Sci-Fi Movies Sunday: Battlestar Galactica, Avatar, Green Hornet, Alien Prequel, Underworld 4, Surrogates + more August 16, 2009
by Rosario T. Calabria , Filed under: Sci-Fi , trackback
The big genre movie news this week in that Superman Returns helmer Bryan Singer is going to take on another big franchise, this time Battlestar Galactica. We have that, plus the first official image from Avatar, no Sigorney for the next Alien, Cato casting for Green Hornet, and much more, plus the latest trailers and images, including Fourth Kind and Surrogates.
GENRE MOVIE NEWS
Bryan Singer Directing Battlestar Galactica Movie
Bryan Singer has been hired by Universal Pictures to produce and direct a big-screen version of "Battlestar Galactica". The film is not expected to have any connection to the recently ended Syfy series from "Star Trek" alum Ronald D. Moore and will instead be a complete re-imagining. Glen Larson, who created the 1978 original series, is also on board as a producer. This is actually Singer’s second crack at the property. He and Tom De Santo had developed a TV sequel to the original series and were just months away from filming the backdoor pilot before the attacks on America on September 11, 2001 happened. The network grew nervous and the project fell apart. A few years later a new project from David Eick and Ron Moore and the rest is history. You can check out details of the De Santo/Singer version here and here [via
HitFix, who originally broke the news before it was confirmed by EW].
Avatar Day Ticket Giveaway Details + First Official Image
Tickets for Avatar Day, the promotional event for James Cameron’s 3-D sci-fi epic "Avatar" will be released tomorrow. The LA Times reports that at noon tomorrow (Monday, August 17th, tickets will be given away online at 3:00pm ET/ noon PT), Fox will give the tickets away through the official website avatarmovie.com. More than 100 3-D IMAX theaters worldwide are participating — It’s not completely clear whether it’ll also be shown in regular 3-D theaters — but a list hasn’t been made available so you’ll just have to check the website for yourself and see if the 15 minutes of footage will be screened in your area. The preview will be screened twice on Friday, August 21st at 9:00pm and 9:30pn ET. Don’t forget that the 21st also marks the worldwide debut of the official trailer (both online and in theaters–conventional, IMAX, 3-D and 3-D IMAX). The studio has also released the first official image from the film:
Image Description courtesy /Film (click to see it in higher resolution)
Sam Worthington Jake Sully a paraplegic war veteran, who gets the opportunity to travel to another planet, Pandora, to work with a mining operation. Because the planet is so harsh, traditional armor and envirosuit solutions are not good enough to protect miners, and a clone program has developed in which DNA from humans and Na’vi, the natives that inhabit Pandora, are combined. The result is essentially a cloned Na’vi that can house the consciousness of an individual with human DNA. This means that Jake will be able to walk again. The photo above shows Sully in front of the tank that houses his Avatar.
Meanwhile, the LA Times’ Hero Complex Blog interviewed James Cameron about the film. Here’s an excerpt of Cameron talking about the potential of creating a brand out of the film:
It’s simultaneously one of the great strengths and one of the potential weaknesses. We have no brand value. We have to create that brand value. “Avatar” means something to that group of fans that know this film is coming, but to the other 99% of the public it’s a nonsense word and we have to hope we can educate them. Well, I shouldn’t say a nonsense word – it doesn’t mean anything specific in terms of a brand association. And in fact there may be even a slight negative one because more people know about the Saturday morning cartoon, the anime, than about this particular film. We’ve got to create that [brand] from scratch. On the other hand, ultimately, it is probably the film’s greatest strength in the long run. We’ve had these big, money-making franchise films for a long time, “Star Trek” and “Star Wars,” you know, “Harry Potter,” and there’s a certain sort of comfort factor in that; you know what you’re going to get. But there’s no kind of shock of the new that’s possible with that. It’s been a while since something that took us on a journey, something that grabbed us by the lapels and dragged us out the door and took us on a journey of surprise.
And here’s a bit from Cameron on capturing emotion through the CG characters:
That was the biggest challenge of the film. No matter how much art and technology we threw at this thing, if it wasn’t in the eyes of the characters – if you didn’t see a soul there – it would just be a big clanking machine. And I think that’s what people were responding to with … well I don’t want to throw a particular movie under the bus here, but let’s just say we’ve seen examples of motion-capture not quite getting it. It’s called the uncanny valley. We’ve seen movies never quite get out of the uncanny valley. That’s a reference to a negative effect that is created when something approaches human [in appearance] but isn’t quite there, it creates this creepiness. Our goal right from the get-go is that we had to get over the uncanny valley. These characters have to be real, they have to be alive. And what the actors do has to come through 100%. We didn’t want to get in and come back and muck around with a lot of key-framing where we would be animating over what the actors did. Our goal was a pure translation of the actors’ performance, at least as much as the physiology of that character allowed. The actors can’t act the tail, the actors can’t ears, so there is a layer of animation on top of what they are doing. But if I showed you the reference video track of what [lead actors] Zoe [Saldana] and Sam [Worthington] did, I think you’d be astonished at how closely it maps to the final performance that you see. I think it’s one-to-one. You know, and, we expected that maybe we’d get to 90%, maybe 95%, but I don’t think we dreamed that we’d get to 100%. But we did. There’s absolutely no diminishment.
Read the two-part interview here and here, and check out an interview with CCH Pounder who plays a character named Moha who is the head of the Na’vi at this link. "Avatar" hits theaters on December 18, 2009.
No Sigorney for Alien Prequel
Sigorney Weaver is in Cameron’s Avatar, but she will not be returning for Ridley in the Alien prequel. Here’s Weaver talking about how she expects a "classy" prequel to "Alien" from director Ridley Scott. She doesn’t expect to be involved in the film. [MTV]
District 9 Opens in First Place
Benefiting by both a strong viral and conventional marketing campaign and critical praise — 88% on Rotten Tomatoes — the Neill Blomkamp-directed/Peter Jackson-produced R-rated sci-fi film "District 9" opened its first week at the box office with an impressive estimated $37 million from 3,049 theaters, easily holding off second place "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra" which fell 59% to $22.5 million ($98.8 million cume) and "The Time Traveler’s Wife" which opened in third place with $19.2 million. The opening for "District 9" is all the more impressive when factoring in its relatively tiny budget of $30 million. Many have likened its opening — and the buzz leading up to it — to 2008’s "Cloverfield" ($25 million budget; $40.1 million opening weekend). Although it should be noted that "Cloverfield" had the benefit of opening in more theaters (3,411 vs. 3,049) and had a more audience friendly PG-13 rating.
Jay Chou Cast as Kato in Green Hornet + Edward James Olmos Joins Cast
This week we have two new additions to the cast of Michel Gondry’s "The Green Hornet" to report on. First up, Jay Chou has been cast as Kato, replacing Stephen Chow who bowed out shortly after deciding not to direct:
“It’s an overwhelming experience to take on a role made famous by Bruce Lee. I won’t try to be Bruce Lee’s Kato – I will try to bring my own interpretation to the part. Of course, it’s a dream role, and I’m looking forward to the challenge,” Chou said.
Another addition to the film is Edward James Olmos ("Battlestar Galactica"). Olmos made the announcement while at Wizard World Chicago Comic-Con last week [via ComingSoon]:
"I’m on my way to do ‘The Green Hornet,’" Olmos told me. "It’ll be a lot of fun with Seth [Rogen], Nicolas Cage and Cameron Diaz."
It’s unclear which role he’ll play. "The Green Hornet" hits theaters on July 9, 2010.
Screen Gems Moving Forward With Fourth Underworld (in 3-D); Beckinsale May Return for Trilogy
Sony’s Screen Gems is moving forward with a fourth installment in the "Underworld" vampire franchise and are targeting a January 21, 2011 release date for the film which will be shot in 3-D. Additionally, the film may serve as the first of a new trilogy based on the character Selene (played by Kate Beckinsale in the first two films). While Beckinsale hasn’t officially signed up to reprise her role, BloodyDisgusting is reporting that the actress is attached to return.
