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It's (semi)Official: Babylon 5 FEATURE FILM!

samuelk

Member
It\'s (semi)Official: Babylon 5 FEATURE FILM!

Looks like the upcoming B5 project is a feature film.

From JMS:

I know I've been absent for a while now, but there are reasons, especially in regards to B5:TMoS. In a project of this nature, and this size, there's stage one (let's do this) stage two (let's make everybody's deal) and stage three (making it). We're hip-deep in stage two just now, and it's taking a freaking long amount of time to get through it all. Stage two is also the most unnerving and nerve-wracking stage when there's a lot of money involved, as there is in this situation.

So every day is a case of "Are we there yet?" and being told yes...almost.

I swear, it's the kind of thing that could lead a monk to murder.

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.

On other fronts....

Ibooks/Simon and Schuster just delivered the final production galleys on Straczynski Unplugged (originally called JMS Unplugged, which I recommended over Straczynski Unplugged because I couldn't imagine anyone Asking For It By Name without blowing out an incisor or two, but who listens to me). It includes some stories from my Twilight Zone anthology, plus "Say Hello, Mister Quigley," "Cold Type," "We Killed Them in the Ratings" and "The Salvation of Lyman Terrell," which have appeared in various publications but have never been gathered together before in one book, plus a new introduction. I think it should be hitting stores sometime in the coming month.

Ibooks/Simon and Schuster are going to be putting together a whole line of JMS books, including a shared universe series of novels and other stuff...more when I can talk about it.

For those who've been considering getting into the Supreme Power series, Marvel published a graphic novel containing the first 6 issues last month (it ended up at #3 out of the top 100 titles). It's a good jumping-on point for the series, which I'm eminently proud of. (I know, a dangling participle, what can I say?)

I'm doing two other books for Marvel, one of which I think they should be able to announce soon. The other is the Dream Police book, which I brought over from Top Cow. Mike Deodato is doing the art, and it's just beautiful. (Mike is also doing the art on Amazing Spider-Man during John Romita Jr's leave of absence, and it's very nice indeed.) The first scripts are in on both the new project, and for the Doc Strange miniseries, and artists have been selected, but it's up to Marvel to release that info.

Finally...for those who want to support a worthy cause...recently I heard about a high school in Hawthorne, New Jersey (not far from Paterson, where I was born) which was having a small comic convention to raise funds for its art program. The high school arts program for the coming year had to be cut entirely due to lack of funds, to the point where this past year people literally had to scrounge in junk yards for wire for sculpture classes.

Initially, I was going to just donate to the cause, but the more I looked into this, the more it became clear that I had to kind of do something. So I'm going to be flying out for the day to be at the fund-raiser convention for the school. (I know, I know...I pass all the big conventions that pay big bucks and I do this instead...I'm not wired up right, I admit it, but...sometimes you just gotta do what's right, you know?) It's not an alma mater for me or anything, but in hailing from Paterson (also Newark and Matawan) when I was a kid I probably got in fights with kids from Hawthorne, so I figure I owe something, right?

I got my real start as a writer in high school, through teachers who saw in me something more than a kid from the streets. Those teachers -- specifically Rochelle Terry and Joanne Massie at Chula Vista High -- gave me the support I needed to start following my dreams, so it's a crucial time for others as well, a time that needs our support, particularly at a time when so many schools are suffering from similar cuts.

The convention is May 8th, Saturday, and I'll be there to talk, answer questions, and sign autographs. Now, we usually try to limit signatures to 5 or so per person, but I'm taking the cap off...and in another break with tradition, in which I never ask for a fee to sign stuff, this time I'll be charging one buck per autograph, with all of the money going to the high school. So for those of you in the area with twenty copies of various comics or books or whatever...this is your chance to stock up. There will also be an auction to further help raise funds.

Details about the fund-raiser and the other fine guests can be found at:

http://www.newsarama.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=12223

This is the first appearance I've made at any kind of East Coast convention in years, and the first time I've been in New Jersey in over 30 years, so there's no way to know how long it'll be before I get into town again. And admission is only $3, so how can you go wrong?

It's a worthy cause. So if you're in the vicinity, stop by, step up, and do some good.

If you can't make it, and can't help, check into your local schools and see if they need help. Because odds are they do.

jms
 
Re: It\'s (semi)Official: Babylon 5 FEATURE FILM!

