Babylon 5 is poised to take flight again.
Original series creator Michael Straczynski is developing an update of the iconic 1993-98 series that will be a complete revamp of the original format.
The new direction is set to follow John Sheridan (originally played by Bruce Boxleitner), an Earthforce officer with a mysterious background, who is assigned to Babylon 5.
Babylon 5 is a five-mile-long space station in neutral space, a port of call for travelers, smugglers, corporate explorers, and alien diplomats at a time of uneasy peace and the constant threat of war.
The mysterious arrival triggers a life beyond anything he could have imagined, as an exploratory Earth company accidentally triggers a conflict with a civilization a million years ahead of us, putting Sheridan and the rest of the B5 crew in the line of fire as the last, best hope for the survival of the human race.
The original series lasted five seasons and was widely regarded as one of the best series for its time due to it having a clear, beginning, middle, and end.
The franchise continued beyond the five-season-run with a TNT series called Crusade, several movies, and other media. It remains one of the most talked-about franchises, so this should be an interesting direction.
Off the bat, it’s great news that Straczynski is involved. Far too often, reboots forget the original creative force’s vision, and this should be one of the more in-demand reboots.
The CW has been known for rebooting well-known IP for its entire existence.
We’ve had Melrose Place, Dynasty, 90210, among others.
There’s also The 4400 on tap for this season, with the reboot set to touch down on the network early next month.
Reboots are becoming the norm across the TV universe due to the notion they have this built-in audience, which helps when it comes to marketing projects.
What are your thoughts on this new project set in the Babylon 5 universe?
Will you watch it?
Hit the comments below.
Paul Dailly is the Associate Editor for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter.