TV option not picked up?

thomas7g · December 10th, 2003, 09:37 PM

Sandy released this info on the Cylon.org forums. Its rumor, but the rumors come from good sources.

The Scifi execs were overjoyed at the increased ratings. But its a matter of costs. it cost a fortune and there isn't the amount of money available to go into a full tv series production.

Though this isn't a dead end. The series just isn't picked up for this next year, maybe the next. Maybe it will be sold like Buffy was to the WB or JAG to CBS. Who knows. BG revival has always been a ship with termite problems.

This isn't 100% reliable, but I trust Sandy. And I thought you would prefer to hear about this than wonder.

thomas7g · December 10th, 2003, 09:40 PM

Btw- I ask people on both sides to show some consideration for the other side.

Lets work together and be one community. Not two.

December 10th, 2003, 10:04 PM

:laugh: :laugh:

:laugh:

Happy happy, joy joy...

Starbuck · December 10th, 2003, 10:10 PM

Onward with the continuation!

dec5 · December 10th, 2003, 10:31 PM

A series BG's size is just too much for Sci Fi.....it will remain a mini series because the format is more cost effective and the DVD sales is where the action will really take place...

SG1 and Atlantis are Sci fi's main focus.....BG will just be too much.

Olmos will want a big salary.....as well as the main character stars...

It will be just too much....even for a network like Fox, ABC, or NBC...or WB....etc.....

The mini series format will be Moore's choice to continue his new hit...maybe......

I am sure we will know for sure in a few days...

repcisg · December 10th, 2003, 10:53 PM

GreggAllinson · December 10th, 2003, 11:04 PM

Here we go. The mini proved there's a market for Galactica (even in eviscerated form), but Skiffy doesn't have the money to pay for it (big surprise- they probably spent it all on quality far like Scare Tactics). So, what could possibly justify such a huge budget? A movie. Who holds the rights to the movie? Glen Larson.

Ladies and gentlemen, we are floating in space.

dec5 · December 10th, 2003, 11:19 PM

Since Glen Larson got the francise in this situation in the first place by snubbing Richard Hatch........

I doubt anything will change.........even if there is a Moore series...

Glen is still gonna tell Richard to move aside...and disappear.....

GreggAllinson · December 10th, 2003, 11:27 PM

Even if Glen Larson snubs Richard and the rest of the original cast, I have more faith in him carrying forth the Galactica mythos than Ron Moore.

Jerry Vasilatos · December 10th, 2003, 11:49 PM

And if it did, where would it go?

No search for earth. A dismal, bleak, depressing episode each week focusing on what? I find it interesting that as much as the original show is maligned, the structure allowed for the direction it went in, there was a focus, even if some episodes took detours into the "planet of the week" setups. Also, this mini had no hope, no heart, can anyone conceive of someone "re-imagining" "Star Wars" like this? It and "Galactica" share common roots in good vs. evil, and a fairytale like mythology with characters that people loved. Which showcases the ultimate hubris of Bonnie Hammer, and farming out the way she and Sci-Fi wanted it to go to Ron Moore. As much as I detest this show, Moore was given a job with no options for revival or a continuation, so this is what we got. The mini offers no mythology, or foundation for what made the original so beloved, no matter how good the FX were or the acting by Olmos. No one will hold this mini dear in years to come the way fans have of the original. Moore says he was given a directive by Bonnie Hammer to "re-imagine" "Galactica", not continue it, and that he couldn't do this show and give it another name without people calling him on it because of it's similarities in story to "Galactica". I think this is BS, you could have taken the story we just saw on the mini, changed all the BG related names to something else, and with a few more tweaks it would have been a new series by Moore, not a cannibalization of "Galactica" and a slap in the face to fans, Richard Hatch, Glen Larson, or the rest of the original cast who made the original series so much fun.

What struck me tonight about the difference in attitude of the mini and the original came down to something simple... in the original series, Apollo would have tried to figure out a way to save the refugees that were ultimately left behind, the mini's Apollo didn't even think twice about the "numbers" how many would be saved over the sacrifice of leaving so many behind. I think that's the difference in how heroes of the "old days" (chivalrous and ready to do whatever was needed to save those threatened in the most dire of circumstances) with those of today... crunch the numbers and leave helpless victims behind. That to me was the coldest scene in the new mini, as dramatic as it was, the baby killing scene notwithstanding.

Back to work on the Galacticon 2003 DVD...