NEW IMAGES
Cirque Du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant [SCI FI Wire--more at io9]
Poster [Cinematical]
The Fourth Kind [SCI FI Wire]
I, Frankenstein
Concept art [IESB, ShockTillYouDrop, BloodyDisgusting and AICN]
Legion
New poster [ShockTillYouDrop]
The Lovely Bones [more at SCI FI Wire]
Pandorum
New poster [io9]
Surrogates [more at IGN]
Zombieland
New Poster [ComingSoon]
NEW VIDEOS
Astro Boy
New trailer
Cirque Du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant
New trailer
The Fourth Kind
New trailer
Gentlemen Broncos
New trailer
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
New trailer
Jennifer’s Body
"Peer Pressure" PSA
Kick-Ass
Click the image below to watch the four clips that were shown at Comic-Con [io9]
Legion
Red Band trailer
Theatrical trailer
The Lovely Bones
New trailer
Shorts
New clip: "Then You Better Not Lose"
Six more clips: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6
Where The Wild Things Are
Trailer #2
Zombieland
Red band trailer
Theatrical trailer
Rule #15: Bowling Ball
Check out more clips at this link
CASTING BITES
- Jon Heder will star in "Buddy Holly Is Alive and Well on Ganymede", Robert Rugan’s adaptation of the sci-fi comic series from Bradley Denton. Rugan wrote the script and will direct. [Variety]
- Sam Rockwell, who stars in Duncan Jones’ "Moon", says that he will have a part in Jones’ next film: "Yeah. I think it’s a cameo. Something like that. I think so, yeah." [Cinematical]
- Liam Neeson is in negotiations to star in the Dark Castle thriller "Unknown White Male" that will be directed by Jaume Collet-Serra. The film is based on the Didier Van Cauwelaert novel "Out of My Head". The script was written by Oliver Butcher and Stephen Cornwell. [Variety]
- Jodelle Ferland ("Silent Hill") has joined the cast of "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse". The teen actress will play a vampire who has just been turned… [Variety]
- …Also joining the film will be Catalina Sandino Moreno, who has been cast as the vampire Maria. [Risky Biz Blog]
- Maggie Q is joining Paul Bettany and Cam Gigandet in the post-apocalyptic horror project "Priest", directed by Scott Stewart. [THR]
- The cast of Robert Rodriguez’s "Machete" has been confirmed, with Robert DeNiro, Michelle Rodriguez, Lindsay Lohan, Don Johnson, Steven Segal and Jessica Alba all signed on for supporting roles. [Variety]
- Robert Downey Jr. is in talks to play the vampire Lestat in Universal Pictures’ "The Vampire Chronicles", the studio’s reboot based on the popular series of novels from writer Anne Rice. [BloodyDisgusting]
MOVIE BITES
- While we were away, "Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs" became the highest-grossing animated film ever overseas (it was at $551.4 million through last Sunday, but as of today it sits at $578.6 million). The film has benefited greatly from 3-D theaters. Worldwide cume stands at $769.5 million as of today. The previous best for an animated title was 2003’s "Finding Nemo" which grossed $524.9 million in foreign receipts ($864.6 million worldwide). [Variety]
- Diablo Cody ("Jennifer’s Body") will produce an adaptation of the zombie novel "Breathers: A Zombie’s Lament". Geoff LaTulippe is writing the script. [SCI FI Wire]
- Legendary Pictures is reportedly in early discussions on developing a reboot of the Japanese monster movie "Godzilla". [BloodyDisgusting]
- Eli Roth hopes to dive back into working on his PG-13 rated sci-fi film "Endangered Species" this September. He wants to make a scary movie more in the style of "Jurassic Park, Transformers, Cloverfield. I love those movies." [SCI FI Wire]
- Christopher McQuarrie has been signed to write the script for Fox’s sequel to "X-Men Origins: Wolverine". As has been reported in the past, Hugh Jackman is set to return in a story line based on the early 1980’s Chris Claremont/Frank Miller Wolverine arc that was set in Japan. [THR]
- "Trick ‘r Treat" will hit DVD and Blu-ray on October 6, 2009. The DVD release will contain just the movie and a "Trick ‘R Treat: Season’s Greetings" feature with optional commentary by Director Michael Dougherty. You’ll have to pick up the Blu-ray for additional features: audio commentary with the director, additional scenes, special effects comparison, a featurette on the legends of Halloween and more. [DVD Active]
- Other sci-fi films dated for release include "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" (September 15, 2009), "Land of the Lost" (October 13, 2009), "Blood: The Last Vampire" (October 20, 2009) and "Up" (November 10, 2009) (click the titles for details/cover art). Also check out cover art for "Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs" here.
- James Spader talks about his role as the bad guy in Robert Rodriguez’s upcoming family fantasy film "Shorts"… [SCI FI Wire]
- …And Director Robert Rodriguez talks about the format that the story is told in: "a series of shorts, and we tell them out of order, so it’s like Pulp Fiction for kids, and you have to figure out the whole puzzle," in an interview with SCI FI Wire.
- Nimrod Antal is scheduled to begin filming on Fox’s reboot of "Predators" on September 28th at Robert Rodriguez’s Troublemaker Studios in Austin, Texas. [Production Weekly]
- Ridley Scott is developing a film based on Aldous Huxley’s 1931 novel "Brave New World" and may direct, while Leonardo DiCaprio is on board as a producer and the possible lead. The script will be written by Farhad Safinia ("Apocalypto"). [Risky Biz Blog]
- Universal Pictures has acquired the film rights to the Dark Horse Entertainment comic book miniseries "Criminal Macabre", created by Steve Niles. Kyle Ward will write the script. Dark Horse’s Mike Richardson will produce with Neal Moritz of Original Film. [Variety]
- Steven Spielberg is reportedly in active negotiations to develop a feature film based on the hit video game "Halo". According to the report, Spielberg was blown away by writer Stuart Beattie’s script, which is based on the "Halo: The Fall of Reach" prequel novel. [IESB]
- Matthew Vaughn’s adaptation of the Mark Millar comic "Kick-Ass" looks close to acquiring a distributor. Lionsgate, Paramount Pictures and Universal Pictures are all said to be in the running for the rights to the film, which Vaughn financed independently after studios opted not to board it at the script stage because some objected to its high level of violence and dialogue… [Risky Biz Blog]
- …Meanwhile another film, Terry Gilliam’s "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus", also looks headed for a distributor, with Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions Group in advanced talks to pick it up. If the pickup is secured plans are for it to be released theatrically via Sony Pictures Classics. [Variety]
- Warner Brothers and the producers behind "The Dark Knight" and "300" are developing "a futuristic action adventure" version of "Robin Hood" that will "both inspired by and pay homage to the legend of Robin Hood." Commericial director Nicolai Fuglsig, who pitched the project, is signed on to direct. The film would be set in a dystopian London and center on a band of thieves whose activities restore hope to the city’s embattled population. [Risky Biz Blog]
- Producer Jerry Bruckheimer says to expect a trailer for "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time" in the fall or Christmas. [SCI FI Wire]
- Paul W.S. Anderson’s "Death Race" is getting a prequel. Tony Giglio has been hired to write a script which will be based on a story by Anderson and is expected to delve into the past of the driver Frankenstein. Giglio may also direct. [ShockTillYouDrop]
- Director Adam Shankman provided an update on the status of "Sinbad": "We are very close, but it’s still in the script phase right now," Shankman said. "The Wibberleys [National Treasure, G-Force] have been writing it. We are, I hope, very close to cast, so we’ll see." [SCI FI Wire]
- MGM’s planned remake of Tobe Hooper’s classic 80’s film "Poltergeist" has been given a release date of November 24, 2010. [ShockTillYouDrop]
- Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman say they turned in their first draft of "Cowboys & Aliens" on August 5th: "We literally handed it in yesterday," Kurtzman said. "We’re waiting to hear from the principals. We try not to turn it in until we think it’s ready. Obviously, there are always things you can improve," Orci said. [SCI FI Wire]
- Warner Brothers is developing a "family comedy that will mix live action and animation" based on the Lego toy. [Variety]
- The sci-fi comedy "Hot Tub Time Machine" earns its R-rating, says co-star Chevy Chase: "It has to be [R] because I’ve never heard so many F words in my life. I guess that gives it an automatic R. In fact, I’m the only guy who doesn’t swear, frankly." [SCI FI Wire]
- Eduardo Sanchez and Daniel Myrick, creators of the 1999 horror hit "The Blair Witch Project" say they are interested in making a sequel: "…we’re thinking about going back and and seeing what happened directly after the first film finished," said Sanchez. [BBC via io9]
- Michael Fassbender talked about his role as the charismatic henchman Burke in Warner Brothers’ upcoming "Jonah Hex" in an interview with SCI FI Wire.
