I'm really curious at the least. I really do hope they pull it off.
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‘Babylon 5’ Reboot in the Works at The CW with original series creator J. Michael Straczynski
- Thread starter Spectromixer
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I'm really curious at the least. I really do hope they pull it off.
Couldn't be happier. Seeing a lot of naysaying about the CW but I watch Superman and Stargirl right now and rly love both shows. If your initial thought is "wow it's gonna have crap CGI" you probably didn't watch or care about the original run of the show which we loved in spite of it's archaic tech, and probably haven't watched anything on the CW lately either cause the CGI in their superhero shows is absolutely fine and Babylon 5 would be even less demanding of a CGI budget. I have faith in JMS and faith manages. SO stoked. One of my all time favorite shows and its original production was SO cursed between the lack of budget, cast problems, and all the network hopping which lead to season 4 and 5 feeling rushed and scuffed in ways that really drag what should have been masterpiece storylines. Let's fucking GO
I'm very happy about this, the CW had and has a lot of shows I like a lot especially genre shows.
I mean, the green screen shots in the desert in Superman & Lois are about on par with the worst similar shots in Babylon 5 so it's kind of poetic, like poetry.
While I have faith in this because of JMS's involvement, I am kind of reticent to potentially try and have the original "replaced." We'll have to see.
While I have faith in this because of JMS's involvement, I am kind of reticent to potentially try and have the original "replaced." We'll have to see.
Oh cool, can't believe all these years I never noticed the Ranger emblem. I always thought it was an ambassador role he'd gotten since he also had some dressing on his uniform and was going over a deed/treaty of some kind with Vir. But a Ranger role makes sense in the context of the episode since Delenn was also trying to recruit Ivanova.
Man, I really wish we'd gotten a proper followup series with the original cast before so many of them passed away. :(
CW might honestly be the perfect home for this show. If this show were coming to any of the streaming giants it would have unrealistically high expectations for viewership. It would be lucky to get the requisite 2 seasons from Netflix before cancellation. On CW JMS will have all the freedom he needs to tell his story and the show will develop its cult following and thrive for many seasons
No one will convince me CW isn't the best possible place for this to happen
No one will convince me CW isn't the best possible place for this to happen
You have my axe. There are many rough things about the original that I hope this does better. So long as some things are better then the original which I dont think is hard to do I will always have the original. For example the original i never really came to care much about dr Franklin. I just never cared much about him compared to Bashir and crusher so his character could definitely be improved. I think if we can get a little more with low level characters to flesh the station out like the bsg reboot and deep space 9 would also be an improvement. The original wasn't perfect, but the whole of it was incredible.
I would liken this more to a play. Like yeah I can go see Hamilton off Broadway but there is no way I would enjoy it with new actors. I have watched b5 completely at least 5 times. Those actors are the character so I am unlikely to ever enjoy a reboot as much. I mean I will watch it but go in skeptical that a new cast can recapture b5.
Why assume "reboot" just means the same story and same characters with new actors? JMS already basically said this isn't the case on Twitter. He's a better writer than that
Feel like I'm taking crazy pills reading a lot of the discourse surrounding this news. Gonna stay optimistic and excited but when negativity runs so rampant it really sours the word of mouth potential of a thing
Feel like I'm taking crazy pills reading a lot of the discourse surrounding this news. Gonna stay optimistic and excited but when negativity runs so rampant it really sours the word of mouth potential of a thing
Yeah, when he mentioned the new BSG that's exactly what came to mind. BSG took the basics: a rag-tag fleet on the run from a race of robots that had nearly exterminated humanity, under the command of a man named Adama, and spun it off into something very different in tone and execution from the original. I think the main difference here is that B5 is generally regarded as a great concept that was well executed for the time and constraints they had, whereas BSG was a good concept that was not executed well…and I say that as a fan of the original BSG.
We have very limited information about what this series will ultimately be, other than it will have Sheridan on B5, and there will be a powerful enemy that they'll have to face. I'm sure that there will be a lot of stuff carried over from the original, but I also think that the story will spin off into different, and hopefully interesting directions. I'm not expecting a 1:1 remake of the original.
