‘Babylon 5’ Reboot in Development at The CW From Original Series Creator J. Michael Straczynski
A “Babylon 5” reboot is in development at The CW, Variety has learned.
Original series creator J. Michael Straczynski is onboard to write the project. He will also executive producer under his Studio JMS banner. Warner Bros. Television, which produced the original series, will produce the reboot.
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The new iteration of the sci-fi series is described as a “from-the-ground-up reboot.” In the series, John Sheridan, an Earthforce officer with a mysterious background, is assigned to Babylon 5, a five-mile-long space station in neutral space, a port of call for travelers, smugglers, corporate explorers and alien diplomats at a time of uneasy peace and the constant threat of war. His arrival triggers a destiny beyond anything he could have imagined, as an exploratory Earth company accidentally triggers a conflict with a civilization a million years ahead of us, putting Sheridan and the rest of the B5 crew in the line of fire as the last, best hope for the survival of the human race.
Sheridan was played by Bruce Boxleitner in the original series, with the ensemble cast also including Claudia Christian, Jerry Doyle, Mira Furlan, and Richard Briggs. At this time, none of the original series stars are attached to the project.
The original “Babylon 5” ran in syndication and on TNT for five seasons, 110 episodes, and seven TV movies, including the 1993 pilot film. The show is considered one of the best sci-fi series ever made by many critics and won numerous awards throughout its run, including two Hugo Awards and a Saturn Award.
Straczynski followed up “Babylon 5” with the TNT spinoff series “Crusade.” The “Babylon 5” franchise also includes novels, short stories, and comic books.
Straczynski’s other work includes the Netflix series “Sense8,” which he co-created and showran along with the Wachowskis. His feature writing credits include the Angelina Jolie-led drama “Changeling,” the action-thriller “Ninja Assassin,” the story for the first “Thor” film, and the story for “World War Z.” He is also an accomplished comic book writer, having worked for DC and Marvel. He is head of the creative council for a new comics publishing company, Artists, Writers and Artisans (AWA).
Straczynski is repped by A3 Artists Agency and Gendler-Kelly.
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