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Big screen Battlestar in talks

Universal Studios has reportedly entered into negotiations for a big-screen version of Battlestar Galactica, but which version will it revive?

bgUniversal Studios has reportedly entered into negotiations with Glen A. Larson to write and produce a big-screen version of Battlestar Galactica.

But the film would have no connection to the TV series and would relaunch the story in a new medium.  Adama, Starbuck, and Baltar will apparently remain.

Larson devised the original series (pictured) in 1978 in which a human civilization were living on a series of 12 planets that are decimated from an attack by intelligent robots known as Cylons.

Ronald Moore revived the series to much acclaim, including re-telling the story with the assistance of Australian director Michael Rymer. The series ends next month before its prequel series Caprica takes to the skies and a TV movie Battlestar Galactica: The Plan to be directed by Edward James Olmos.

Source: Hollywood Reporter

18 Responses

  1. From what I understand, Larson very much resented Hatch’s attempts to revive the show without him, much the same as he resented Hasselhoff trying to spearhead a new Knight Rider film. Y’know, I think if Larson wants to revive anything, maybe he should concentrate on Manimal or Automan… 😛

  2. I was referring to his character in the current bsg 🙂 A bit of a douche-bag 🙂
    I’m trying to keep this post spoiler free, so i’ll stop right there lol

  3. brisvegas, what shenannigans are you talking about? His character or the actor? Embarrassed as I am to admit it, I was on the 30th Anniversary Battlestar Galactica Cruise to from Los Angeles in September last year, and talked at length with Richard Hatch. To his credit, he is very passionate about both series and sees them as two completely different creative shows. He has also been hoping for years that a feature film would happen for the original story of Battlestar Galactica, and has been doing everything he can behind the scenes to make it happen. I think it’s all very political, and creatively there are lots of different opinions as to what the story should be. Hopefully, it will work out because I would love to see it.

  4. As it’s Larson behind the movie, it’ll never happen. Viz his previous attempts to launch big screen versions of BSG (without the Galactica itself!) and Knight Rider. The guy is all talk and no clout. Not to mention his idea of what audiences want is stuck in the early 80s. The last series Larson was actively involved with (as opposed to his do-nothing “consulting producer” credits on the new BSG and KR) was Nightman (over a decade ago), and that was abominable. Every couple of years Larson makes some noise about a BSG movie and it never amounts to anything. I suspect this is yet one more of those times.

  5. CJ – I dont know if I could watch richard hatch again on a new bsg series – not after the shenannigans he has been up to on the new BSG lately 🙂

  6. Mac…BSG 1 and BSG 2 are two completely different shows that were made in completely different eras and can’t be compared. There were no computer generated special effects available in 1978, and the view of the world through science fiction was completely different back then. It was also produced as a network family adventure series, not a political drama cable show as the re-imagined version is. Also there were huge budget issues on the first show because it was so expensive to make at the time. The first season rated very well, but the network couldn’t afford to bring it back, so decided to go with the much cheaper Galctica ’80 hoping that viewers wouldn’t notice the difference, but of course they did and it was cancelled.
    I have read that the original BSG has a bigger fanbase around the world than Star Trek and Star Wars, so a feature film based on that series, especially with all the modern effects available, would be fantastic. I would love to see both Richard Hatch and Dirk Benedict appear.

  7. In the late 1990’s Richard Hatch made a 9 minute video of the next phase of the first Battlestar Galactica which was shown to rave reviews at the San Diego Comic Convention. It stared himself, and John Colios as Baltar. It was this simple, Baltar, after twenty years of living with the Cylons, defects back to the Colonial fleet to warn them that the Cylon empire has undergone an techology evolution, and under new leadership, were determined to wipe out the last humans.
    Even after repeated requests, the studio that holds the rights will not allow this video to air on the net. It was a shock to many when R. Moore got the rights to the new series, and not Hatch.

    Now there are fan productions, such as ‘The Fourteenth Tribe’ which, like their ‘Star Trek Counterparts ‘Star Trek Phase II’ and ‘Starship Farragut’ will be very popular with the fan base. If Richard Hatch is involved, I say bring it on! Since the end of the first series, it was Hatch that keeped it alive with fans. His particapation in the new series shows that he is willing to explore new directions. Its now time for him to get his chance. PS, that said, if any studio were smart (and we know that answer) they would pick up Hatch’s novels ‘The Great War of Magellean’ (But that would mean that something original would be on air, and the studios can’t have that!)

  8. I don’t think Moore/Eick would want a big screen version – that would only dumb down one of the smartest TV series in recent years. Still this is the same hollywood that greenlit a Superman movie when they had a far superior TV entrant (Smallville) in play

  9. There’s been talk for a while that they were considering doing a theatrical Battlestar Galactica movie based on the books written by Richard Hatch which are a continuation of the original series…and not a re-imagining of the original series as the new show is.
    Surprisingly, there is still a huge fanbase out there for the original series, and I think a feature film would do very well. If they could do a new film based on the X-Files, they can do anything.
    Whilst I am enjoying the new Battlestar Galactica, I don’t think it is a sci-fi series as such…just a political drama set in space. I would be very surprised if any studio would make a theatrical film based on the new series as it will have told its entire story by the time it concludes. The original Battlestar still had so much more to tell.

  10. It’d be an odd decision. I could maybe understand if they made a mini-series following up the original series. But a big screen movie.. no thanks, and no one will care.

    I’d be keen for a big screen BSG movie, but I doubt we’ll ever see it. I find it odd that they were auctioning off all the probs, costumes, sets ect. It basically assures that more TV movies would be too expensive as they’d have to start from scratch, and they can’t be re-used for a big screen film, they way star trek used there sets, probs, costumes ect. To me it smacks of they want it to all be done.

    Even babylon 5 for the recent dvd movies, were pulling full size ship mockups, ect out of storage which helped keep the cost down. BSG were even selling off the full size vipers i believe.

  11. Gross…. what’s the point? As said, the new TV series is amazing, possibly one of the greatest television series ever, it’s only going to garner comparisons, and almost definitely will be a poor comparison.

  12. I would hope any big screen movie would follow on or be someway related to the current TV series but when will we get to see this? I remember how ch9 screwed up Star Trek so bad that when movie number 10 came out I was lost because Voyager was still stuck far from earth and couldn’t work out how Janeway was back.

    At least with SciFi fast tracking the final few BSG eps that is not an issue, pity FTA viewers are not as lucky.

  13. wtf? an alternate remake, or a remake of a remake? Is hollywood really that short on new ideas? The current BSG incarnation is imho one of the finest shows to grace the silver screen in a long long time……so why undo all this show has done for the franchise????

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