I feel a hell of a lot more secure with it on CW than on pretty much any other network.
CW has been the most reliable source of genre TV for years. They took a superhero show starring a C tier batman clone and spun that off into 7 other series. They did crisis on infinite earths on a TV budget. They had the first openly queer live action super hero. They've had 3 leading characters being queer across 2 series.They not only let constantine be bi when they brought him to legends, but actually made his relationship with with a man into a significant part of a seasonal plot. They've had two main shows and one miniseries headlined by POC.
That people are bitching about budget indicates that there's isn't much else to worry about. And frankly, it's crazy to assume B5 would have a budget comparable to star trek and star wars. Both those properties are decades old and have been a part of the pop culture environment in some form or another pretty much the entire time. B5 was barely part of pop culture when it was on. It was always the Bad News Bears of space opera.
I mean it probably won't be the same story. It will be the original plot that he was forced to alter as half the cast quit between the pilot and first episode, and then half of the replacement cast quit piecemeal over the next 4 seasons. BY the end of the show there are like 3 actors who had been there for the whole thing.
B5 without having to use JMS' contingency plots would be a very different story.
I love Babylon 5. But unless JMS tells a completely new story, this is going to go over like a wet banana. I tried to introduce friend and younger generations of family to this show, but after the Jackson Lord of the Rings films, people tend to roll their eyes. "Is everything a Lord of the Rings rip off?"
Inject it into my veins
Season 4 is proof that the man had plots on plots on plots set up for that show but the realities of the entertainment industry were never in his favor
Cool, thanks!
I don't, but that's still high enough praise for me to recognize. Cool that they've got something good going on that front. It seems like that IP has been delivering dicey content for a long time.
It's why I'm hopeful if they reintroduce a Talia/Ivanova relationship again, it can actually pan out.
The thing is scifi really has no place on TV anymore so the CW is the only place for it. It's just that audience has certain expectations and it just seems expected that they'll have to make some changes.
That said, the shows are weird in that you have the batshit stuff that people presumably hate-watch or watching in a so bad it's good kind of way like the DCEU stuff and Riverdale and Supernatural, and then you have all their science fiction/vampire shows that are very much tied to relationship dramas, and then you have random shit like Walker. So I'm not sure where B5 would fit into that lineup. lol
In the previous series, characters would be absent for several episodes at a time but the actors would still get top billing and probably paid for every episode as if they were in it. I can't see that happening now.
I wonder if it's actually easier to cast as "you're all recurring, you only get paid if you're in the episode" now vs then either from a union perspective or an actors are willing to go for that perspective.
I wonder if it's actually easier to cast as "you're all recurring, you only get paid if you're in the episode" now vs then either from a union perspective or an actors are willing to go for that perspective.
Do we think JMS's writing will hold up to modern day scrutiny?
Also, good luck replacing the old cast. Should be a continuation, not a reboot.
That said, better than nothing!
Also, good luck replacing the old cast. Should be a continuation, not a reboot.
That said, better than nothing!
JMS's writing 25 years ago holds up to modern day scrutiny.
The time for a continuation ended years ago. Unfortunately over half the cast has passed away, and the lack of those characters would cast a shadow over any continuation. I agree that re-casting those characters would be difficult, if this was going to be a straight up reboot, but it doesn't sound like it is.
And what's wrong with JMS' writing? If anything, B5 has only improved with age…sadly, because some of the things in the series have moved from a sci-fi "what if" to real life.
So he is great at telling a larger story, but there are moments where the dialog is rough. The show can be cheesy as hell sometimes and this is from someone who loves it. Sometimes the smaller arcs just seem bad or poorly concieved. (ahem...Jack the Ripper). Scifi storytelling on television has advanced quite a bit. I am not saying it has to match the tone or feel of a Battlestar Galactica or the Expanse, but the bar is there, and it can't be ignored.
Wow, I didn't know you guys were B5 heads like me...Toronto B5 Crew official t-shirts incoming.
I grabbed the DVD set when it was on sale for like $70 earlier this year and just finished my watch through a few weeks ago.