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.

I like this news. :) I like this news very much!!! :D

Okay, if B5 is coming back on multiple fronts, could that mean that both the theories of a feature film and the theories about a series could both be true?

Even if the other "fronts" aren't on the same magnitude as a series, do you think one of the smaller fronts could at least be the release of the long-awaited quote book?

How about the DVD set of the TV movies? We already know they're coming, but hopefully, if it's considered one of the fronts taking up his time, maybe the time is going into featurettes and commentaries.

I'm craving more B5. I'm glad more of it is coming in some way, shape, or form.
 
Re: It\'s (semi)Official: Babylon 5 FEATURE FILM!

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.
Yea, that is about as blatant a clue as you can get to tell us its a feature film...
 
Re: It\'s (semi)Official: Babylon 5 FEATURE FILM!

I will hold my enthusiam in check until the official word comes.But it all sounds good to me .
 
Re: It\'s (semi)Official: Babylon 5 FEATURE FILM!

Is 2.35 to 1 the ratio in dimensions of a movie screen? :confused:

But it does sound like good news.

I wonder if any of the new projects will have a homicidal monk in them. :D
 
Re: It\'s (semi)Official: Babylon 5 FEATURE FILM!

2.35:1 is one of the standard aspect ratios for widescreen motion pictures.
 
Re: It\'s (semi)Official: Babylon 5 FEATURE FILM!

I'm not an expert on these things, but I did do a Google search on Aspect Ratios. The first sight I pulled up did list 2.35:1 as one of the ratios that movies are shot in. In fact, there were several different formats listed that had 2.35:1 as one of their sets of dimensions or as their only dimensions.

So, now that I've done a little research first hand, I would have to agree with everyone else. The main B5 "front" is most likely a feature film.

I'm still hoping one of the other fronts is a TV series. I'll take more B5 however I can get it, but I'd love long durations even more than the quick spurts (did that sound kinky?).
 
Re: It\'s (semi)Official: Babylon 5 FEATURE FILM!

Is 2.35 to 1 the ratio in dimensions of a movie screen? :confused:

In the U.S. movies are typically projected at 1.85:1 (mostly used for comedies and "intimate" dramas) or 2.35:1 (for "big" and "epic" films) (The same screen can show either ratio, with proper masking.) The widescreen television ratio is 1.77:1. (And in Europe the "barely widescreen" 1.66:1 ratio is popular. By contrast TV is 1.33:1 and most pre-1950s movies were 1.37:1)

So yes, 2.35:1 is a way to say "Yes it is a theatrical film" without actually using those words. There simply isn't anything else it could mean in this context, and no other reason for JMS to mention that aspect ratio in the message otherwise.

Excuse me, I have to go out and order a bunch of business cards with "I TOLD you so" in huge letters so that I can hand them out to various people...

:)

Of course, there's many a slip at stage two, especially as the exact shape of the story may depend on which actors sign on. Since the actors know this, you can bet they're holding out for the best possible deal. (As JMS doubtless intended, since he always said a feature film involving the original cast was one to finally compensate them for all their hard work on the series.)

In theory the entire project could still collapse and the film never get made. But I'm not worried about that possibility. BTW, JMS's delineation of the three stages of a project should make it pretty clear that rumors/guesses about the film being set to shoot in the U.K., already shooting in Thailand or JMS's "can" reference being to something "in the can" are all wrong. Also that the announcement's estimate date almost coninciding with the network "up fronts" was a coincidence.

It is certainly nice to know that the 2.35:1 aspect ratio, lots of money and enough buzz to get other possible projects rolling are all involved in B5:TMoS - whatever the heck that actuall stands for. (I'm inclined to think "working title" along the lines of "B5: The Movie of Same" - a bit of nonsense that gives the WB people a name to use in house and lets JMS stir up the fans into a frenzy of speculation. ;))

Regards,

Joe
 
Re: It\'s (semi)Official: Babylon 5 FEATURE FILM!

JMS seemed quite certain about the new project not being a series. But with new opportunites arising, who knows?

I just wonder if mid-May will be when we hear about this finally, or if the delays in getting everyone signed will push it back further. :rolleyes:
 
Re: It\'s (semi)Official: Babylon 5 FEATURE FILM!

