[thestartrekker]

I remember the idea of a BSG movie was mooted a while back. Haven't heard anything else about it since. Any one got the low-down?

[samwiseb]

Bryan Singer is the one doing it. I haven't kept track of anything else he's doing. If he's no longer involved, then it's probably not happening.

[martok2112]

The BSG movie keeps getting side tracked because of larger profile productions that come down the pipe that suddenly get Bryan Singer's interest. Then B.S. goes off to do that project, and Galactica gets sidelined another couple of years. The hopes of doing a direct continuation with any of the original cast keep getting dimmer and dimmer, as many of them are now in their 60's (or older, except for Noah Hathaway, whom I believe is near, or just above 40), and today's younger crowd is not going to want to watch a movie filled with people they aren't familiar with.

The only hope of doing anything resembling the original series at this point is to do yet another reboot...in movie form.

My biggest fear is that Bryan Singer and Tom DeSanto will make this look like a fanboy-gasm movie. I think, in order for it to succeed in the format being proposed, a "Wrath of Khan" approach is needed. Get a director and screen writer who is not invested in a lifetime of Galactica lore.

I personally am not holding my breath for any Galactica movie.

Hard core old-schoolers are hoping for a movie that continues on the original series, and has absolutely NOTHING to do with the recent series. I am ambivalent. It could continue the original or the new series, and I'll be happy. But until then, until I see an actual trailer for it, it's a non-issue.

[starbase63]

Same thing kept happening to the in-limbo "Logan's Run" remake...another Bryan Singer project...which he first left to do "Superman Returns" then went back to then left again.

[samwiseb]

Originally Posted by martok2112

The BSG movie keeps getting side tracked because of larger profile productions that come down the pipe that suddenly get Bryan Singer's interest. Then B.S. goes off to do that project, and Galactica gets sidelined another couple of years. The hopes of doing a direct continuation with any of the original cast keep getting dimmer and dimmer, as many of them are now in their 60's (or older, except for Noah Hathaway, whom I believe is near, or just above 40), and today's younger crowd is not going to want to watch a movie filled with people they aren't familiar with.

The only hope of doing anything resembling the original series at this point is to do yet another reboot...in movie form.

My biggest fear is that Bryan Singer and Tom DeSanto will make this look like a fanboy-gasm movie. I think, in order for it to succeed in the format being proposed, a "Wrath of Khan" approach is needed. Get a director and screen writer who is not invested in a lifetime of Galactica lore.

I personally am not holding my breath for any Galactica movie.

Hard core old-schoolers are hoping for a movie that continues on the original series, and has absolutely NOTHING to do with the recent series. I am ambivalent. It could continue the original or the new series, and I'll be happy. But until then, until I see an actual trailer for it, it's a non-issue.

I've never heard before that they even were considering the original actors. Did anyone actually say that? This to me is new. I never got the impression they had enough of a treatment to be that specific.

I've only heard it was "based on the original series; not the Ron Moore reboot." Which could mean anything. The Ron Moore reboot was based on the original series. Sources get their semantics turned around and end up inarticulate because they're trying to be articulate (That this wasn't going to continue Ron Moore's version was always a given).

Glen Larson I know tried to propose a sequel/spin-off Battlestar Pegasus motion picture that would supposedly have been 'in continuity' with his original series. But he's a has-been TV producer who wouldn't understand how Hollywood works. And his plan didn't involve the original actors (prompting Richard Hatch to pitch Galactica himself, until I suspect the Moore team co-opted him just to shut him up).

Even if they weren't 60-year-olds, they're TV actors. Nobody brings them to the big screen unless you're Star Trek, The X-Files or Serenity. Even Star Trek probably couldn't tell you how they did it, other than history and pop culture seemed to be on their side when it happened. And they don't do it anymore. And Galactica isn't Star Trek. It would be like making The Undiscovered Country or Star Trek Nemesis if the films prior had never happened.

I would seriously hope they remake it, reboot it, whatever it, because otherwise I can't see that they were ever that realistic about it to begin with.

Originally Posted by starbase63

Same thing kept happening to the in-limbo "Logan's Run" remake...another Bryan Singer project...which he first left to do "Superman Returns" then went back to then left again.

Without having heard anything in a while (or checked to see when the most recent news was) I suspect this is another one of those.

[Captain Tom Coughlin]

The way I see it, both BSG shows stories have been told, so if you were to make a new film you might as well just make another reboot and focus on the attack on the colonies and the early struggles of the fleet escaping.

[kevin]

Last I had read, Singer was no longer involved with a 'Logan's Run' remake, but instead 'Drive' director Nicolas Refn was going to do it with Ryan Gosling. Although that's gone a bit quiet as well.

Then again so has Battlestar as far as I know.

Topically, you can't do it as camp and silly as the 70's version and no two hour movie could hope to even scratch the surface of the themes and subject matter that the reboot did properly. So, another version would seem to be stuck in no man's land where it would have to land somewhere between the two.

A complete 'third' reboot skipping both prior versions would seem best. The 70's version is too old and reboot completed it's story from start to finish.

[martok2112]

Originally Posted by samwiseb

I've never heard before that they even were considering the original actors. Did anyone actually say that? This to me is new. I never got the impression they had enough of a treatment to be that specific.