JV

dec5 · December 10th, 2003, 11:54 PM

Regardless of faith.....BG fans got BG 1980....from Glen Larson.
Though Lorne Green and Herb Jefferson did get to reprise their roles with along with Dirk in the end....but still a suprising disapointment....

Nuff said....

BTW in another situation involving another Glen Larson production, Tom Selleck, who has been asking for a Magnum
revival....is also being snubbed and is being replaced by George(Messed up the Batman series) Clooney.....

Once again a former star and original cast is ignored....go figure.......

jewels · December 10th, 2003, 11:54 PM

What JJ said. that many gifs make me dizzzzzzy though.

Happy! It will be joy when the cast is not notified by the 31st.

Jerry Vasilatos · December 11th, 2003, 12:04 AM

That was the director Joel Schumacher's fault. Clooney is a great actor and would have made a great Batman with the right script and director. I didn't know about the Magnum project though not involving Selleck. That's as messed up as the BG cast being snubbed for a continuation. Where did you hear this?

JV

Jerry Vasilatos · December 11th, 2003, 12:07 AM

Don't blame Larson for Galactica 1980. That was decided by ABC, he just delivered what they ordered because they were too cheap to revive what they realized they shouldn't have cancelled to begin with. Even he regrets it, and tried to make up for it when he knew 1980 was being cancelled with the "Return of Starbuck" episode to give fans something special to sign off with.

Darth Marley · December 11th, 2003, 12:08 AM

A depressing anit-climax for mini-fans.

For shame jj, kicking a fellow wacko-libertarian when he is down.

I suppose we mini-fans deserve this dose of instant karma.

dec5 · December 11th, 2003, 12:13 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Jerry Vasilatos
That was the director Joel Schumacher's fault. Clooney is a great actor and would have made a great Batman with the right script and director.

Clooney kinda admitted that he does hold that title....of destroying the Batman franchise.... I don't think it really bothers him though.

Quote:

I didn't know about the Magnum project though not involving Selleck. That's as messed up as the BG cast being snubbed for a continuation. Where did you hear this?

JV

Check the Magnum PI fansites...they are pretty hopping mad......more than fans here about the mini..... totally devasting....

I will try to find a link...

dec5 · December 11th, 2003, 12:31 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Jerry Vasilatos
Don't blame Larson for Galactica 1980. That was decided by ABC, he just delivered what they ordered because they were too cheap to revive what they realized they shouldn't have cancelled to begin with. Even he regrets it, and tried to make up for it when he knew 1980 was being cancelled with the "Return of Starbuck" episode to give fans something special to sign off with.

Return of Star Buck was fine....but his snubbing of Richard, and his admitting his wanting to recast Athena..., really doesn't reinforce any confidence from me .....or any of Richard's or Maren's fans......

Jerry Vasilatos · December 11th, 2003, 12:45 AM

Just curious... I have interviewed them both and never gotten the impression there was a "snub", but that the different directions had more to do with rights issues than anything else.

Larson did not have any rights to "Galactica" up until this past September, when arbitration and cash got him the movie rights back as the original creator. Prior to that, the rights issue was muddied because of Universal going through several owners, I don't think it was ever an issue of Glen snubbing Richard, although he didn't understand or know what rights Richard had when he did the "Second Coming" trailer. Richard himself has stated that he had no rights, but was pursuing them and that the trailer was an effort to show Universal that he had a direction he wanted to go with it since no one was doing anything because the rights issue was so unclear.

I don't know anything about the Maren Jensen issue though, and since she has disappeared I don't know if we'll ever get the story on that.

JV

dec5 · December 11th, 2003, 01:07 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Jerry Vasilatos
Just curious... I have interviewed them both and never gotten the impression there was a "snub", but that the different directions had more to do with rights issues than anything else.

Larson did not have any rights to "Galactica" up until this past September, when arbitration and cash got him the movie rights back as the original creator. Prior to that, the rights issue was muddied because of Universal going through several owners, I don't think it was ever an issue of Glen snubbing Richard, although he didn't understand or know what rights Richard had when he did the "Second Coming" trailer. Richard himself has stated that he had no rights, but was pursuing them and that the trailer was an effort to show Universal that he had a direction he wanted to go with it since no one was doing anything because the rights issue was so unclear.

I don't know anything about the Maren Jensen issue though, and since she has disappeared I don't know if we'll ever get the story on that.

JV

The Maren situation was mention by Larson in his CFQ article, I think...
If a 2nd season was going to happen they would have recasted Athena.
Regardless Richard said that they didn't think Maren was needed any more and was cut out of the show in the last eppys.

