'Battlestar Galactica' Reboot: So Say We All?

[NelsonG]

[img]http://moviesblog.mtv.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/battlestar.jpg[/img]

Much like the lucky survivors of the Cylon assault on the Twelve Colonies, the [url="http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2009/08/14/battlestar-galactica-goes-to-bryan-singer-and-i-want-to-know-why/"]"Battlestar Galactica" movie reboot[/url] — the second reimagining of the 1978 television series in less than a decade — is somehow still alive.

Bryan Singer's planned adaptation of the '70s science fiction series is speeding forward with "Anonymous" screenwriter John Orloff in tow, [url="http://www.deadline.com/2011/10/bryan-singers-battlestar-galactica-gets-airborne-with-john-orloff-scripting-deal/"]Deadline[/url] reports. For his part, Orloff says that his vision of "Battlestar" won't conflict with the still-pretty-recent and widely adored television revival from Ron Moore, saying to [url="http://www.hitfix.com/blogs/in-contention/posts/john-orloff-talks-his-new-exciting-gig-writing-bryan-singers-battlestar-galactica-reboot"]HitFix[/url]: " It will all work in the universe that exists. It will not conflict with anything Ron Moore has done. I don't think you can compete with what he's done."

Frak yeah you can't compete with what Moore has done. Personally, I don't see any reason to revisit this particular well anytime soon, even if Singer and Orloff have a way of working around Moore's continuity. Maybe if Singer gets Moore involved, strikes the "Galactica" from the title and focuses his story on a different Battlestar roaming in the Moore-crafted universe, I could get on board. Even then, isn't it just a little too soon to reboot a freshly rebooted brand, especially when that reboot was so spectacular? This whole thing reeks of "[url="http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2011/05/11/sarah-michelle-gellar-thinks-the-buffy-the-vampire-slayer-reboot-is-a-horrible-idea/"]Buffy[/url]" to me, and that ain't a good thing.

We asked a few of our friends around the blogosphere for their thoughts on the new "Battlestar" reboot. Here's what they had to say.

[b]Brian Phares, [url="http://moviesblog.mtv.com/"][b]MTV Movies:[/b][/url][/b]
A wise man once told me, you always remember your loved ones in their last days, and let’s face it, those last days are usually pretty terrible. When I think back on "Star Wars" I have two thoughts. The first thought is, “Wow, the new movies really were terrible.” The second thought is, “But man, the originals were great.” And now I fear I’m going to be saying the same about the coming "Battlestar Galactica" reboot. No matter what happens, I will remember the series first by its new incarnation, and I fear it’s going to be God awful. Stop this, SyFy! I want to preserve the good memories!

[b]Kevin Melrose, [url="http://spinoffonline.com/"][b]Spinoff Online:[/b][/url][/b]
As much as I like some of Bryan Singer's movies ("The Usual Suspects," "Apt Pupil") and [i]want[/i] to like others ("X-Men," "Superman Returns"), I have a difficult time picturing how he and John Orloff will approach "Battlestar Galactica" in a way that isn't either a rehash of the 1978 series' hokey "Chariots of the Gods" themes or a pale imitation of the 2003 reimagining by Ronald Moore and David Eick. Let's be honest: As much as I loved Glen Larson's short-lived space opera, it was [i]incredibly[/i] hokey. And, no matter what your opinion is of the ending of the Moore-Eick series, you have to admit their updating will be hard to top in terms of depth and social and political allegory. Plus, it elevated the use of "frak" to an artform.

[b]Brooke Tarnoff, [url="http://nextmovie.com/"][b]NextMovie:[/b][/url][/b]
It’s not impossible to reboot a prized series successfully – I can’t speak for Trekkers, but I [i]loved[/i] J.J. Abrams’ "Star Trek." If Singer skews toward the original series, there’s potential for attracting the fans of the Syfy "BSG" without corrupting their memory of near perfection. And please, make Starbuck a man – there’s no recasting Katee Sackhoff.

[i]Tell us what you think of the "Battlestar Galactica" reboot in the comments section and on [url="http://twitter.com/mtvmoviesblog/"]Twitter[/url]![/i]



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