The entertainment bloggers have racked up another point in the unending battle to confirm news ahead of everyone else as Drew McWeeny scored an exclusive for HitFix.com with the news that X-Men writer and director Bryan Singer will be back at the helm of Battlestar Galactica, which the trades were quick to independently confirm (but not give credit to the source).
I say “back at the helm” because apparently, Singer’s wanted to make a movie about a space aircraft carrier that carries the last members of a humanoid species which is being chased across the galaxy by robotic warriors while they search for a safe haven called Earth for quite some time, but his plans to work on that project were derailed by the fallout from the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
But wait, you cry! Didn’t we just finish watching (or re-watching) a TV miniseries, then TV series called “Battlestar Galactica” which was also based on the same 1978 TV series as Singer’s new project?
Why yes, we did, but according to McWeeny, there’s always room for more Jello Cylons; go and really read the HitFix article because he’s dug up links to some fantastic backstory on Singer’s almost decade-long love of BSG, which includes a weird bit of irony from frequent Singer collaborator Tom DeSanto:
We actually had commitments [for our version of Battlestar Galactica] from three feature directors who loved the script and wanted to do it, but [20th Century Fox] seemed to lose interest. Then when “Firefly” was announced, I knew we were done at Fox, because that was the sci-fi show they were going to get behind.
There have been no plot details, and so far, Singer and “BSG” (yes, both series) screenwriter Glen Larson are the only creative people who have been named a deal with Universal to work on a Battlestar movie which isn’t tied to any previous version—which means that everyone’s free to come up with whatever crackpot theories they want to regarding what a new Battlestar Galactica movie would be like!
So let’s hear it: If you were pitching a BSG movie to Singer and Larson, what would yours be?
gmcalpin says:
I don't mind the idea of a new BSG movie, but… so SOON after the last TV series? And they're not connected? That's just weird.
Not to derail the thread already (hey, it's my blog; I can do what I want), but I thought the new series started off absolutely brilliantly (esp. the mini) but got really bad in season 3, so I never watched season 4. Do any BSG fans feel that 4 was better than 3, or that the series was ended well enough to make up for that weak-ass season?
vaderwalks says:
I think this news post has caused me to develop a new love/hate relationship, Trisha.
On the one hand, I love BSG, and I love Singer.
On the other, it's a bit soon for a stand-alone movie, and I don't think I'd be able to get into a movie with a different story and different actors. I'd rather he re-make X3. We've all had enough time to forget about it 🙂
And Gordon, I thought Season 4 was better, and I found the ending very satisfying. But then, I didn't have much of a problem with Season 3, so take that with a grain of salt. If the whole “Final 5” thing turned you off, then you might not be too crazy about Season 4, but there are several excellent episodes that aren't Final 5-centric that would be worth checking out regardless.
gmcalpin says:
It wasn't any of the plot points that turned me off, really. It was the scripting that turned me off: the tedious concentration on the characters cheating on each other constantly rather than the plot*, the characters' personalities seeming to change from episode to episode depending on what the plot needed them to act like, for instance. And so many things seemed to get dragged out* more to fill up time than anything else. (It's been a long time now, so I'm afraid I can't get very specific with examples for any of that; I just remember those being my impressions of it, and what turned my brother off of the show, as well.)
* I don't mind good drama — obviously, if you read Multiplex — but I don't feel that the character relationships in season 3 was good drama. I've never liked characters cheating on each other, and it's why that will probably never happen in Multiplex. (Some people think Jason is cheating on Lydia with Devi, but he isn't. They aren't exclusive.)
I was also disappointed at the lack of space battles (compared to the earlier episodes), because those were what really made me enjoy the series.
thecleric007 says:
Yes, the “quadrangle of DOOM” as I like to call it really did sort of suck the majority of the time. But after the episode Maelstrom, things with Kara, Lee, and Sam got significantly better (not sure how far you watched and whether you know what happens in Maelstrom). Poor Dee however had her character development die with Billy.
Anyway, I think that overall season four is the strongest but it also has less stand-out great episodes than the other seasons. But it's a bit more consistent and there are some epic space battles as well (especially in the finale).
thecleric007 says:
I'm not sure yet what to think about this movie. The fanbase for the new Battlestar is pretty up in arms about it, which of course is a bit ironic given that fans of the original series were up in arms about the re-imagining. But given that the new BSG has another made-for-television/DVD movie coming out in late October and the potential for there to be more if sales are high (or so Edward James Olmos claims) really does make me wonder if the timing is right.
Granted it looks like it will be awhile before we see this actually hit theatres but I think to people who aren't really into the sci-fi genre might get a bit confused about what the heck is going on.
But people who liked the original but didn't like the new one might be happy so at least there's someone.
jasonscruffy says:
First, because there are SPOILERS LATER. Gordon, you should watch through to the end of BSG. The last season really saved it. It was a great way to end the show.
My advice would be to not do it. It'd be one thing if Singer waited 10 years or more, but the timing is not right at all. No one with interest is going to accept a third version of all these characters.
SPOILERS
And the series did a great job of explaining why there were new versions of the characters. The only way this movie is remotely acceptable is if they collaborate with the series' creators, and have it tie in to the series' ending. If you've watched it, you know what I mean.
SPOILERS
vaderwalks says:
Yes, that was a bit of a quagmire. Luckily, they do away with all that kind of drama in the fourth season. And not only are the characters more consistent, but they take some of them in very interesting (but completely reasonable) directions, especially Felix, Apollo, Six and Baltar.
And there are more space battles, and a very cool scene in the final episode. Overall, I'd say it redeems the previous season.
Tsiwt says:
Very tricky … with the recent SciFi (syfy?) series having such fan and critical success, it would be hard to ignore. But it might be interesting to pull a bit more from the original series, too. Not being a huge fan of either, I'm not sure I'm qualified to pitch, but I'll think it over more.
gmcalpin says:
“they do away with all that kind of drama in the fourth season” has convinced me to give Season 4 a few episodes to prove itself, thanks. (It might be a while, because I'm rewatching Mad Men with the gf, who hasn't seen it before — gearing up for Season 3, of course.)
And thecleric007: I saw all of Season 3, and my interest was piqued near the end (the first and last few episodes of 3 were better than the middle, definitely), but I just didn't want to spend the money to see Season 4 after liking so little of 3.
(I don't watch much TV, since I'm at the movie theater so much, or working on Multiplex, so I didn't have cable at the time and purchased season passes for the handful of shows I watch.)
vaderwalks says:
That's a good thing, then. I'd say Season 4 follows in the same vein as the final episodes of Season 3.
Mike Rouse-Deane says:
Although I love Singer and a big fan of the series, it shouldn't be honed to a movie. If the makers of the TV series want to do one, great, but the ending kinda really ended it for me. It wasn't something they could come back to, especially with Capria and the “The Plan” coming sometime soon…
Mike Rouse-Deane says:
Although I love Singer and a big fan of the series, it shouldn't be honed to a movie. If the makers of the TV series want to do one, great, but the ending kinda really ended it for me. It wasn't something they could come back to, especially with Capria and the “The Plan” coming sometime soon…