As for Richard.... from what I have read....the Glen camp was none too happy with Richards 2nd coming vision...and felt Richard was stepping over the line. Just by observation Glen doesn't seem to want to work with Richard..IMO. And the last few efforts to revive the show has always seemed to me anyway to make Richard seem to be the odd man out that nobody in the production side wants to talk to.

Jerry Vasilatos · December 11th, 2003, 01:14 AM

On one hand, there is the original creator of the show who wasn't doing anything actively to revive the show, on the other, a very sincere actor from the original show trying to get things jumpstarted without any of the rights.

I think I understand Larson's feeling that no one else should have been tinkering with his creation without permission, while I also wholeheartedly support Richard stepping up to the plate and trying to take the bull by the horns and make things happen. I have heard there was some bad blood in the early period when Glen heard about Richard's efforts and wasn't supportive because he wasn't involved, but the two have long since buried that hatchet and gotten closer in this past year by both of their accounts. I am hoping that reconciliation and the mutual ordeal they have both suffered watching Moore's re-imagining supercede everything they would like to do builds a bridge by which we can see a revived "Galactica" with both Richard and Glen involved and Apollo and Starbuck back in action.

JV

thomas7g · December 11th, 2003, 01:25 AM

On the bg dvd commentary the mention that Maren Jensen was dropped several episodes before the end of the first series.

Idiots.

dec5 · December 11th, 2003, 01:41 AM

This is Glens baby.....BG was something he wrote ..as so he says...while being inspired by Trekkers and Gene Roddenberry..

But it seems to me that Richard is responsible for making a revival possible again...after basically years of silence from Larson.

But I hope like you that Larson and Hatch really do work together...it would definitely make a revival TOS movie into reality.

thomas7g · December 11th, 2003, 01:59 AM

I think its highly possible for both to work together again. As long as Glen wants to.

I think Richard would take any job as long it felt he was treated with respect and not being a token presence.

Larson appears to me to be a very religious man. Terry Carter (tigh) said Larson hates obscenity. And you can tell alot of the style of the show saw people from a very positive view often held by religious men. The people didn't really cuss. It was more like play-cussing. And all the characters had a deeply "good" guality about them. Real. But good.

The story itself was basically Moses leading the Jews out of Egypt. Instead of slavery, we had a cylon destruction. But basically it was the same idea. Adama was Moses. The threee main warriors parted the red sea of mines. And like the original story, the refugees upon escaping the wrath of the Pharoahs did give up their religious direction and partake in sins flesh aka Carillon Eventually the chosen ones, their faith rekindled, did coninue their quest to the promised Holy land.

amberstar · December 11th, 2003, 03:35 AM

How ironic production cost could halt a serries of Battlestar Galactica!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hopefully we willl be on our way to a continuation movie. I think that Larson would be more faitful to the Original than Moore.

Amber

dru · December 11th, 2003, 04:53 AM

I didn't notice this at cylon.org. A link might've been nice. Maybe I'm just blind from spending too much time there.

Moore, I think, has worked himself into a corner. His vision of Galactica can only work as a collection of mini-series much like Glen Larson planned for the classic as a series of telefilms.

I don't blame Larson for being miffed with Hatch or other productions *rightly* keeping him out of their business. He hasn't got any rights, he's just an actor. Anyone who thinks differently is as deluded as the notion that Apollo is of pure Kobolian blood. I'd rather Apollo be killed off than a continuation be made impossible by Hatch's participation, diva demands or what have you. The "humility" from Hatch just seems hollow and phony. I'm sorry.

It's a big ensemble. As the clear breakout of the show, only Dirk isn't expendable, imho.

Jerry Vasilatos · December 11th, 2003, 05:21 AM

I'm really not here to fight people's battles, but I know Richard personally and have been friends with him now for about 3 years. His humility is neither hollow nor phony. He's one of the most genuine people I've met out here in L.A., and in this town that's a rare thing. There wouldn't have been a 25th Anniversary convention had it not been for him because no one was picking up the reins, and what's unfolded to now regarding the mini even being made probably has more to do with him mortaging his house and making that trailer than anything else. I don't think Universal really recognized the value of the property they were sitting on while it was languishing until he brought it to their attention, and then they started shopping it around to others. It's not surprising, studios here don't really have much going in the ethics department when it comes to treating people right and Richard has been unjustly maligned by many to suit their own agendas.

