Papa Vinyard here, now here's a little somethin' for ya...
Above art courtesy of Galactica.tv
I remember when BATTLESTAR GALACTICA was a near-forgotten '70s property, pigeonholed as post-STAR WARS opportunism and remembered mostly for its cheese factor and the iconic Cylon design. Obviously, that all changed with the massive Sci-Fi (now SyFy) Channel series, which ran for 5 years, and inspired two spinoffs and two made-for-TV films. That particular incarnation has run its course, but Universal knows that there's a hungry audience out there craving more BSG, and are taking their first step in getting a feature film off the ground by hiring TRANSCENDENCE writer Jack Paglen.
Paglen, who also wrote a previous draft of PROMETHEUS 2 before Michael Green got involved, has been tasked with updating the franchise with yet another "complete reimagining of the story." So no Edward James Olmos or Katee Sackhoff, but I'd expect the basic framework to be the same: mankind is devastated by the robotic Cylons, and the survivors take refuge in one of only a few intact ships, including the last military vessel, the titular Galactica. I'd imagine that a third design overhaul of the Cylons will also be taking place, even if the prior two looks have played a major part in keeping the franchise alive for the past 25+ years.
There's been various levels of enthusiasm towards TRANSCENDENCE, but pretty much everyone who's seen it agrees that it is a weighty, thoughtful look at man's relationship with technology, much like BSG has always been. If Paglen can find that fragile balance between spectacle and nuance, he just may restore the luster to the franchise that a couple of failed spinoffs and a widely-criticized ending have somewhat sullied.
The next step is finding a director. Let's see if Bryan Singer actually sticks around to see this thing through.
Who would you guys want to see as the new Adama, Starbuck, Apollo, and the rest?
-Vincent Kim-Zahedi
”Papa Vinyard”
vincentzahedi@gmail.com
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