- In addition to prepping "20,000 Leagues’, director McG reveals that he is concurrently prepping "Terminator 5" and is very excited about continuing the story. [IESB]
- "Scream" writer Kevin Williamson is writing the proposed fourth film in the franchise, and he says the next film will be the start of a new trilogy. He expects to finish the script in the next few months. Director Wes Craven wants to read the script before he signs on. David Arquette (Dewey) and Courtney Cox (Gale) will be the only original cast members returning. The story will pick up 10 years after the events of 2000’s "Scream 3"… [SCI FI Wire]
- …Courtney Cox talked about returning to the franchise and says she’s excited at the prospects of another trilogy in an interview with SCI FI Wire.
- "Twilight" nearly swept the "Teen Choice Awards", winning 11 of the 12 categories it was nominated for. [LA Times]
- Tim Roth, who played Emil Blonsky/The Abomination in 2008’s "The Incredible Hulk" may be reprising his role in future Marvel films: "I don’t want to get into it, but they signed me up for three [films]." When pressed for clarification on which films he’d be in, he responded by saying "It could be anything." [SCI FI Wire]
- Robert Rodriguez’s remake of "Barbarella" may have fell through, but Universal Pictures is still moving forward with plans for a remake. Joe Gazzam has been tapped to write a screenplay with Robert Luketic confirmed as director. [THR]
- Peter Berg hopes to bring a different approach to his adaptation of Frank Herbert’s classic sci-fi novel "Dune": “I think I had a much more different experience, I think, with the book than David Lynch did,” Berg said. “To me, I think my interpretation will feel significantly different from that and the [Syfy] Channel miniseries that aired. I have a different experience than both of those filmmakers did.” [SCI FI Wire]
- James McTeigue’s next film will be a period thriller titled "The Raven". It’s a fictional account of the final five days of writer Edgar Allan Poe’s life: “It’s like the poem, The Raven, itself, crossed with Se7en. It should be pretty cool. The script is really good and everyone responds to it really well. I’m in the middle of casting.” [/Film]
- Terry Gilliam expressed interest in adapting Philip K. Dick’s 1956 novel "The World Jones Made" and has met with Dick’s daughter about the possibility. [HitFix]
- Fran Kranz shared a few details about the still-secretive horror movie "Cabin in the Woods" from writer/director Drew Goddard and co-writer/producer Joss Whedon in an interview with SCI FI Wire.
- Brian Henson, son of "The Muppets" creator Jim Henson and co-CEO of the Jim Henson Company, revealed that a movie version of "Fraggle Rock" (the final season of the show hits DVD on November 3rd) is "still in very active development. Very active development. That has a very strong script." Meanwhile, Henson says that a sequel to "Dark Crystal", called "The Power of the Dark Crystal", is also in the works and he says it "has a very strong script." "Both of those projects… are very close to going into pre-production," Henson said. "They’re both really ready to go. [The studio is] just [in the process of] putting together the final finance pieces and the final distribution pieces." [MTV]
- If all goes well Cliff Curtis, who plays Fire Lord Ozai in M. Night Shymalan’s "The Last Airbender", expects to "be back for the second and the third installment". [SCI FI Wire]
Follow Russ on his blog: Your Entertainment Now and on Twitter: Twitter.com/YourEntNow.
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Comments»
So I’ve seen this about the Galactica movie already and–while I’m not a fan of Moore’s version–it seems weird and a bad idea to me.
Avatar looks like it should be good. I’ll have to watch for it.
Curious to see how the BSG holds up on the big screen. A little nervous being a fan of the recent tv series, but I was never a fan of the original show so my mind is still open about a second reboot so to speak. Perhaps a little too soon though..
Bryan Singer and Galactica reunited… hmm… Singer still has to be feeling cuckolded by the Superman franchise, which is floundering in development and judiciary hell. The wind-up of Moore’s BSG was somewhat disappointing after the excellent 3 1/2 season ‘buildup’…
The timing is weird and if Singer goes back to Glen Larsen’s vision of Galactica like he went back to Donner’s vision of Superman, it can only lead to a mild to major disappointment.
a reboot this early?!?! i just finished watching the recent one and am eagerly anticipating The Plan and Caprica.
can we please wait a couple years and let me get over ron moore’s version.
also not a bryan singer fan
he bombed the superman franchise (it’s $5 at wal-mart)
Agreed with #3, seems a little odd to have a third version of BSG so soon, but I’ll certainly give it a shot. Might have been interesting to perhaps revisit Hatch’s Second Coming concept instead. (And I say that as a huge fan of nuBSG.)
I’m really looking forward to Avatar, but hearing Cameron going on and on about brand awareness makes me roll my eyes just a bit. If it’s an awesome movie, people will come.
Bring on the remakes?
A new Godzilla?!?! HA. YES.
I’m all for a film version of “Cattle Car Galaxica,” the Mad magazine spoof.
But *another* reboot of BSG, which will be missing such powerful characters as President Roslin and Caprica Six? Pass.
Bryan Singer was at one time working on a remake of “Logan’s Run,” which was supposedly going to adhere closer to the original novel. Now, *that* I’d pay to see.
But a new BSG? Gimme a break.
“Terry Gilliam expressed interest in adapting Philip K. Dick’s 1956 novel “The World Jones Made” and has met with Dick’s daughter about the possibility. ”
YES PLEASE! :D
Bryan Singer did a horrible job on Superman Returns! The only good part of that movie was Brandon Routh who played Supes! Keep him in the next carnation of the Superman franchise!
I’m still waiting for Singer to make the real X3,, but I’d be curious to see what he does with Galactica.
“Peter Berg hopes to bring a different approach to his adaptation of Frank Herbert’s classic sci-fi novel “Dune”: “I think I had a much more different experience, I think, with the book than David Lynch did,”
If Dune taught him to string together phrases like “much more different,” then yeah, that sounds unique. Wasn’t David Lynch vocally on record as having never read the book, anyway? Maybe that’s what Berg means: he had a much more different experience with it by reading it at some point :)
Peter Jackson lost a lot of weight. He looks great. Almost didn’t recognize him introducing The Lovely Bones trailer.
Oh, and Singer doing a Battlestar movie: YAWN.
Sigourney seemd kinda disappointed. I know she wanted to do another sequel for a long time.
Glad to see something like District 9 doing good. Seems like its the first movie since Star Trek this year to be made for people with their higher brain functions intact, at least from what I can tell by the previews. Zombieland looks outstanding, I have a feeling I’ll love it.
Anything that moves BSG away from the Mooreverse and back to the Larsonverse is good with me. So I’m excited that they’ve progressed to hiring a director. Of course, I’ll reserve judgment until I know more about the story and production approach.
BSG: BattleBorg Apollico. Lame idea. Moore’s BSG redux was infinitely better than the original, or any attempt to continue it. Singer should find something new to do.
And the novels by Richard Hatch did a good enough job with continuing the stories of the original. Galactica 1980 did a good enough job with the *one* episode with Starbuck. It’s over. Let it rest in peace, Bry.
Alien: Perhaps there will be a way to work Sigourney in, but as Ripley seems unlikely. An Alien prequel… how can it even have an alien in it? Would it be something leading up to the Nostromo launching? Corporate intrigue inside Weyland-Yutani? I think Sigourney could play a great antagonist, a true “anti-Ripley” and in particular even a Mrs. Yutani.
If Toho’s not involved in a new Godzilla movie, I likely won’t see it.
American filmmakers need to leave Godzilla alone…example, Roland Emmerich. It makes me sick to my stomach just thinking about his version.
Personally I prefer the Moore version of BSG as it was trying to tell us something, and the storylines were good too. Remaking something that has been reimagined isnt really gonna work, not especially when the Moore series just ended.
There’s something very strange about the timing of the announcement for the BSG movie remake. The fact that Glen Larson is on board, too, makes it seem all the more strange. My guess is that he didn’t, ultimately, like Moore’s interpretation of his brainchild, and was probably further offended that Caprica deviated even further from it by trying to unravel the mystery of where the antagonists originated. That’s just my interpretation though.
As for the Alien prequel: it can easily be set on LC-475, the planet where the Nostromo picked them up in the first place.