JV

jeditemple · December 11th, 2003, 05:57 AM

Regardless of the outcome, I think a lot of people have ended up with bloody noses over the entire controversy. It's been a nasty civil war of sorts, with the sci-fi community being split right down the middle. In the history of science fiction entertainment, I've never seen such a divisive set of circumstances. The sad part is that this could have been avoided if the "powers that be" had taken into consideration the huge fanbase that existed and did some "common sense" research. I would hope that this lesson burns itself in real good, but I don't have much faith in people...and we might be doomed to repeat it again.

I think it's a good thing for the T.V. option to be passed over. I also think it's good that we may not see a movie developed right away. In my opinion, we need a dramatic pause to let all of this sink in. As a community of fans, we need to heal and come together. Whatever is done in the future, I hope that they take their time and do it right. Of course, sometimes "hope" is all we have.

Charybdis · December 11th, 2003, 07:16 AM

I think after all that has transpired, Glen is probably willing to work more with Tom DeSanto on a continuation movie. Richard seems to have been left out of the mix, so to speak.

Anyone who does not like Richard's attempts at the revival can probably breathe easy since he will not be one of the decision-makers on a new Galactica movie. That's too bad since I think he did breathe new life into the revival. Let's face it, like his ideas or not, it is RICHARD HATCH we all should thank for anything related to BSG right now!!!

The thing is: will there even be an attempt at a new Galactica movie??

If the mini takes off into a series, despite the rumors now floating around, would that mean the continuation movie would not be welcome??

If the mini is derailed due to lack of funds and it does not make it to a series, does that mean a new movie CAN get made to see if the continuation storyline flies as well????

I think this is not over my friends. Stay tuned!!!!

Belloby · December 11th, 2003, 08:01 AM

The first thing the Sci-Fi Channel has done right. I might actually subscribe again!

repcisg · December 11th, 2003, 09:20 AM

I am not surprised by the dropping of the series. This kind of show is very expensive to do on a weekly basis, the return on investment is much to low. What is needed is a plan for a series of minis’ produced once or twice a year at best.

As for the ownership rights, much has been said. But let me clarify a few points, Glen Larson holds the copyrights to the original series, Universal holds the copyright to the theme (basic story) and has copyrighted the name Battlestar Galactica. This has lead to a kind of nonfunctional partnership between Universal and Larson that left the original show in limbo for the last 25 years. Richard Hatch has no rights to any of this.

As I understand it, these dates are close as I can get, in 1985, 1991 and 1995, Glen approached Universal to do a revival and was turned down cold. Then Richard appeared and was getting interviews with Universal about his project. Glen sued Universal, forcing them into arbitration. He won. Not long after that it was revealed Universal had actually transferred their rights to Studio USA, a small cable company operated by Brian Diller. Sci-Fi was part of Studio USA at that time. Universal owned 44% of Studio USA but had sold its voting rights to Diller. Giving them ownership but no right to have a say in the operation of the company.

With Larson’s victory in court, it became clear Universal or Studio USA had to do something with Battlestar Galactica or allow Larson to proceed with his plans. So Bonnie Hammer, head of the Sci-Fi channel, proposed a show built around a ship with Bio domes. This was the first attempt to reimagine the story to get around Larson's copyright. It was universally disliked by the fans and press alike, it died.

Now Vivendi steps into the picture and buys Universal. Their objective; gain control of the cable network Studio USA through Universal. The **** hit the fan when it was discovered who owned the voting rights. Vivendi nearly went bankrupt buying them back. In the process the cable channels of Studio USA (The USA Channel and SciFi Channel) were merged into Universal. The situation we see to day. During the Vivendi’s take-over Tom DeSanto and Brian Singer, of X-men fame, approached the USA Channel (SciFi’s sister cable channel) about doing a Battlestar Galactica mini. They were signed and Larson was brought on board as a consultant.

Officially the DeSanto/Singer project was killed by 9/11. That is about when Hammer stepped back into the picture and sent David Eick to find a writer (Ron Moore) to do another reimagine. This was done, and resulted in the current Mini. Hammers objective was to secure the copyright for Universal, this has been done but only in part. Larson has been able to prove the new mini is a derivative of his copyrighted work. This puts him back in the game.

While details of the final deal are not clear, and may never be. Larson has, or so he claims, the theatrical rights (movie rights) to do a movie. Universal still holds the television rights, but sees no profit in exercising them at this point.

So as before, the waters surrounding Battlestar Galactica are as muddy as ever, only time will tell who really owns what.