Well, that headline is certainly a rollercoaster of emotions ...
I'm in though. Have to give JMS a chance, CW or not.
I'm in though. Have to give JMS a chance, CW or not.
They were only paid for the episodes they appeared in that was one of the cost saving measures due to the limited budget, I remember an interview with Bill Mumy were he said he only had a six episode guarantee when he signed on which means he's a regular and has to make himself available for the entire season but is only guaranteed six episodes that he appears in and is paid for.
Babylon 5 could have never afforded to pay their entire credited cast for every episode.
Please be good. Please be good. Please be good!
Babylon 5 is legendary. But knowing that The CW is behind it... well, let's wait for the first footage.
Babylon 5 is legendary. But knowing that The CW is behind it... well, let's wait for the first footage.
Maybe that is what applied to him at the beginning on his season 1 contract. I'd be surprised if it did the entire series. I'd also be highly surprised if they applied to Peter Jurasik and Andreas Katsulas.
There were lots of characters who got main cast billing that probably shouldn't have. Vir, space Jesus, Zach etc. as well. Never made sense to me. I would have thought main cast billing ment you're required to be paid for every episode even if you're not in it. Like a pay or play thing.
I think we should pause briefly to remember the show hasn't been given the go-ahead. It sounds likely that it'll make the cut, especially with The CW being... The CW. But JMS has sounded pretty praiseworthy toward potential business partners in the past, including when the B5 feature film was in the cards, only for things to burn up.
I think it's 80% likely this is a thing, but yeah.
I think it's 80% likely this is a thing, but yeah.
I bought the remaster on iTunes when it came out, but haven't rewatched it.
My memories are of watching the show on an old black and white TV I had. lol
Nope. I love Babylon 5 and am very excited at the news.
Assuming it does get made: Best case we get new Babylon 5 and it's good. Worst case we get new Babylon 5 and it sucks - but the original is still there.
The themes about using fear of terrorism to drum up public support for reductions of liberties, increased monitoring, etc all were super relevant in the 2000s.
The xenophobia and anti-alient sentiment were more relevant during the Trump admin.
The anti-science bent of the pandemic episode felt completely relevant when my daughter and I watched it again last year when the remaster came out.
The show so far has been evergreen in that regard, but that's what happens when you lean on history for your examples, and you are willing to tackle religion and creeping fascism and xenophobia and substance abuse and such.
After reading JMS tweets I'm starting to get excited about this. I hope it all pans out great and B5 gets more popular. Maybe we will get Psi corp spin-off eventually.
i wonder if it was the CEO guy who recently left from sexual harassment.
But really could be anyone.
There are some things in the show's favour this time. For one, Babylon 5 being widely available on hbo max in much better quality probably has shown some positive viewing figures for the show.
Rebuild of Babylon 5.0
Kosh will have full memory of the original series.
Don't tell JMS I said that.
Kosh will have full memory of the original series.
Don't tell JMS I said that.
Therelevnt the 2000s further emphasize your point since the series had ended in the late 90s as well
i would be surprised if something like this wasn't alluded to in some way just for fan service
Was also thinking there had to have been at least one or two terrible execs who are no longer a part of the equation because the first thing I thought of after the reboot announcement was this very blunt, cold response JMS posted that he had received from WB via his agent back in 2018:
Yup, I remember that tweet...clearly there's been a significant shake-up here. Really glad for JMS...I remember posting on usenet back in the late 90s when JMS would respond to fans, the dude's passion for his projects is on another level.
What roles do you think the surviving cast members could play in the reboot?
Bruce Boxleitner - President Clark
Claudia Christian - Bester
Bill Mumy - Lord Refa
Patricia Tallman - Neroon
Peter Jurasik - Draal
Andrea Thompson - Kosh
Of course they cold also be new characters but those would obviously be impossible to guess.
Bruce Boxleitner - President Clark
Claudia Christian - Bester
Bill Mumy - Lord Refa
Patricia Tallman - Neroon
Peter Jurasik - Draal
Andrea Thompson - Kosh
Of course they cold also be new characters but those would obviously be impossible to guess.