As an aside: the whole Sigourney Weaver thing is kind of comparable to people bemoaning Shatner’s absence from the Star Trek re-make. It’s not going to happen, and would be next to impossible to come up with a story that didn’t seem to clutch at straws, furthermore. People should be excited enough that Ridley Scott’s attached to direct (not a big fan of his outside the Alien franchise, all the same).
For a prequel I think we’re going to find out why they became dormant on LC-475. It’ll be nice to see some of the H.R. Giger inspired production design again, apart from anything else. Including *that* painting ( http://www.the-artfile.com/gallery/artists/giger/pilot.jpg ).
And I can see the final shot now – panning down to see the unopened eggs and very ominous music in the background.
Singer doing a BSG movie already? A reboot? Why? IMO Ronald D Moore did a fine job with the SyFy series. This just proves my point that I’ve said all along, Hollywood has no kahoonas when it comes to doing something with originality.
That Galactica-thing sounds like a very big mistake. Even if I’m not a fan of Moore’s Galactica, I couldn’t imagine how Singer’s project could be sucessfull, if it excludes the reboot-show. A waste of money in my opinion.
BTW: I’m start to get sick about all that based-on-comic-movies or all the reboots and remakes. Come on Hollywood, bring back original ideas – like Avatar!
#11 I guess you enjoyed a more silly version ?
#24
On the contrary! I always hated the silly aspects to the Superman films! That’s why I despised the last film. The entire Luthor plotline was CRAP! They had a great opportunity to take the franchise in a more serious direction, a la Brainiac attacking Earth, but instead decided to rehash the absurd notion of Lex Luthor trying to get his hands on land! YAWN!! Nobody cares about that baloney! This is why, in my post, I stated that the only thing I DID enjoy was the Superman character aspect of the film. Brandon Routh did a superb job of embodying the right tone of Superman, which is a miracle considering he had a MORON for a director. Keep Routh and dump everybody else! Yes, that includes getting rid of a much too young Lois Lane!
The second BSG remake is a strange idea. Most fans of the original BSG are now fans of Ron Moore’s BSG vision, and would not want to see a big screen version of the original concept. The rest (majority) of the new BSG fans were not fans of the old BSG (and do not know anything about it), and many were not even born back in 1979. So who are they trying to please here. Today’s BSG fans will just be confused. They’ll ask, why are Starbuck and Boomer men? You mean, the Cylons don’t look human? Colonel Tigh is sober? “Apollo” is the guy’s real name, and not his call sign? What’s with the Egyptian motif?
Basically, “Battlestar Galactica” is now Ron Moore’s BSG.
Then again, it is possible that they might take it in some totally different direction. One that is as different from the original BSG as Moore’s version, and equally as different from Moore’s version. That might be interesting, creative, and worthwhile.
I’m kinda looking forward to a “Fraggle Rock” movie. But it’s been 22 years! Gobo, Wembley, Red, Boober and Mokey are all WAY too old now. (In fact, have any of them done *anything* lately?)
So – who to cast as the new Fraggles?
#26 ” Most fans of the original BSG are now fans of Ron Moore’s BSG vision, and would not want to see a big screen version of the original concept.”
Well, I can only speak for myself, but I was one fan of the original that never warmed at all to the Moore version. I watched a couple of episodes and checked out. Tuned back in once or twice and saw nothing that appealed to me.
As far as a big screen version, I wouldn’t mind seeing Larson and company get a try at the ORIGINAL concept (not what hit the airwaves in 1978). In Larson’s original version, the Cylons were not robots but reptiles. The silver suits were intended to be a convenience to limit the number of articulated lizards they had to do. But the “suits” (at ABC) were afraid that the audience wouldn’t like heroes that went around blasting sentient beings every week – hence the robotic Cylons.
if they are major fans they will look up the original
so 26 the fans would check out the originals
I like the fact that new fans of Trek will watch TOS and the spin offs and see that a great majority is better than the new film.
I hated the new BSG. I found it miserable, nonsensical and depressing. The original was silly mindless fun.
I really hope the reboot is based on the old BSG, which may me the case seeing as this looks like a reaction to the sucess of the new Star Trek.
Too soon for another BSG remake. We just had a run with a new spinoff coming out.
But that Fourth Kind, no way I am missing that.
I am all for some REAL Battlestar Galactica. Ron Moore’s reimagined BG was a travesty…don’t get me wrong – it was not a bad show in its own right, but it had precious little to do with the real Battlestar Galactica.
Ron Moore’s version could have had ANY name and it still would have been the same…it’s just a totally different show, on every level, from the 1978 Battlestar.
Let’s get the real stuff!
i really couldnt get into the new bsg, but i wont denounce the people that did, if we all liked the same thing, it would be a boring old world. but i did enjoy spotting the references to the old show. i nearly let out a bit if wee when i heard the original bsg theme tune on the news feed on the reboots pilot.
i had the same experience with the new star trek film, didnt really enjoy it but loved the nods. if the new film gives me a few hairs stand up on back of neck moments catering my old stick in the mud ways, then that will do me.
only the music did that for me in superman returns, the film was pants no matter how hard it tried to be a continuation of the reeves era. thats one franchise that really does need to be of the now, this worlds seen to many horrors to be bothered about some hammed up villain trying to acquire real estate. what a waste of the talented mr spacey that was a man capable of making you wish he was your dad in one film to making you believe he’s definition of evil in the next.
Exactly what #3 said,
way too soon , though if it’s completely different than the old and Moore’s series, and the script was written before Moore’s BSG, so that could be quite interesting. I’ll most certainly give it a try (I’ll never repeat the mistake I did when I saw TV ads for Babylon 5: I just thought “meh, just some alien shooter”, and it turned out to be my fav series of all time).
And anyway, spaceships and space battles look best on the big screen.
re: Singer’s Superman
Me too, I liked Routh as Superman, though he was a bit too young-looking IMHO, which is not an issue anymore now, as a few years have passed since the last S movie. I’m still hoping for a new S movie, but from what I’ve read on Imdb, right now, any more S movies are on hold.
There’s a lot of exciting news out there, but Where The Wild Things Are looks AWESOME!
…nothing here that would make me go to the movies….I’ll wait for all of it to come on cable.
Being mindful, however, that the last movie I actually went to a theater to see before Trek was Revenge of the Sith…
Took my daughter to see the Simpsons Movie, but that doesn’t count.
12 – “If Dune taught him to string together phrases like “much more different,” then yeah, that sounds unique. ”
That’s hilarious!
I certainly don’t want to pee on anybody’s parade, as I’m well aware that there were plenty of folks who never were able to get in to Moore’s BSG and want something more along the lines of Larson’s original, but I can’t help but think that it might have been wise to wait at least a little bit longer before jumping in with yet another version (or a continuation of the original, for that matter). It just seems like a felgercarb-y idea…
#32 I can’t agree with you here – as far as I’m concerned, the real BSG for me is Moore’s version, as I’ve never seen the ‘78 version (it never aired here, and never will). I’m sure there are a lot of other people like me who watched only the new BSG, so I second what #22 said. The best way for Singer would be to make a totally original take on BSG, as it would appeal for both old and new BSG fans.
BTW, I love the new BSG (except the 4th season which was totally messed up by the writers’ strike), and I know I will go see Singer’s version. Unless they’ll have reptile Cylons…
Why can’t we have original ideas from Hollywood? “District 9″ and “Avatar” are examples of the kind of new thinking that La-La Land needs. Yet they’re constantly trotting out retreads. “Battlestar Galactica” AGAIN? I don’t think anything can top RDM’s version, which I find much more compelling (at least the mini-series and the first two seasons) than the original. (And, okay, the two-hour finale wasn’t all that bad, but lost some steam near the end.)
Let’s have a telethon to donate some brain cells and creativity to Hollywood, shall we? Bill Shatner would be the perfect host. :-)
- A new reboot in T.N.G. style for ..Star Trek…with klingons and cardassians….a …no..it’s just a new begining..(-already..?!?) for that freak show called B.S.G. …!!!…
Seems like all Hollowood can do now is ‘reboot’….
I really don’t understand how a reboot of BSG could possibly add anything new to the saga. Universal saw the success of the newest Star Trek and decided to reboot their property. Greed is guiding their hand here.