I've only heard it was "based on the original series; not the Ron Moore reboot." Which could mean anything. The Ron Moore reboot was based on the original series. Sources get their semantics turned around and end up inarticulate because they're trying to be articulate (That this wasn't going to continue Ron Moore's version was always a given).

Glen Larson I know tried to propose a sequel/spin-off Battlestar Pegasus motion picture that would supposedly have been 'in continuity' with his original series. But he's a has-been TV producer who wouldn't understand how Hollywood works. And his plan didn't involve the original actors (prompting Richard Hatch to pitch Galactica himself, until I suspect the Moore team co-opted him just to shut him up).

Even if they weren't 60-year-olds, they're TV actors. Nobody brings them to the big screen unless you're Star Trek, The X-Files or Serenity. Even Star Trek probably couldn't tell you how they did it, other than history and pop culture seemed to be on their side when it happened. And they don't do it anymore. And Galactica isn't Star Trek. It would be like making The Undiscovered Country or Star Trek Nemesis if the films prior had never happened.

I would seriously hope they remake it, reboot it, whatever it, because otherwise I can't see that they were ever that realistic about it to begin with.

If I remember my history on this correctly, back around '99, Singer and DeSanto were already well working on a revival effort for television that would've been a continuation of the original series (forgoing the horror that was Galactica 1980) By early 2001, some sets were already built and they were actually ready for principal photography. Reportedly, Dirk Benedict (the original Starbuck) had his bags already packed and ready to take off to report for filming duty. Then, Sept. 11th hit. Production was brought to a terminal standstill. Sets were taken down. The project was scrapped.

A plan was still in place to do something with Battlestar Galactica. Sci-Fi Channel (now SyFy) acquired the rights to do their own series, and for those of us who remember the original series, well, we've seen the alterations that were made in tone, story, characters, and tech. A script for the pilot miniseries was leaked out. Some hard core old schoolers who saw the script were practically repulsed and revulsed by it, and some even tried to launch campaigns to have the production STOPPED. Admittedly, I wasn't even sure what to think of some of the story and story elements, but when the miniseries aired, all doubts in my mind were cast aside. For me, Galactica was back. And it was back for four seasons after that.

In some ways, it seems almost that Galactica is a cursed franchise....loaded with fits and starts, and then sputtering out.

Now, a big screen production of the new series Galactica is entirely feasible. Two of the lead stars were already Oscar winning actors (Edward James Olmos and Mary McDonnell), and others in the cast also had big screen experience (Katee Sackhoff, James Callis, Aaron Douglas, I believe Jamie Bamber) and many of their guest cast had been on the big screen (Dana Delaney, Bill Duke, John Heard).

Richard Hatch, I admire the guy. He did a great job as the original Apollo in the '78 series, and did a bang up job as Tom Zarek in the new series. (His "B" movie work might leave something to be desired) The ideas he had for "Galactica: The Second Coming" which would've been a continuation movie, were really cool. He financed the trailer project himself, and hired some really good CG talent, and even brought back some of the original cast (Terry Carter, John Colicos), although they could not be paid for their work. (Union rules and all that.) If you search YouTube, I'm sure you can find the trailer for "Second Coming". (For the longest time, Hatch was only permitted to show the trailer at conventions that he attended himself, so the film roll was always on his person. Any time the video appeared on YouTube as a result of someone "camera recording" the trailer, the trailer would be yanked. So I don't know if it is still currently available, or has been pulled.)

He, at first, was vocal about his opposition to the new series. He wasn't disrespectful, but he did oppose it. Ronald D. Moore met with him, showed him the sets and the people (many of the actors apparently treated Richard with a sort of reverence...."wow, here's the ORIGINAL Apollo). And yes, Richard accepted a recurring role. His tune regarding the new series did change dramatically, and some old school fans view him as a "traitor to the cause". (This is why I don't get too invested in "fandoms".)

[thestartrekker]

Seems like its off the cards for the time being. I knew Singer was supposedly involved, but that seems to have all gone to pot. I do agree it would have to be a totally new reboot, 70's gig is up, and the latest told its story, start to finish, and I think it was perfect as is without adding to it.
Would still be pretty cool to see it get the big screen treatment though.
Now, lets go off topic again. The one that comes to mind now is a Babylon 5 big screen extravaganza, how would you go about rebooting that!!!

[martok2112]

CG tech has certainly advanced enough (beyond the days of Amiga Video Toaster, which was what B5 first used for its CG space stuff) that a B5 big screen event would look gorgeous. Granted, as time went on for the show, the visual aspect advanced a lot, but with today's tech, B5 would be a visual feast on the silver screen.

I would think that a telemovie like "In the Beginning" where we see the Earth/Minbari war would be a good start, if it got a big screen re-translation, both in terms of story-telling and visual effects. To be big-screen, you have to THINK big screen. (This, to me, was the problem that marred the first three Star Trek TNG movies---Generations, First Contact, Insurrection).

Now, with the full on visual overhaul....

Either do a full telling of "In the Beginning" and be its own movie, or have it be, perhaps, the first ten minutes of the movie, told in a quick historical perspective. Then, we get a quick rundown of how Babylon's 1-3 were built, and quickly destroyed before going operational. You could have Babylon 4 come on line, and then, as in the series mythos, 24 hours later, it disappears. Now, granted, I know a story was done on this in the show, but perhaps they could redux it, give it a different angle, and then that's where the more successfully operational B5 and her crew come into play.