Movie-Confirmation?

Hi,
while talking about Spiderman, JMS wrote that:

I appreciate the suggestion, but at the moment I'm too busy successfully
writing comics, TV and film to add another area to my endeavors.

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So JMS is by his own words working on TV AND film? In that context: Can film mean anything else but movie/big screen?

Source

Let's see...

Comics = ASM and Supreme Power

Film = B5 TMoS

TV = ?

This looks promising.

First he said that the new B5 projects didn't include any new TV series and later he said that because of the TMoS new fronts of interest that he denied were becoming reallity.
Here is how he said:

One oddity...constant readers will remember a while back when I was asked what
TMoS was, and I provided a list of things it *wasn't*. The aforementioned
oddity is...one of those things has come up as an adjunct to TMoS.

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Link

Even if is not a series, even if is not B5 related, it must be good because The Great Maker never fool around.


Almir

In that context: Can film mean anything else but movie/big screen?

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No, in this context "film" cannot mean anything other than feature film, big screen. JMS would identify a TV movie as just that or as a "MoW" ("Movie of the Week", a semi-obsolete term from the early days of made-for-TV movies in the 70s, still used within the industry along with a host of other dated terms.)

Of course, JMS hasn't said what film he's working on. Maybe the producers changed their minds and brought him back for another draft on the Rising Stars feature. Or maybe he's sold a spec script unrelated to any of his previous work.

Regards,

Joe

JMS has made a very large number of posts on the same day. Does this mean he is:
<ul type="square"> [*]In a good mood? [*]Angry? [*]Bored? [*]Has discovered that the Warner Brother's ban on writing does not apply to the comics? [*]A mixture of the above? [/list]

Has discovered that the Warner Brother's ban on writing does not apply to the comics?

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What WB ban on writing?

Jan

Has discovered that the Warner Brother's ban on writing does not apply to the comics?

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What WB ban on writing?

Jan

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An example of the ban.

From: jmsatb5@aol.com (jms at b5)
Subject: from jms
To: rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5.moderated
Date: 4/29/2004 6:56:23 PM

{snip}
Thing of it is...there's a LOT happening right now in the B5 universe, on a
multitude of fronts, some of it in response to TMoS, some of it coming up
completely on its own. All I can say at this moment is that if you've been
waiting for new stuff in the B5 universe, you may be getting your wish in
spades very soon.

Soon, I promise, all will be made clear. I don't like being Mr. Mysterioso on
this, but if I say too much, the-powers-that-be will use my head to make a
2.35:1 sized hole in the wall.

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1. There is, of course, no "ban on writing"
2. JMS hasn't suddenly "discovered" anything

In accordance with long-standing Hollywood protocol JMS cannot say too much publicly about projects-in-development with a given studio/network/what-have-you until after that entity has officially announced them. Hence his "coded" references like "2.35:1 hole" in the quotation above, referring to project as TWCBN ("That Which Cannot Be Named"), etc.

Similar restrictions on public discussion of negotiations and project development exist in plenty of other industries, too.

These things apply to any comment by any means, not specifically to writing. And they are less a "ban" than a conventional courtesy. It is the folks paying for the party who get to make the announcement and send out the invitations, after all, not the caterer - even if he is the one who will do most of the work.

None of this involves a "ban on writing", and WB certainly couldn't even ask JMS not to write (or speak or send smoke signals) about subjects that do not involve projects he is working on with them - like The Amazing Spiderman. They know this and he knows it.

Why the sudden spurt of (not terribly long) comic book posts?

1. He's reached a natural "stopping place" in some of his other work and had time to peruse the comic book board - and was very annoyed at some of the silliness he saw there.

2. He's very busy with other writing but the comic book thread provoked him sufficiently that he responded anyway. It isn't like reading those posts and composing his replies would take that much time.

As is so often the casee with JMS's activities, I think there is less here than meets the eye. Trying to tease cosmic significance out of the fact that he replied to a few posts on the comic book newsgroup strikes me as an even more bootless pursuit than most such exercises.

Regards,

Joe

And as far as his comment about TV goes, JMS has recently confirmed that he had accepted an EP position on a network TV (not necessarily SF) show.

We know nothing about this except the little that JMS has said, which includes ...

1. No indication that it is anything whatsoever to do with B5

2. It is definitely not ST: Enterprise

3. It is definitely not Dr Who.

Cheers,

1. There is, of course, no "ban on writing"
2. JMS hasn't suddenly "discovered" anything

In accordance with long-standing Hollywood protocol JMS cannot say too much publicly about projects-in-development with a given studio/network/what-have-you until after that entity has officially announced them. Hence his "coded" references like "2.35:1 hole" in the quotation above, referring to project as TWCBN ("That Which Cannot Be Named"), etc.

Similar restrictions on public discussion of negotiations and project development exist in plenty of other industries, too.

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Arguing about the difference between 'ban' and 'cannot say'. You are splitting hairs very thinly there Joe DM.

No Joe isn't. "Ban" and "cannot say" are two completely different things...especially in the entertainment industry.

Joe is right here, you making a lot out of nothing. Considering how busy JMS is in general, I'm glad he took some time to sit and read and respond to a few posts...and clearly let off a bit of steam.

CE

"Ban on writing" and "cannot say (too much)" are two completely different things - no matter how you slice it. Especially when you were implying that either Warner Bros. or JMS (or both) were dumb enough to imagine that WB's undoubted right to limit what JMS communicates about TMoS or other projects he has in development with the studio could somehow extend to cover what he writes about projects that WB has no ownership rights in. That's what I was commenting on.

I'm with you, CE, I just think it is nice that JMS found the time to check out that thread and to vent a little. (And to spare a line to reassure us about TMoS while he was at it.)

Regards,

Joe