And it is to my understanding that Singer’s vision is NOT the same as the original, so sorry to disappoint you die hard classic series fans. It is also to my understanding that his idea is a piece of crap and that is why it was never made. So this 9/11 excuse is a moot point.
But if Hollywood is on a rebooting rampage, with time factors not withstanding, they should reboot that miserable excuse called the Star Wars Prequels… Now that’d I’d be up for.
#40: “Let’s have a telethon to donate some brain cells and creativity to Hollywood, shall we? Bill Shatner would be the perfect host. :-)”
Sometimes, so much truth rests in a couple of sentences that it threatens to shut down the whole Internet. Your post is an example.
I thought the new BSG was dreary drek with not one likeable character. I look forward to a fun new big-budget spin on the corny classic.
And District 9 is not an “alien invasion” movie. Far from it!
Cowboys and aliens? Is that even orignal? I mean Star Trek has done it at least once (in season 3 of enterprise).
I am a fan of the new BSG and couldnt stand the original. If this so-called remake for the big screen is anything like the original, you can count me out. Moore’s version is so much better and it takes more than one or two viewings here and there to really get into the story. I for one dont want to see a bigger version of a “corny classic”.
#43 Amen. When these old-BSG fans–the ones who threw around the GINOs–get a hold of Singer’s script, and where he’s planning to go with it, they’ll puke. A cylonified Apollo leading the final attack against the rag-tag fleet… in other words, A Borgified Picard leading the final attack against the Federation fleet.
That’s not where the original should have gone. The original would have found Earth, much like nu-BSG did. RDM at least “finished” the story in the manner Larson actually intended. I get tired of you people around here claiming that RDM didn’t do BSG “right”. Ever read the original Larson concept for “Adam’s Ark”? All it was was von Daniken + Adam’n'Eve + Noah’s Ark. The worst science fiction story ending ever “…and Adam looked at Eve and smiled, we’ve made it home.” That’s all he had going. Yet, as RDM figured out… you can actually do that story once, if you’re invested in the characters along the way. Heck, we get to see Starbuck as an angel both in the original, and the new. Do we really need to remind you folks of Galactica 1980? Your “original” was already finished.
#47 ” I for one dont want to see a bigger version of a “corny classic”.”
I don’t know, it could be a lot of fun. Anything would be an improvement over Moore’s gloomy “lets all cut our wrists” soap opera.
#25 …You’re right, Harry. Aside from the use of John Williams’ majestic theme, and Brandon Routh himself, SR was a dreary bore. Allowing Kevin Spacey to pick up where Gene Hackman left off was just a bad, bad idea, and the casting on Lois was all wrong. Oh, well. There won’t be a sequel. And at least Batman is in good hands.
#49 Sure, no one would be gloomy after a holocaust that kills all but 50,000 or so of known humanity totalling in the twenty billion souls.
The original had them partying in a casino one episode later.
RDM had them facing a 33-minute lead on the Cylons requiring them to continue to escape. Then he had them running out of water in another episode.
Cassiopeia in the original was the “hooker [socialator] with the heart of gold”. Soap opera. Apollo was the son who couldn’t live up to his dad in the original, either. Soap opera. Serina’s plight. Soap opera. Baltar, the original… standard mustache villain. Really.
I enjoyed the original BSG telefilm. It was a high concept. The series shot it all to hell, except for maybe three episodes or so along the way.
The difference with RDM’s version, is that all *but* maybe three episodes or so along the way worked.
Good News! #25 & #50 I hear Brandon Rough is in talks to play “Apollo” in the BSG reboot, with David Hassalhoff a shoe-in to get the Adama part.
Sad that Singer’s career is reduced to rebooting a hugely successful BSG from Ron Moore. The guy is doomed.
And I have never met anyone who doesn’t like Moore’s BSG who actually watched the whole thing. It is clearly th ebest SCi Fi show ever on TV. (My favorite is DS9, the best is BSG).
Alec
“Sad that Singer’s career is reduced to rebooting a hugely successful BSG from Ron Moore. The guy is doomed.”
Was Abrams career reduced to reboot a not so successful Trek from Berman? Is he doomed now?
I’m ambivalent to both versions of BSG. They’re both fine, in different ways, the new one is clearly better, the old one more fun and I have no real attachment to the property at all but…
It’s Glen A Larson’s creation, right? Legally and morally it’s his. He can do what he wants with it in the world of theatrical features. None of us have any right at all to tell him not to. It came out of his head. They’re his toys, of course he should be able to play with them.
Whether you/I/we see that movie is another matter entirely, but we can’t bash someone for wanting to do something with their own creation. Bash the results if you want, but not the impulse.
I don’t think Bryan Singer is doomed. Superman Returns certainly didn’t stall his career. That film was always going to disappoint the studio, all those costly failed attempts “in development hell” for a Superman V meant it was destined to perform poorly anyway. After he’s done with Battlestar Galactica, he’ll be onto his new “Valkyrie” non-fantasy project… and it’s not as if it makes any difference to nuBSG. Seems to me, this is one of those few instances where those who like the reboot and those who grew up with the original, get to have their cake and eat it.
^ should read “After he’s done with Battlestar Galactica, he’ll be onto his next “Valkyrie style” non-sf/fantasy project…”
LOL, this all reads like 2006 all over again!
Almost everyone said a TOS reboot would fail.
Try to remember, not everybody watched BSG-R, only about a million viewers per episode on average, compared to say 9 million/per ep. for Fringe.
The goal of these reboots is to bring in a wider audience unfamiliar with the franchise.
Did Trek fans account for more than half of its box office? Probably not based on historical trends. Given that, BSG would be foolish to reboot based on such a small sampling of cable TV viewers alone. And just like Trek, no matter what they say, just like Trek, all of them will see the film at least once just so they can talk about how much they hate it if nothing else.
I enjoyed most of Moore’s BSG, with the exception of almost all of season 4, but have always been a fan of Larson’s original BSG. I don’t understand why one cannot be a fan of both. If a good script came along for the original universe, I would have no problem laying down my money to go see it. If they have to find Earth, somebody hunt up the old Liebfield comic book run where they are under the final assault from the Cylons then find Earth in the first issue, and the adventure starts from there.
And a new Godzilla? As long it is based on the Toho series and not that godawful American Godzilla, I’m all for it.
The end result of Singer’s film will be RDM selling more DVDs.
seems like a waste of time to do another Galactica reboot
#40
Bill can run around, frantically screaming ‘Whore’ at all those Hollywood executives! Genius! ;)
#58: “Almost everyone said a TOS reboot would fail.”
Buh? I’d be interested to see your source for this.
Did everyone forget that the original BSG was a silly, silly Mormon Star Wars with robot dogs and casino planets? Oh, and need I mention Galactica 1980? Even if you didn’t like the ending, or feel the show lost steam after season 2 (though I don’t know how you could miss ‘Occupation’ through ‘Collaborators’ – absolutely brilliant stuff there), you have to give the upper hand to Ron Moore in the storytelling department. Why, after 6 years of establishing the BSG brand as something that could be respected, you’d go back and undo it all is beyond me.
IMO, old BSG was cheesy, but fun. I’m not exactly waiting for it, but I might give a remake a try. (New BSG is simply a great SF series.)
BUT – business-wise, the timing of the alleged reboot makes so little sense, it’s almost suicidal. So I have difficulties to take those announcements seriously – maybe they’re just aiming for a quiet behind-the-scenes settlement with the “new” crowd? Maybe Glen Larson’s pool is in need of repairs…
#51 “#49 Sure, no one would be gloomy after a holocaust that kills all but 50,000 or so of known humanity totalling in the twenty billion souls.”
I didn’t say the setting wasn’t gloomy…in fact, I believe I said it was dreary. And certainly, in the fictional world of Moore’s BSG, , they all have very good reason to be “gloomy” and dreary. But that doesn’t mean I want to come along for the wrist-cutting doom and gloom-fest week after week for entertainment.
I hope Godzilla is faithful to the original or the Godzilla in the later Toho movies. The American Godzilla with Matthew Broderick was horrible and if you thought Superman Returns was bad, check that out.
It was so bad you don’t even see it repeated on any TV channel, yet Superman Returns pops up every once in a while.
Is it me or had holly-wood gone a little “re-boot” bonkers recently…..
