B5 Animated Movie

[vacantlook]

I wonder if there will be Zathrases and how many

According to the initial press article about the film, there is at least one Zathras, who'll be voiced by Paul Guyet, who is also voicing Jeffery Sinclair.

 

[RW7427]

According to the initial press article about the film, there is at least one Zathras, who'll be voiced by Paul Guyet, who is also voicing Jeffery Sinclair.

Thanks for the info!

 

[KoshN]

With the statement that it's coming from WB Home Entertainment, I hope that means there'll be a physical copy; I love owning me a physical copy of entertainment I love.

Yeah, I hate it when stuff is only available thru streaming, e.g. Reacher, The Grand Tour, etc..

 

[Springer]

Someone on Reddit has just shared some pictures of stills from the movie that JMS apparently revealed at the Phoenix convention that's currently going on.

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Looks like season 5 Sheridan.

Animation style seems okay - I guess I'll have to see it in motion to make a better judgement.

Edit: just realised the still showing Lennier, Delenn and Sheridan looks like when they are leaving the station together in Objects at Rest – are the two people in the foreground in the crowd on the station, or are they watching it, maybe on ISN, or maybe like the future human in Deconstruction of Falling Stars?

We also see what looks like an older Franklin, maybe Sleeping in Light era. And Zathras! But which one?

 

[Jan]

Here's my report from the panel for those interested. Sorry for typos, I hate typing on my laptop.


JMS Spotlight report. Sorry not to have posted this last night but the trip wiped me out.

As always, it was a lot of fun. JMS had meant to have his Sizzle Real but the Video Guy was no place to be found. So he opened with with explaining that he wasn't consulted on the title of the panel, "Explaining the Inexplicable" So he riffed by telling a few jokes and a 'prayer' that he not screw it up. Also an interesting theory about the nature of universes and meaning.

Video guy showed up with a laptop and hooked it up and the latest version of the reel played after some hilarity getting the lights off. This one plays to the tune of "Wake Me Up When It's All Over" It's similar to the one that's been posted before but had some fun teases of things to come.

WB wouldn't allow JMS to bring the trailer but he was allowed to bring a few images from The Road Home. JMS spoke of bringing in actors to play the roles of the actors who've passed on and said that before this started, he'd sent out an email asking the remaining cast if they were okay with his doing that. If even one had said no, JMS explained, he wouldn't have don it. They all signed on.

The first image he showed was of Franklin, much as we saw him in SiL, with grey hair. In the story, Sheridan is traveling back and forth in time and alternate times and when he see's Franklin, he's popped into his own future for a moment and Franklin knows something at that point that Sheridan doesn''t.

The next image is of Lennier, Delenn and Sheridan, probably about the time they left B5 for the new Alliance headquarters on Minbar. Let me just say that these are ALL really, really good. But the image of Delenn is just stunningly beauriful. JMS talked about the animators rally working to capture the essence of the characters and I think they've succeeded.

The final image was - Zathras! Looking an awful lot like one of the Zathri but the slide wasn't up long enough to figure out which one.

While waiting for the Video Guy to pull up the image files, JMS showed the first cover for his first Captain America issue coming in (iirc) September.

After the Video Guy restored the lights (ouch) and left, JMS talked about how for many years there was one person at WB who wouldn't allow anything to be done with the show but virtually the day afer that person was gone, the CW approached WB about doing the reboot/reimagining. Soon after, WB Animation contacted JMS about doing The Road Home. B5 is one of only a few franchises that hasn't gotten new attention recently so it's now quite attractive. In both cases, JMS was given a free hand to write what he wanted without interference. The result is that we'll be able to see things we'd heard about but never saw in the show with images being improved and more interesting. JMS said it's the most authentically B5 thing since the original show.

JMS talked about doing the commentary with Bruce Boxleitner (who hadn't seen the finished movie) not long ago and Bruce asked him seriously to say how JMS thought it was and JMS assured him that it was as if no time had passed at all. When the film started, Bruce kept getting caught up with it and forgot to talk!

Regarding the reimagining, JMS said that it took 3-4 months to get the rights back from the CW after the CW sale. The started taking it out to buyers and there was some interst but then the Writer's Strike happened so it's on hold for now. JMS has a good feeling that it will end up happening.

JMS talked about taking over the Captain America title for Marvel. One thing about that character is that there's nothing said about the period between when his mother died and his becoming a soldier/Captan Rogers. Apparently he wa living on the streets during those formative years. That was the period when the American Bund was active and that was besically the Nazi party in the US. There was a huge rally in Madison Square Garden, for instance. So we'll see that effect on Steve Rogers in a flashback story along with current events. This will be an ongoing series, not a mini.

At that point JMS started taking questions. I'll review that part of the tape later on. A couple of othere folks from here were there and if I've missed something or they'd like to chime it, I'd love for that to happen.

ETA: I did try to take some pics of the images but I'm not 100% sure that I should share them. I'll try to clarify with JMS today.

 

[Jan]

Trying to see if I can put the images from THE ROAD HOME here.

 

[babylonfan]

is it known why this WB exec had a grudge against B5? Clearly there is a lot of interest, so there’s money to be made. Normally execs would happily sell their own mother if it can make them money.

 

[Jan]

is it known why this WB exec had a grudge against B5? Clearly there is a lot of interest, so there’s money to be made. Normally execs would happily sell their own mother if it can make them money.

It's commonly thought from thins JMS has posted online and in the script books, that the division that did B5 was seen as an upstart department. Which only makes sense when you add in the (at least then) WB culture of pitting their departments *against* each other rather than cooperating with each other. Thankfully that seems to be (as JMS said) blood under the bridge now.