JMS seemed quite certain about the new project not being a series. But with new opportunites arising, who knows?

A series may, indeed, be among the new possibilities that have arisen in the past month or so. (Maybe the contracts for the new film include options for a spin-off series, and this is one of the areas that's holding up some of the contract talks.) But that doesn't change the fact that neither of the two projects that were possibilities last September, one of which move ahead starting in December, was a series. So JMS didn't "seem" certain about that fact, he was certain about it and subsequent events have changed nothing with regards to the original project he was talking about or his original statement. In other words, the "new project" he had in mind still isn't a series, even if something else might be. :)

I wouldn't be surprised if the announcement were pushed back another week or two, if everything isn't ironed out by then, but that's the kind of delay I can live with, since it would mean that the concern parties were hammering out the last details, and might mean that some under-appreciated actors were finally getting the kind of big payday they have long deserved. :)

Regards,

Joe
 
Re: It\'s (semi)Official: Babylon 5 FEATURE FILM!

I am just SOOOO happy. It is like so brilliant.

JMS must be really excited about this. To think that B5 could make it on to the big screen is amazing.

I also like the bit in his post where he says there will be ''more B5 in spades'' - I wonder what that means - could be good.

I hope that JMS can get the deal finalised so he can come on line and we can all have a massive PARTY!!!!!!

Nearly time to crack open the bubbly.....





____________________________________________________________

Understanding is a three edged sword.

Film, Series & Video game ( I WISH )
 
Re: It\'s (semi)Official: Babylon 5 FEATURE FILM!

I am just SOOOO happy. It is like so brilliant.

JMS must be really excited about this. To think that B5 could make it on to the big screen is amazing.

I also like the bit in his post where he says there will be ''more B5 in spades'' - I wonder what that means - could be good.

I hope that JMS can get the deal finalised so he can come on line and we can all have a massive PARTY!!!!!!

Nearly time to crack open the bubbly.....





____________________________________________________________

Understanding is a three edged sword.

Film, Series & Video game ( I WISH )

When he is finally able to talk about TMoS, you think he'll tell us if the many fronts he's talking about are the various things we already know are coming, or, if and how many other projects are waiting in the wings, in the negotiation phase? Or perhaps JDM is right on the money, and when JMS can talk about TMoS, he can tell us that project X is also a part of the deal made for TMoS?
 
Re: It\'s (semi)Official: Babylon 5 FEATURE FILM!

Hallelujah! The best TV science fiction show ever gets a movie! And, please God, a new run as a series? I must now go celebrate by watching all the DVD's back to back.

Let's see. (110 episodes x 44 minutes) + (4 TV movies x 88 minutes) + (1 pilot x 88 minutes) = 5280 minutes. I'll see you in 3.66 days...
 
Re: It\'s (semi)Official: Babylon 5 FEATURE FILM!

Hallelujah! The best TV science fiction show ever gets a movie! And, please God, a new run as a series? I must now go celebrate by watching all the DVD's back to back.



Let's see. (110 episodes x 44 minutes) + (4 TV movies x 88 minutes) + (1 pilot x 88 minutes) = 5280 minutes. I'll see you in 3.66 days...

What, no eating, sleeping, bathing, or using the restroom?
 
Re: It\'s (semi)Official: Babylon 5 FEATURE FILM!

Okay, I'll use the bathroom. I'll have to get a TV set for the bathroom...

(I was recently in a hotel with a TV set facing the toilet in the bathroom. There was a telephone in there, too. Buddy, if you have that little free time, you might want to think about cutting back on your commitments!)
 
Re: It\'s (semi)Official: Babylon 5 FEATURE FILM!

ooh, ooh, OOH, OOH, OOHH!!!!!!! :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:


You can probably tell I am excited about this.
 
Re: It\'s (semi)Official: Babylon 5 FEATURE FILM!

This is indeed good news, if it doesn't end up going down the Toilet at the Stage 2 phaze!

Look foward to a B5 Feature Film, and, with luck (and a little groveling :D) maybe a return to the B5 Universe on TV.
 
Re: It\'s (semi)Official: Babylon 5 FEATURE FILM!

Okay, I'll use the bathroom. I'll have to get a TV set for the bathroom...
You have obviously never heard of "Depends Undergarments." They make them in three sizes: "small," "medium," "large," and "B5 Fan."
 

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