One of my favorite all-time sci-fi movies is Forbidden Planet. Not only is it the first appearance of Robbie the Robot, but it takes Shakespeare’s The Tempest in a whole different direction. If you ever wondered what Forbidden Planet would look like if it were remade today, you will hopefully have your answer as J. Michael Straczynski has been hired to pen Joel Silver’s remake.
Released in 1956, “Planet” told the tale of an expedition sent from Earth to check on a colony of scientists on a far-off planet. They find two members, a man who has found alien technology that doubled his intellect, Dr. Morbius, and his daughter, both of whom have managed to survive an unseen monster roaming the planet.
This is one I can’t wait to see remade. What JMS did for Babylon 5 and his numerous comic titles mean this can only end one way – awesome.
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You know it vexes me to no end that Grant Morrison can’t get any traction in Hollywood. He would have made a far more interesting remake of “The Forbidden Planet” than JMS is going to.
Babylon 5 was merely OK. Granted, the lack of a serious budget contributed to its mediocrity. Some of the ideas were really cool: The Vorlons and Shadows. However, the conclusion of the Shadow War was absolutely ridiculous and pointless. As they say “EPIC FAIL”.
In more word of advice, DO NOT CAST KEANU REEVES as anything. Not even Robby the Robot.
I think this is Great news while I’m still waiting for World War Z more. I should also be noted what this First major film Changling Hits theaters today and looks to be Great.
I would also say Cory I get the impression that your taste in Scifi isn’t Babylon 5. If you want lots of explosions and techo babel its not the show for you, but if you want a show that make you think and doesn’t use standard cliche ways of solving problems like the the Shadow War them it is not going to be the show for you either. I for one love it and still hold it far above all over Scifi, I see it short comings but B5 blazed a path that all other Scifi has been walking since.
i think JMS is one of the great writer today. his tv shows (B5, twilight zone, jeremiah) were gem of writing. his comic books, when he was not bound by a franchise like spider-man, were work of genius (rising stars, midnight nation, the twelve, his run of amazing spider-man) so i have faith in him.
as a sci-fi writer, i think he is the best choice, as long as they let him do what he want.
Well, Matt, I realize that many simpletons just LOOOVVEED the ending of the Shadow War and that the Deus Ex Machina of Lorien was just “wonderful” – but if it could have been resolved that easily with moronic representational psycho-babble there would not have been a Shadow War to begin with. Besides, for alien races supposed to be so far above humanity in terms of intelligence, the Vorlons and Shadows were pretty damn stupid. Their reasons for meddling with the lower races were also stupid. It’s like human scientists meddling with opposed ant hills and giving a shit as to which ant hill dominates the other. The lower races (humans, Minbari etc) offered the Vorlons and Shadows absolutely nothing. JMS’ vision of races billions of years ahead of us was shallow and myopic.
Matt, if you think this Babylon 5 central conceit is BRILLIANT then you’re beyond help.
Besides, Matt, if the science in science fiction is of no interest to you then why don’t you go to media more to your development level like Thundercats, or Pokemon or Power Rangers.
Cory the issue with the Vorlons and the Shadows was that they had been fighting for millions for years more fighting wasn’t going to solve anything it was just going to get a lot more people killed. I would also point out the earth civil war had a really cool ending too in a much more traditional way. I would point out their is all kinds of science if Babylon 5 from the way the station itself works to the Star Fury’s.
I don’t Really understand what your complaining with the lack of Science in Babylon 5. Yes the Older Race Tech isn’t really explained but I can think of all kinds of things in, BSG, Star Trek, StarGate that are more Idea stuff than have any really science behind it. So this compliant seems silly at best.
Babylon 5 is a lot of things – tales about faith, multi-culturism, politics, etc. – but the way I see it it’s mainly a Shakespearian epic fairy-tale about a war of ideologies and the people who get caught up in between that’s merely SET in a Sci-Fi setting, so complaining about the Science (which is not that bad to begin with compared with let’s say Doctor Who – undoubtedly the grandfather of TV Sci-Fi of sorts) is JUST ULTRA GEEKY! Jules Verne, Aldous Huxley, etc… they all wrote “Science” that was WAY OFF, but the stories are still great.