I guess the 2000’s (in film) will be remembered as the ‘ re-boot ‘ decade !.?
#63. S. John Ross wrote: “#58: “Almost everyone said a TOS reboot would fail.” … Buh? I’d be interested to see your source for this.”
Doh! Hoist by my own petard! I just lambasted someone else on another thread for the same generalization. I’m afraid my “source” is my flawed recollection of my personal sampling of the temperament of fans being reported on in the media and weighing in on these forums. Clearly not “almost everyone” (but I sure remember it that way ;-)
I must admit I went from the champion of the reboot, to confused by the MWI QM crap, to being disappointed by the final hybrid result. Despite its success I think they would have been better off with a clean reboot, or at least the James Bond approach and mostly ignoring canon.
Just a reminder.
The tickets for the Avatar Day event in IMAX 3-D theaters will be given away on avatarmovie.com shortly (3:00PM EST/noon PST).
If Hollywood is so reboot-happy, why not combine ideas?
I’d totally go see Battlestar Godzilla.
65. Gul B. – August 17, 2009 “business-wise, the timing of the alleged reboot makes so little sense, it’s almost suicidal”
The timing is what really puzzles me as well; you’d think that they would give the whole thing a little breathing room before either a continuation of the original story or yet another reboot.
#72. earthclanbootstrap wrote: “ou’d think that they would give the whole thing a little breathing room before either a continuation of the original story or yet another reboot.”
Except they have some name recognition now. Even if it is a totally different interpretation, the series only had about a million viewers/Ep. But many people heard about it and how fantastic it was. Since the characters and settings are essentially the same there is also some familiarity. So for those who were not interested in investing themselves in a 5 season television series, they might just go see what all the hype is about in a 2-hour film. If it has the same energy Trek brought to the screen, they might just succeed wildly.
15 – “Glad to see something like District 9 doing good. Seems like its the first movie since Star Trek this year to be made for people with their higher brain functions intact, at least from what I can tell by the previews.”
I agree, except for the ’since Star Trek’ part.
>;>}
It is way too soon for a new version of Galactica, especially if Bryan “Superman is a sulking peeping-tom deadbeat dad who can’t save a plane without ripping the wings off” Singer is involved.
If you want a remake of a recent remake: we need a decent version of Land of the Lost. It deserves a decent redo, not the Will Farrell crapfest that was made.
#75 “Superman is a sulking peeping-tom deadbeat dad who can’t save a plane without ripping the wings off”
LOL. Yeah, when you consider how good recent Superman cartoons and comics have been, how many rich storylines they had to draw upon, there was simply no excuse for that film to be as limp as it was.
#49. star trackie writes: “I don’t know, it could be a lot of fun. Anything would be an improvement over Moore’s gloomy “lets all cut our wrists” soap opera.”
#66. star trackie writes: “I didn’t say the setting wasn’t gloomy…in fact, I believe I said it was dreary.”
Maybe get that sorted out which pejorative adjective you want to use off the GINO talking-point list in slamming Ron Moore’s opus, and get back to us? :)
I just rewatched the Battlestar Galactica: The Second Coming from Richard Hatch’s efforts, which one can find at YouTube right now (catch it before it gets removed!). I think it’s clear from Richard Hatch ending up taking on the major role that Zarek played… that BSG has been done well, and done right now. And it’s a shame that Glen Larson doesn’t get that.
I’d love to see a new version of When Worlds Collide, or a sequel (not a remake!!) to Forbidden Planet, if Hollywood’s so insistent on revisiting ideas. Of course, they screwed up The Day The Earth Stood Still so thoroughly, that perhaps not so good an idea. However WWC wasn’t so good the first time, and sorely could use an update with modern special effects. The physics of WWC still works, as a four-body collision can produce exactly the effects of that movie….
73. RD – August 17, 2009 “Since the characters and settings are essentially the same there is also some familiarity.”
I guess I’m just a little leery of what either Larson or Singer would do. Larson because, well, even as a first grader I kind of picked up on the fact that his show was pure cheese and Singer because he just doesn’t inspire me with much confidence that he could pull off something as rich and textured as Moore’s take.
Richard Hatch must be sh…. in his pants!! At last, BSG on the big screen…is he involved?….He’s been fighting for this since BSG went off the air in ‘79!!
Superman Returns did suck…I watched it again the other night after Superman 4 was on…Superman 4 really sucked.. I thought Returns was a complete ripoff of Superman the Movie!…Same exact storyline ..Lex Luthor threatens the world…Saves Lois in a plane (helicopter)…The safest form of travel line rehashed..oh God!!!.I watched Superman 3 again and didn’t think it was so bad, or as bad as I thought it was…Richard Pryor is pretty good in anything he is in..and the Smallville storyline with Lana and Brad is pretty good… Pretty cool that Annette OToole (Martha Kent ) from Smallville was Lana in 3…and the idea for red kryptonite (though it was green) to make Supe a bad guy…pretty good and no Lex …
#77
Looks like you’ll get your wish for a remake of When Worlds Collide. A new version is scheduled for release in 2010, directed by Stephen Sommers. Will it be any good? Who knows…..
#69: “I must admit I went from the champion of the reboot, to confused by the MWI QM crap, to being disappointed by the final hybrid result. Despite its success I think they would have been better off with a clean reboot, or at least the James Bond approach and mostly ignoring canon.”
Every word of this makes me nod.
And I mean in the agreeing way, not the sleepy way. I AM sleepy, but that’s just coincidence.
The way to include Sigourney would be to not do a prequel but do an alternate first sequel Ridley Scott’s Alien. Open with a recap of the original film and the first new scene is 30-year-older Sigourney and the cat in the Nostromo’s escape pod. Maybe the other sequels were a hypersleep dream.
I bet anything more people would see this than a Sigourney-less prequel.
#82
I’m thinking Ridley Scott’s involvement and the fact that it isn’t another sh*tacular Alien vs Predator would work in the prequel’s favor. I’m not sure what loyalty the public has to the Ripley character at this point. Not to mention the fact that the idea of every sequel (including the wildly popular Aliens) being a dream a la Dallas probably wouldn’t go over so well.
I liked the original BSG. I really loved the new version. I’m not against BSG being rebooted again, but feel it’s way too soon. I was less delicate once before about it here, but that’s cos it’s never a good idea to write about something you care about after a night at the pub! ;)
After the multi-awarding-winning, critically-acclaimed new series whose cast and crew were invited to discuss it at the United Nations, a new wannabe film that rides on the coattails of Star Trek 2009 could damage the credibility of the brand (and anyone who says that Moore’s version ‘damaged’ the brand is having a laugh! At the very least, the new show brought about new awareness of the brand, whether old-school fans liked it or not!)
The new BSG, remember, is also a big seller on home video formats, as a lot of people prefer to watch arc-heavy shows like this in one fell swoop rather than week by week on TV. Certainly no one I know who is a fan has ever watched it on Sky or Sci-Fi and buying the DVDs has been a big countdown thing amongst us.
Buffy, the Vampire Slayer, as another good example of cross-media, mixed-ownership wackiness, finished its TV run six years ago and, should the new film happen, it’ll likely not be until at least 2011 that it comes out. That’s fine, as far as I’m concerned: eight years will be enough time between a TV show and a new movie version and the original cast are way too old to appear in anything about a 15-year-old girl discovering she’s a superhero.
Joss Whedon’s non-involvement is no issue either, as he’s not had a truly successful live action feature film spawned from any of his own scripts, which implies there’s a problem with his writing that makes it difficult for for anyone else to direct his movie scripts. He’s a TV guy and they need someone filmic for a Buffy movie.
I’d be fine with a new take on BSG in 2014, five years after the TV show ended. At the moment, it just makes Universal look like desperate wannabes. I’m afraid I can’t see a new Galactica under the auspices of Bryan Singer igniting a new franchise.
JJ Abrams has been a big player in Hollywood in TV and film for the best part of 20 years, working in countless different genres. Bryan Singer made a splash with The Usual Suspects, made two financially successful, but overrated X Men movies and bailed out on the messy third film to make a Superman film that ignored everything that had happened in Superman comics in the 28 years since the Christopher Reeve original, meaning we ended up with a very expensive ‘homage’ to (arguably rip-off of) the 1970s’ originals.
