B5:TLT Actual DISCUSSION Thread - Page 6

hypatia · October 13th 06, 18:37

Really? It sounds to me like it's rolling along perfectly, right now. And direct to DVD means no worrying about a station changing its mind.

I just hope it makes tons of money for them. I guess it can't make as much money as a television show, right?

Or are they hoping to change the rules on that? I, for one, decided years ago I'm more than happy to rent or buy good entertainment that I can't find on premium cable.

If we could get some real science fiction through direct to DVD, I'm willing to pay.

Shaal Mayan · October 13th 06, 20:46

Quote:

Really? It sounds to me like it's rolling along perfectly, right now. And direct to DVD means no worrying about a station changing its mind.

I just hope it makes tons of money for them. I guess it can't make as much money as a television show, right?

Or are they hoping to change the rules on that? I, for one, decided years ago I'm more than happy to rent or buy good entertainment that I can't find on premium cable.

If we could get some real science fiction through direct to DVD, I'm willing to pay.

With JMS's track record I don't believe a word he says unless I can buy it or view it on tv.Fool me once I will forgive,fool me fifty times and I am skeptical everything .

PillowRock · October 13th 06, 20:57

Quote:

With JMS's track record I don't believe a word he says unless I can buy it or view it on tv.

So when previously did JMS ever make claims that crew had been hired or contracts signed with any cast members?

I remember him saying that he had been hired to do a draft of a script for TMoS, which so far as I know was true. Even then, I had thought that he had said that such a hiring was no guarantee of anything ever being filmed.

crazyhorse · October 13th 06, 21:00

Quote:

With JMS's track record I don't believe a word he says unless I can buy it or view it on tv.

So when previously did JMS ever make claims that crew had been hired or contracts signed with any cast members?

I remember him saying that he had been hired to do a draft of a script for TMoS, which so far as I know was true. Even then, I had thought that he had said that such a hiring was no guarantee of anything ever being filmed.

Crusade had all that and was cancelled before it aired.I can understand a little "see it before you believe it" attitude

KoshFan · October 13th 06, 21:19

It occurs to me that we may eventually want an official "news only" thread again, like we did with TMoS.

GaribaldisHair · October 13th 06, 21:26

Quote:

With JMS's track record I don't believe a word he says unless I can buy it or view it on tv.

So when previously did JMS ever make claims that crew had been hired or contracts signed with any cast members?

I remember him saying that he had been hired to do a draft of a script for TMoS, which so far as I know was true. Even then, I had thought that he had said that such a hiring was no guarantee of anything ever being filmed.

Crusade had all that and was cancelled before it aired.I can understand a little "see it before you believe it" attitude

But thirteen episodes did get made, and thirteen episodes did get shown on television, and released on DVD. I can understand a little skepticism given the B5 universe's track record in these things, but accusing JMS of "fooling" us or (as you imply) lying to us is just a little over the top.

LotR was always a back door pilot ... JMS never said it would definitely be a series, just a TVM, and that is exactly what we got a TVM and no series.

TMos was talked about confidently at times, but was never said to be a nailed on certainty, and JMS has often talked about the tendency of things in Hollywood to get very close to being "nailed on" and still get pulled.

TLT is being talked about as "nailed on", and he is currently in Vancouver physically hiring staff and agreeing contracts with actors, which seems as nailed on as it gets. Granted WB could pull the plug right up to the point where the DVDs are ready for release, but if they have spent the money on it, why would they do that? And I would imagine some money has already been expended on getting things to where they appear to be now.

Shabaz · October 13th 06, 21:27

Quote:

With JMS's track record I don't believe a word he says unless I can buy it or view it on tv.

So when previously did JMS ever make claims that crew had been hired or contracts signed with any cast members?

I remember him saying that he had been hired to do a draft of a script for TMoS, which so far as I know was true. Even then, I had thought that he had said that such a hiring was no guarantee of anything ever being filmed.

Crusade had all that and was cancelled before it aired.I can understand a little "see it before you believe it" attitude

There is a difference between that and saying you don't believe anything someone says, because of track record of "fooling" people. When has JMS done anything that gets remotely close to saying something is being produced, contracts have been signed etc., while in fact actually lying about it? The only B5 related thing that he worked on that didn't end up going into production was TMoS, and he was pretty clear how easy it would for the project to get stuck in development hell, and he never, far as I could see, lied about people being hired and sets being set up when they weren't.

And Crusade got cancelled, but the 13 episodes he said were being produced, were produced. He never "fooled" anyone about cast members being hired, while they weren't, or anything like that.

Honestly, I'm scratching my head a bit about the venom with regards to "JMS's track record" fooling us, where he is probably one of the most open and well communicating television producers you can find.

Sindatur · October 13th 06, 23:06

Quote:

Honestly, I'm scratching my head a bit about the venom with regards to "JMS's track record" fooling us, where he is probably one of the most open and well communicating television producers you can find.

That actually may be the problem right there. He has been so forthright with us, telling things about new projects as soon as possible. IMHO he has been trying to do right by the fandom, and can't be blamed for TMoS going belly up, nor can he be blamed for not wanting to allow TNT to mess up Crusade (any worse then they did) and even if he had capitulated on Crusade instead of walking away from it, they still would've been even more unreasonable, because it was there desire for Crusade to die in the crib.

So, yes, he has told us of some things that didn't go forward, or didn't go as long as we wanted, but, he never lied about them.

A_M_Swallow · October 14th 06, 01:36

I believe that the 3 TLT DVDs will be made and sold. Warner Brothers appear to have given him the money as a sort of pilot.

Whether a fourth one will be made is a different matter. I suspect that TLT-4 and a series will not be green-lite until the sales are in. Even then there will be an argument within the various parts of Warner Brothers. If they treat it like a film they will want sales to be 10 times the production and marketing costs.

Shabaz · October 14th 06, 01:49

Quote:

I believe that the 3 TLT DVDs will be made and sold. Warner Brothers appear to have given him the money as a sort of pilot.

Whether a fourth one will be made is a different matter. I suspect that TLT-4 and a series will not be green-lite until the sales are in. Even then there will be an argument within the various parts of Warner Brothers. If they treat it like a film they will want sales to be 10 times the production and marketing costs.

Just a correction; it's one DVD that's being made now, with 3 stories on it. Potential later DVDs are planned to carry 3 stories each also.

And this pretty much what JMS has said. That any subsequent instalments are conditional upon the success of this first one.