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Gerry Doyle Interview

I'll be lighting a candle and saying a few choice words to the Great Maker. That article was a ray of hope in our dark world. *fingers crossed*
 
Outstanding interview. As for a B5 revival, I'll believe it when I see it, but, I'm keeping fingers crossed.
 
Am I the only one who greatly doubts that we could get another series? A movie would be good, a mini-series would be better, but a series?
 
How can they convincingly re-group all of the original characters? A movie would be ok, but another 5-year series would be stretching things a bit.

And what about jms? I got the impression from the interview that the project could well go ahead without him. A B5 without jms wouldn't be worth watching, IMO.

I ain't gonna hold my breath.
 
And what about jms? I got the impression from the interview that the project could well go ahead without him. A B5 without jms wouldn't be worth watching, IMO.

I was thinking the same thing.
 
How can they convincingly re-group all of the original characters?

A movie would be ok, but another 5-year series would be stretching things a bit.

Both or these are impossible.
 
JMS has even said that something new may be in the works, so he just may be involved. I think a movie or a miniseries would work better than a series, though. All the characters are pretty far-flung after B5 ends. How can you bring them all together again for a new series?

Even so, I hope something happens. I would love to see more B5. I am pretty bored with many of the entertainment choices at the moment.

Tammy
 
And what about jms? I got the impression from the interview that the project could well go ahead without him. A B5 without jms wouldn't be worth watching, IMO.

I was thinking the same thing.

I'm not as sure about that.

Heresy, I know. But...

There are talented writers out there who are not JMS. And, lest we forget, Joe did write "Gray 17 is Missing."

I'm not saying it should or shouldn't happen. I'd prefer to see JMS on board any B5 related project, myself.

BUT if the right people were invoved, who knows?

On the other hand, the whole issue of what's "canon" would have to be resolved.

Oh, the yelling... ;)
 
What's up with Claudia and Bruce being pissed of at Joe? I know that there were some communication problems between Claudia and Warner Bros. But this is the first I've heard that Bruce and Claudia had problems with JMS. Someone please enlighten me.
 
I have two questions:

1) Does anyone know what IGN is refering to when it says that "rumors [are] swirling...about a potential revival of B5"? What rumors have there been outside of this interview?

2) Does anyone know what the story is on the contention that Crusade was initially planned to include the original B5 cast?

Old timers at this site may remember that in the fall of 2001, there was an unfavorable review of Legend of the Rangers posted by a "Captain Christopher Pike" on Ain't It Cool News. "Pike" later came to the forums here to defend his review. Another user who went used the moniker "Tobias Clutch" defended him. It was from Tobias that I first heard the contention that the original concept for Crusade was to have Boxleitner as Sheridan starring. Tobias didn't say where he got his information, but he apparently knew Glen Oliver personally. Glen used to work at AICN, but now works for IGN. For all I know, Glen may have been the one giving this very IGN interview.

So does anyone know anything more about this? Have we ever heard anything about this from anyone associated from B5/Crusade, or from anywhere else in the SF media? Or might this all be in Glen Oliver's head?
 
It just looks to me like Doyle is making some noise in hoping to start something up again. I'm sure he and Boxleitner love and respect B5, but they also want it back because it's a relatively easy, secure acting gig, and it's not like either actors are doing so great now.

They both know that B5 is their acting high point. It's like Robert Englund as Freddie Cruger.

I don't even particularly want more B5. What we have is great- a nice, compelling 5 season story that holds together real well. A flawed but fetching television masterpiece (as much as something on TV can be a masterpiece). To bring back the actors when they're older and concoct some story that somehow fits into canon but adds something new... I would be hesitant at best.
 
What rumors have there been outside of this interview?

To my knowledge... nothing aside from the two usual kinds: the wishful speculations we fans often start without any basis (especially when it appears that DVD disks sell reasonably)...

...and those referring to cryptic remarks from JMS, which for understandable professional reasons are sufficiently vague to qualify as plans to establish beet greenhouses on the darkside of the Moon.

He has other work, and little reason to comment prematurely about floating possibilities which may never become real. Due to such circumstances, I have prepared myself for the least brightest possibility. I would not be heartbroken if more B5 would not be produced.

But I would be very happy if some day, the opposite possibility were to materialize. :)
 
It just looks to me like Doyle is making some noise in hoping to start something up again. I'm sure he and Boxleitner love and respect B5, but they also want it back because it's a relatively easy, secure acting gig, and it's not like either actors are doing so great now.

I agree. Mr Doyle appears to be entirely motivated to undertake this new project based on the fun times he had with his friends on the original B5 set. On the other hand, jms was entirely motivated by story when producing B5. As a fan of the show, I know which I'd prefer as the main driving force behind any new B5 project.
 
Yes, but even JMS is saying that something may be in the works. So that's why I take this a bit more seriously than the last time Doyle said that he was trying to make something happen.

Tammy
 
Re: Jerry Doyle Interview

Thing is, I doubt that a new series would fly... but there's a lot left out there in the B5 universe to explore. The Telepath War, for example. For that you'd need Pat Tallman and Walter Koenig, though.

I think the Telepath War would be the best bet, although I just had a very off-the-wall idea...

JMS once mentioned Delenn's final journey, undertaken when she's incredibly old -- one final quest for Valen. The story could hang around that, with flashbacks; and we might even be able to pull in Valen himself. It would be a reunion for the cast, including Michael O'Hare, and it could be touching and poignant and all that good stuff.

But I still say Telepath War's our best bet. Sheridan as IA President would certainly get involved, and Garibaldi and Lyta would be running one side. Ivanova might get roped in because of her telepathic connections.
 
2) Does anyone know what the story is on the contention that Crusade was initially planned to include the original B5 cast?

Well, I don't think it ever was "the original cast of B5". However, I remember there being quotes (including from JMS) back when Crusade was in development about how "some" or "two or three" or something like that B5 characters might end up on Crusade. The quotes also included plenty of qualifiers about how many and which characters depending on several factors or "how things go" or something like that. Presumably, that means that in addition JMS making an artistic writing decision it would also depend studio / network input and, of course, on whether contracts could be worked out with the individual actors and their agents.

I think that it is safe to say that preliminary discussions were held with a few of the original cast about the possibility of being regular, or at least recurring, cast members of Crusade. Those discussions would have been procedding from thumbnail outlines of Crusade that involved some different cast members than we actually saw.



What's up with Claudia and Bruce being pissed of at Joe?

In Claudia's case I think that it arose from some exchanges of quotes when she left, things about whose choice it was that she wasn't returning and whether anyone was purposely lying to the fans. There may have also been a seed of frustration left in Claudia because she felt that she wasn't given much of anything to do in the 4th season, aside from being a news reader as the "Voice of the Resistance".

In Bruce's case, I remember reading the quotes where he expresses some irritation with JMS but I forget the details now. I think that it was centered around the way the Crusade planning / casting / discussions were handled with respect to the end of original series and who was and was not told what, and when; etc., etc. I don't think that it was anything that ever came up when they were actually working together on B5.


If someone has a clearer memory of those events, or the time and motivation to chase down all of the old quotes, please feel free to correct me.
 
how "some" or "two or three" or something like that B5 characters might end up on Crusade

And of course they did. Lochley was a recurring character. Franklin appeared in one episode and probably would have been back some more considering how closely his work on the plague would be tied up with the Excalibur's mission. I also remember reading plans for Bester and Garibaldi to be on Crusade.
 

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