THEY'RE ALL COMING BACK
'Red Widow' Gets The Axe
Straczynski: It's a Babylon 5 feature film or nothing
by Jane Boursaw, posted Jul 17th 2008 7:57AM
I've never interviewed Babylon 5 creator J. Michael Straczynski and don't know him personally, but he sure seems like one classy guy. He recently posted a note on his web site, giving readers his thoughts on more Babylon 5 DVDs. In short, he's against it. He feels that offerings like the TV movie, Babylon 5: The Legend of the Rangers, and the straight-to-DVD story, Babylon 5: The Lost Tales, take away from the strength of the original TV series.
He writes that The Lost Tales was commissioned at a $2 million budget, and they did the best they could with it. Apparently, the studio wasn't sure there was an audience for Babylon 5. Silly studio.
Lately, Warner Bros. has been discussing the idea of more B5 DVDs or TV movies, again at a low cost with minimal investment. Straczynski says he's given the subject a lot of thought during the past few months, and he's come to a conclusion:
"B5 as a five-year story stands beautifully on its own. If anything else is to be continued from that story, it should be something that adds to the legacy of B5, rather than subtracts from it.
"As well intentioned as Rangers and TLT were, as enticing as it was to return to those familiar waters, in the end, I think they did more to subtract from the legacy than add to it. I don't regret having made them, because I needed to go through that to get to the point where I am now psychologically. But from where I sit now, I wouldn't make them again."
He goes on to say that he's not interested in doing any more low-budget DVDs, TV movies, or computer games. In fact, the only thing he'd be interested in is a big-budget, feature-length film. [Picture me standing up and cheering here.]
"At the end of the day, for me, it's not just a matter of getting more B5. It's a matter of getting more *good* B5 that respects what came before it and doesn't have to compromise visually or in terms of action. The original show deserves better than that, the surviving cast members deserve better than that, and the fans who have supported it over the years definitely deserve better than that. A lot better."
Here's a guy who really has the best interest of the story, the characters, and the fans at heart. He says he has plenty of other projects going and isn't lobbying for a film -- and that we shouldn't either, because "such campaigns never really have much impact."
Honestly, I'm not really sure which side of the galactic fence I'm on. I haven't watched the The Lost Tales or The Legend of the Rangers precisely because of the reasons Straczynski mentioned: I was afraid it would take away from the original series, which I loved.
On the other hand, if they were to make a big-budget Babylon 5 movie, I'd be the first in line to get tickets. And my 84-year-old mom would be there, too, because it's one of her favorite shows of all time. Until something transpires, I'll continue buying the original series from Best Buy -- they've been running a special at something like $15 a season -- and keep myself happy by revisiting my favorite characters on that big floating space station.
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