If he treats BSG the way he treated Superman (and his dreadful plans for his thankfully aborted attempt at a continuation of the original show indicate he might well do) we’ll have a ‘cheesefest’ to rival Battlefield Earth on our hands.
The only good thing with that is at least it’ll sputter and die quickly. On the other hand, Singer might see sense and bring in Ron Moore to write a film that ties into the most recent version!
End of the day, a new film will need to aim itself at the mainstream audience and attempt to bring the fans aboard at the same time. JJ Abrams managed to do this extremely well, given he had to accommodate fans of the original Star Trek, as well as those of the almost completely unrelated ‘next generation’ Treks and create a cool vibe that would draw in the mainstream punters.
A BSG ‘re-revival’ has a lot of surface similarities, but this time involves two radically different interpretations of the same source material (that said, nu-BSG is at the core actually very faithful to the original.)
Thing is, though, there’s the ‘Star Wars Factor.’ Star Trek was long perceived as some kind of a rival to Star Wars. It’s resurrection could stand alone and be regarded as Trek kicking Star Wars in the balls by stealing some of Star Wars territory. The original Battlestar Galactica, though, has long been perceived as a cheesy TV rip-off of Star Wars and was, indeed, subject to litigation from Lucasfilm when it first came out.
The danger on the back of the critical failure and lack of fan acclaim for the Star Wars prequels is that a new BSG could be seen as an eye-rollingly obvious belated rip-off of the Star Wars prequels and the upcoming SW TV show. Not to mention, that a close remake of the 1970s’ Galactica could land Universal back in court fighting George Lucas yet again.
I dunno, we’ll see. Do I have any desire to see a new Glen Larson-sanctioned BSG right now? No, not really. I watched his original show and liked it at the time, for all its cheesiness. I read the original books which were pretty damn good (particularly the novel based on the Ice Planet Zero episodes.) I also didn’t mind his toe-curlingly bad finale to the series set on Earth in 1980 . . . when I was watching it aged ten years old! ;)
More than anything, I kinda feel I’m done with Battlestar Galactica. At the end of the new series, I walked away happy. The Plan (how many people are complaining about there being a lack of detail about the professed Cylon plan when there’s a film coming up called ‘The Plan?!’ Doh!) will be like a glass of port after a delightful 5-course meal. And that’s it for me: over. The same way I consider Buffy to be over and can’t be bothered with the post-season seven comics (should’ve finished after season five anyway!)
I’m now interested in something different that is vaguely related to the Moore’s show, which Caprica promises to be. I suspect that it’s a different enough sort of show that will attract 50 per cent of nu-BSG fans and otherwise new fans perhaps not interested in BSG. It’ll be a different meal from some of the same chefs.
But any more versions of BSG right now will be like trying to eat a large rump steak while I’m still digesting a T-bone!!!
82. Magic_Al
You could recast Ripley and have her wake up with recast Newt, Hicks and Bishop post-Aliens. The Ripleys of Alien 3 and Resurrection could be clones being tested in ‘war games’ scenarios for some reason related to what happens in the new film.
BSG? Bring it on. If they film it, I’ll see it. I’ve never understood why people get all bent out of shape when someone else does a version of a “beloved” franchise. I loved the new Star Trek movie. I’ll take Star Trek in any form I can get it. I’ve been a lifelong fan from TOS to reboot. Galactica will be no exception. I’d even like to see Star Wars rebooted sometime. Ron Moore could do it. Seeing different takes on my old favorites is interesting. It’s fiction and it’s fun. Don’t take it so seriously.
Sigourney Weaver is a very talented actress, and her Ripley is a strong character, but if this is truly a prequel to 1979’s “Alien,” unfortunately it would not make much story-telling sense to have her in the film.
#77 Daoud, star trackie called the new BSG both gloomy and dreary. And hes right. Its about as much fun as reading the obituaries. Gloom and doom apparently entertains you,I dont get the attraction.
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#88 Actually he called it gloomy, and then later he said he didn’t call it gloomy, but dreary. Everyone has an opinion, sure… but it’s a genetic anomaly when they have two of them.
The relationship between Adama and Roslin that developed over all of BSG was neither gloomy, nor dreary. It was some of the most intelligent writing of a mature relationship between mature adults ever seen in scifi. The end was neither gloomy, nor dreary, it was loving and beautiful. “So much life…”
#87 Well, unless the launch of the Nostromo is part of the prequel’s storyline. Could be a whole sequence there… and at least Weaver could do voicework… communications with “the tower” as they leave the Solar System or some such. She could also play another character?? Or better yet, she could direct… The ship on LV-426 though… always wondered what its story was….
Big Screen BSG different to the newer version = BAD idea. And TOTALLY unnecessary. Why don’t they get a bit creative and make their OWN movie ideas!?! Instead they’re gonna try and redo something that’s been done TWICE already!
90 – “Or better yet, she could direct… The ship on LV-426 though”
Yes, as you say, “better yet.” The launch and back story of the Nostromo, a mining ship, would not add much to the story, unless they revealed more about the Company’s conspiracy of placing Ash on board to collect a specimen of the Alien. Otherwise, the Nostromo back story would not add much to the mix.
It would be more interesting to learn about the Space Jockey which first fell victim to the alien.
Also, CAN Ms. Weaver direct? Has she ever directed? Would the studio take a gamble on that with a project this big? Also, isn’t Ridley Scott signed to direct this, or is he involved in another aspect of production?
Bryan Singer directing Battle Star Galactica, really? I think i have a more profitable idea.
If the studio keep a mill and drops the rest of the budget into my bank account they may be better off.
24#
I beg to differ; most oBSG fans definitely are not fans of Moore’s abomination. I couldn’t care less if nBSG fans get confused as their’s GINO was never the real Galactica anyway. Now if they want to bring back the real thing they are more than welcome, but if it is the rumored Singer’s abandon project with assimilated Colonials IMHO they’d better let Battlestar Galactica stay at is it because I don’t think both oBSG and nBSG fans will welcome it and the movie will bomb.
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#90 “#88 Actually he called it gloomy, and then later he said he didn’t call it gloomy, but dreary. Everyone has an opinion, sure… but it’s a genetic anomaly when they have two of them.”
Just call me Khan, because I have even more more. I also find it depressing and dark! Now, personally, I would classify these as multiple adjectives describing one opinion, but hey, whatever floats your boat. You enjoy being depressed, more power to ya, takes all kinds.
94. Ripped Shirt Kirk: ‘I beg to differ; most oBSG fans definitely are not fans of Moore’s abomination.’
Sorry mate, but you’re referring to a minority of internet freaks with that remark. There are no ‘oBSG’ and ‘nBSG’ camps beyond the distorted perceptions of a tiny minority of weirdoes. Most people who have watched both will probably have a preference, but certainly don’t have a ‘MURDERDEATHKILL!’ attitude to the other version. I like the original, but it’s very much of its time. The new version, equally, is very much rooted in the current world climate and will serve as an interesting example of sci-fi post 9/11.
I doubt that a big-budget studio movie of BSG will have anything much to do with the 1970s version either. And it’s really time people stopped going on about ‘GINO’. Anyone who uses the term ‘GINO’ is clearly extremely ill-informed and hasn’t watched the new series properly anyway!
The thing that fascinates me most about the people who gripe about ‘GINO’ is the anger in their posts. I mean, it’s really scarily intense rage, bordering on suicide-bomber fanatical. It’s ridiculous to get upset about a four seasons-long alternate version of a TV show almost 20 years after the original was cancelled after one season.
Heck, I’m not a particularly big fan of Star Trek TNG and see it and its companion shows’ continuity as a separate entity from the original 60s show, but I don’t run around calling it STINO and wishing Rodders, Berman, Braga and co dead!
97#
Sorry be the bringer of bad news but that most of oBSG fans really don’t like nBSG and that nBSG is a GINO is also a fact. Have you ever seen the TOS? Except for some names not a single character of TOS resembles the re-imagined ones; even the plot barely has any resemblances. The original was about overcome the difficulties of a holocaust and hope, the new I still don’t know what was about, the new characters goal seemed only be who could be more obnoxious and best back stabber.
The original Galactica was canceled because of coasts (1.000.000 USD per episode) not ratings, but the universal suits quickly realized that that had been a big mistake and in the next hear brought BSG 1980 that unfortunately had nothing to do with the original and sucked donkey balls.
