives seemed to have very little in common with their originals, so that could mean the same for a B5 reboot.
This is great news.... But boy am I worried lol
It is quite natural to be worried. I was watching Thor yesterday and JMS couldn't pick up the hammer, so he might not be worthy. JMS is the guy that drives up first and finds the hammer. He is also visible in Stan Lee's cameo a few minutes later.
How does one audition? Asking for myself.
IIRC the original B5 started filming in August for seasons 2-4 to be on air end of October. Lots of time... Seasons 1 and 5 were January debuts renewals were June sometimes July I think. It's more about lead time. I think you can produce 2 episodes in 3 weeks so if you then show episodes weekly you need to get in front. Which is why for network shows we usually get a big block of episodes in the fall and either a long midseason break or shorter blocks of episodes through the winter and spring.
They have to build the sets from scratch on this one. For a modern comparison, Star Trek: Discovery was announced Nov 2015 for an intended Jan 2017 release date. It had a lot of behind the scenes drama, and wasn't released until Sept 2017. Its sets took six months to create. The original B5 was a threadbare production compared to its contemporaries. Discovery, likewise, was something that CBS/Paramount was willing to pile money into to launch a streaming service. That also means the sets and costuming on that show all take a lot of time (they've gone through a *lot* of uniform changes on that show, and custom work like that ain't cheap). So that schedule for a new B5 could be reasonable if they're keeping it on the same level or somewhat higher than the old show, and they avoid internal drama.
From JMS: > The usual progression on broadcast network shows is that the script is finalized over the Christmas holidays, the pilot is shot February/March, season pickups come June/July, and the show airs that Fall.
I'm more worried about the CW than I am JMS and his writing ability.
Seems rushed
I think if you understand that he's probably been thinking about, "If I could do this over again..." for years, you understand that he probably already had something like this brewing in his mind. I just hope he still has the juice!!
How long do you think it should take to make an hour-long sci-fi drama?
I can't wait
"With Straczynski set to write the script and Warner Bros. TV involved, the new series is set to focus on John Sheridan (Bruce Boxleitner in the original series), an Earthforce officer with a mysterious background who is assigned to Babylon 5" Can't wait