 

[LateArrival]

Was pondering the time travel aspect in traffic yesterday. If memory serves, getting UnStuck In Time via Sector 14 would bounce one around within one's personal lifespan/body in kind of a Quantum Leap fashion, but for Sheridan to visit with Future Dr. Franklin after Sheridan and Lorien went Beyond the Rim, he wouldn't have his own physical body to pop into. Then again, Quantum Leap got around that by allowing travel via one's ancestors, so ???? if Sheridan is UnStucking himself through time, perhaps he could "leap" into the physical body a descendant - David Sheridan? ...and guess Future Franklin would be happy to see him again, but obviously couldn't drop any hints about a certain get-together dinner they had on Minbar and what happened the following day.

 

[Kribu]

Same images as posted above but “officially” now and in better quality:

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[babylonfan]

getting UnStuck In Time via Sector 14

I've also been wondering if the events of "Babylon squared" and "War without end" would be the catalyst to this story.

But I am not so sure. JMS mentioned in one of his tweets that this movie would be understandable for people without prior knowledge of B5. I feel that for any story involving B4 to work, it would require a lot of background information.

I suppose there could be a 10 minute Star Wars-style text crawl to set up the backstory and characters?

 

[vacantlook]

Same images as posted above but “officially” now and in better quality:

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These higher quality versions of the images look better than I was expecting. Like, I knew audience-level photos of a projection screen showing the images would lessen the quality of what we were seeing, but getting the source files, so to speak, makes me more intrigued to see the animation in motion.

It's been a really bad, rough week for me, so I can't remember, do we know if we're getting a trailer during the San Diego Comic-Con?

 

[Jan]

These higher quality versions of the images look better than I was expecting. Like, I knew audience-level photos of a projection screen showing the images would lessen the quality of what we were seeing, but getting the source files, so to speak, makes me more intrigued to see the animation in motion.

It's been a really bad, rough week for me, so I can't remember, do we know if we're getting a trailer during the San Diego Comic-Con?

Sorry it's been a rough week! We should actually be getting the trailer this coming week. JMS said that the Big Announcement with trailer and info on how & when it'll be available will be made at mid-month. If the SDCC blurb for JMS is accurate, the movie may actually premier there.

 

[LateArrival]

I've also been wondering if the events of "Babylon squared" and "War without end" would be the catalyst to this story.

But I am not so sure. JMS mentioned in one of his tweets that this movie would be understandable for people without prior knowledge of B5. I feel that for any story involving B4 to work, it would require a lot of background information.

I suppose there could be a 10 minute Star Wars-style text crawl to set up the backstory and characters?

There have been "alternate futures" with Sinclair's vision of B5 being overrun plus Ivanova's distress call at the beginning of WWE. Maybe the Techo Mages were up to something, but no credits listed for Galen so probably not.

Perhaps Sheridan is visiting the Great Machine and Zathras Warn not to touch some strange piece of equipment. Sheridan doesn't listen to poor Zathras, and hilarity ensues. Would the Sinclair that Sheridan might encounter be Season 1-3 Sinclair, or (please please) Valen-Sinclair 1,000 years back?

 

[dawnchild]

I only returned very recently to this forum and so this news was a -huge- surprise for me! Who would have believed B5 would return from beyond the rim! There had been some talk of a reboot etc but nothing seemed to come of any previous ideas so to see this come to life is exciting!

Admittedly I would be even happier if this renewed interest in the B5 Universe resulted in the remastered / upgraded / HD version of the series found on streaming services finally being released on Blu-ray disc. One can only hope; I would buy it in a second!

I am fine with time travel story wise, have enjoyed it in several movies, as long as it is done right. I see some here are a little sceptical about multiverse-options for this B5 animation and I agree. Let's hope JMS does a good job with it!

It is fun that several of the original cast will return to embody their characters with their voices that we all know and love.

As for recasting etc I don't have any strong opinions. It is important to have respect for B5-actors, especially those that have passed beyond the rim, but I am sure JMS will treat the subject delicately and respectfully.

Will be very interesting to see how this all pans out!

 

[Jan]

From JMS (9 AM Pacific = Noon Eastern and 5 PM UK):

 

[vacantlook]

From JMS (9 AM Pacific = Noon Eastern and 5 PM UK):

This was a bit of a let-down. I thought this post last night was him hinting at the trailer being released today at this specified time. Turns out this post was hint about a statement today that the trailer will be released tomorrow.

 

[Springer]

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JMS is being a bit of a tease, but at least we get to see something!

To me it looks like it is connected to War Without End - looks like the Shadows attacking the station that we saw in Sinclair and Garibaldi's flash forward? That shot of the Shadows marching looks amazing. The animation looks fantastic overall.

Who is the Starfury pilot?

 

[Springer]

For anyone who wants to watch the trailer early, Amazon have been naughty and uploaded it to Prime already!

Spoiler for Plot details:

It starts at the end of season 5, with Sheridan and Delenn moving to Minbar. A Minbari macguffin emitting tachyons sends Sheridan once more hurtling through time and parallel universes, including some where the Shadow War was lost, as Sheridan tries to find his way home. We see Sheridan (going Rambo on some Shadows!), Delenn, Londo, Ivanova, Lyta being awesome, Lochley, Franklin, Zathras, Garibaldi, Sinclair, G'Kar, the Icarus, lots of Shadows, and Sheridan's father. We hear the new voice actors for Franklin, Zathras, Sinclair and G'Kar. I thought Sinclair and Zathras' voice actor sounded really good.

Naturally, it will take a little getting used to the new voice actors, but the animation looks nice and you can tell who most people are, and overall I'm really excited!

Edit: also the release details, Amazon will have it for download, Blu-Ray and 4K UHD (woohoo!) on 14th August (in the UK at least), so just 2 months to wait!

 

[Springer]

Here's the YouTube link to the new trailer:

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