I actually saw the pilot and first season of nBSG and don’t hate it, I simply ignore it like I do to BSG 1980.
About the new movie probably will not resemble much the 1978 version, but if the characters minimally make sense and the plot is not a mess like was nBSG one I’m willing to give it a chance.
Hey guys,
Found a fairly cool show on BTR run by some English Guy.
Anyway last weekend he had Nicholas Meyer on there, and did a fairly well rounded interview with the guy. The interview is in second half hour of the show. So you may have to forward it a bit. But it’s probably worth checking out if your a fan of both his Trek and none Trek movies.
They’re advertising an interview with Robert Venditti the writer of the Graphic Novel Surrogates on which the new movie is based on.
98. Ripped Shirt Kirk: ‘Sorry be the bringer of bad news but that most of oBSG fans really don’t like nBSG and that nBSG is a GINO is also a fact.’
Sorry be the bringer of bad news, but you’re living up to the cliché and stating opinon as fact. There’s no evidence that ‘most of oBSG fans really don’t like nBSG’, beyond a few extremist web forums that are at best irrelevant and at worst a mild irritation.
‘Have you ever seen the TOS?’
Yes, more than once. Same goes for BSG1980. It was fun.
‘Except for some names not a single character of TOS resembles the re-imagined ones; even the plot barely has any resemblances.’
Sorry, but you couldn’t be more wrong.
‘The original was about overcome the difficulties of a holocaust and hope, the new I still don’t know what was about, the new characters goal seemed only be who could be more obnoxious and best back stabber.’
Sorry, but you’re completely misinformed.
‘I actually saw the pilot and first season of nBSG and don’t hate it, I simply ignore it like I do to BSG 1980.’
And that’s why you’re wrong. You’re basing your argument on a show you haven’t watched. It’s all there: the Pegasus, hope amidst unthinkable genocide, the human Cylons, Starbuck’s ultimate intended fate . . . so you consider your opinion of a completed series valid when you never got past the first 13-episode season, thus missing the subsequent 61!
‘About the new movie probably will not resemble much the 1978 version, but if the characters minimally make sense and the plot is not a mess like was nBSG one I’m willing to give it a chance.’
As someone who has watched a miniseries and 13 nBSG eps, clearly you’d know plenty about the critically-acclaimed recent show’s plots in order to make that judgement! ;)
I’d like to see another BSG reboot, but not for another 10 years or so. I too would like a BSG reboot that is closer to the original. While the 1978 BSG was way over-the-top in the camp department and had terrible dialogue, I thought the 2004 BSG was way over-the-top in the gloom and doom department and lacked any characters to root for (except ocasionally rooting for the Cylons to just finish the job already and put Adama & Co. out of their and our misery.) The 1978 BSG had a sense of humor and always a glimmer of hope, something the remake sorely lacked.
As far “Avatar”, does anyone even remember who James Cameron is anymore? He’s come out of hiding to make a movie out of a bad Anime show? Alrighty then…
#101 No characters to root for? Laura & Bill didn’t give you reason to root? Saul’s conversion? Lee? I love both oBSG and nBSG. And I’ve seen all episodes of both *when they aired*. Both have their merits and demerits, but you can’t get away from oBSG having them party in a casino just after billions were killed in a sneak Cylon attack. oBSG is the “Disney” version. nBSG is the “Touchstone” version. If you love oBSG only, good for you. But don’t watch 13 eps of nBSG and claim to be definitive about anything. If Laura & Bill’s romance, and even that of Saul and Ellen, both ending maturely and beautifully…. is what you call gloom and doom… all I can say is… well, put in your Disney tapes and enjoy Muffy The Daggit.
Also, on “Avatar”… James Cameron’s story is original, it’s not based on the anime “Avatar a/k/a The Last Airbender”. Different like night and day. Cameron uses the term avatar correctly, to describe an astral being under the control of a god, or in this case, a human on a space station in orbit around a world where human’s can’t go, but their genetically created half-human half-Pandoran bodies can be “remotely controlled”.
102…
“Laura & Bill didn’t give you reason to root?”
Root? No, although they were the two best characters on the show.
“And I’ve seen all episodes of both *when they aired*.”
So did I. You’re not the only Over 40 around here. :-)
“But don’t watch 13 eps of nBSG and claim to be definitive about anything”
False assumption.
“If Laura & Bill’s romance, and even that of Saul and Ellen, both ending maturely and beautifully…. is what you call gloom and doom”
Riiiight. The last ten minutes of the series make up for four years of relentlessly bleak drama.
“… all I can say is… well, put in your Disney tapes and enjoy Muffy The Daggit.”
Those are the only choices we get? Ridiculous camp and cheesy dialogue or relentlessly hopeless and characters I wouldn’t trust to give me the time of day? I hope Singer finds a middle ground.
the finale of BSG left such a bad taste in my mouth, a re-reboot is the LAST thing I’d ever be interested in seeing.
Avatar. Hmm… we’ll see.
Still have not seen Moon. Was it released anywhere??
103. Thorny: ‘Riiiight. The last ten minutes of the series make up for four years of relentlessly bleak drama.’
That’s just . . . garbage! Sorry, but did you even watch the new show the whole way through?
‘Those are the only choices we get? Ridiculous camp and cheesy dialogue or relentlessly hopeless and characters I wouldn’t trust to give me the time of day?’
No, because both those descriptions are gross mischaracterisations of the two shows.
Twenty years from now, when you guys pull out your oh-so-beloved RDM Battlestar Galactica Blu-rays and rewatch them, you’ll think to yourself, “Why did I ever like this melodramatic, self-indulgent crap?” Then you’ll have to go watch some Next Generation to get the bad taste out of your mouth, and the rest of us will just laugh and say, “We told you so!”
105. Dom… “That’s just . . . garbage! Sorry, but did you even watch the new show the whole way through?”
Yes. Bleak, bleaker, and bleakest. I’m starting to think you and Daoud were actually watching Stargate Atlantis, because I’m baffled how anyone could watch RDM’s Galactica and not notice that it was about the bleakest show to ever hit the airwaves. Don’t get me wrong, I liked the show (somewhat) especially the first season, but holy crow… that show was relentlessly downbeat.
106. Charles Birch:
Twenty years from now, when you pull out your oh-so-beloved Next Generation Holographic Discs and rewatch them, you’ll think to yourself, “Why did I ever like this sterile, self-indulgent crap?” Then you’ll have to go watch some RDM Battlestar Galactica to get the bad taste out of your mouth, and the rest of us will just laugh and say, “We told you so!”
You see: I can throw that stupid, angry bile right back at you and what does it solve? Nothing. It belongs on those nasty ‘I hate GINO forums.’ If humans end up like those in TNG, bring on the apocalypse today!
107. Thorny: ‘I’m starting to think you and Daoud were actually watching Stargate Atlantis, because I’m baffled how anyone could watch RDM’s Galactica and not notice that it was about the bleakest show to ever hit the airwaves. Don’t get me wrong, I liked the show (somewhat) especially the first season, but holy crow… that show was relentlessly downbeat.’
I know it was. I loved every bleak minute of it. It was relentlessly gripping with characters I cared about and could relate to. More than that, my loyalties were thrown all over the shop because one minute I’d find myself rooting for Roslin and Adama, the next I’d be supporting Gaius Baltar against them. That was the beauty of the show.
People might like all the sci-fi clichés of other shows: y’know, characters enunciating their lines in a way that indicates they know they’re VERY IMPORTANT even though they don’t know what they mean, dreary, yet cliched, self-important sonic wallpaper incidental music, token ‘quirky’ alien character and humans who act exactly according to their character outline as set up in the show bible.
For me, nu-BSG was the sci-fi show I’d waited my whole life for. A show where people live in big tin cans, where a hull breach will suck them into the vacuum of space and random death can strike at any moment.
BSG, made by the TNG team’s lone original Star Trek fan, had the human race surviving against terrible odds and ultimately, for all the terrible things that happened, making peace with their enemies and co-existing with them, ultimately being willing to wipe out their entire history and civilisation in the hope of building something new as part of the hybrid human/Cylon/primate race.
I found the end of Galactica breathtaking and upbeat. Very old-school Star Trek. Like James Kirk, they turned death into a fighting chance to live.
POLTERGEIST remake??? WTF? That movie is perfect in EVERY way. What in God’s name do we need a remake for?