Screenwriter and geek icon J. Michael Straczynski, known to his fans as "JMS," announced at San Diego Comic-Con 2014 that he's planning a "Babylon 5" feature film. Rather than a continuation of the TV show, which he's wanted to do for years, the movie will now be a reboot with new actors.
"Babylon 5" is largely credited with ushering in modern television shows with serialized story lines. When "B5" debuted in 1994, TV shows of every genre followed a standard format whereby complete stories were told in a single episode. Aside from multi-part episodes and daytime soaps, serialized story arcs were forbidden. Networks feared that audiences would feel left behind by ongoing stories in primetime should they miss an episode.
Straczynski changed the mold with "Babylon 5," selling it to short-lived network PTEN as "a novel for television" -- one big story with a definitive beginning, middle and end. This was another departure for TV dramas, where shows were intentionally built to carry on for as long as ratings were strong. Although "Babylon 5" was never a major hit, it became a cult favorite as viewers became enamored with its epic scale, dense mythology and characters that changed (some drastically) over its five-year run. But the show was limited by scheduling issues from PTEN, primitive visual effects, and a tiny budget.
Despite all that, "Babylon 5" was considered ahead of its time, telling layered, sophisticated story arcs that set trends still followed today. Most notably, every genre show from "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" to "Lost" to "The Walking Dead" has adopted the serialized format, with even some procedurals and sitcoms incorporating long story arcs into their weekly offerings.
Rebooting "Babylon 5" for modern audiences with higher production values and an all new cast is a provocative notion, though one wonders how a 100+ hour television program can be condensed to a single film (or perhaps a trilogy?). At Comic-Con, Straczynski said that he would be finalizing a script for the reboot by the end of 2015 so production can begin in 2016. JMS also mentioned that he'd like to include cast members from the TV show like Bruce Boxleitner and Mira Furlan, albeit in new roles.
Straczynski hopes that Warner Bros. might finance his $80-$100 million "Babylon 5" movie, since they bankrolled the TV series. But he means to move forward with or without WB's involvement. His rising profile in Hollywood over the last ten years or so has allowed him to create his own production company, Studio JMS, which he'll use to make the movie if Warner isn't interested.
JMS is also currently in production on the first season of "Sense8," a science fiction series for Netflix that he co-created with the Wachowskis.
