Contents: Overview - Backplot - Questions - Analysis - Notes - JMS

Overview

Galen joins an Earthforce intelligence officer investigating an unknown force that is unleashing Shadow technology on the galaxy. This B5 theatrical movie was underway for filming in 2005, but the financing couldn't be worked out and the production was halted.

Written by J. Michael Straczynski
Directed by Steven Beck

Plot Points

Unanswered Questions

Analysis

Notes

• December 8, 2004: Production begins in April 2005 in the UK.

• December 9, 2004: The film's production manager is Peter Helsop, whose other production management credits include the first two Star Wars prequels, "Gladiator," and the 2005 film version of "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy."

• December 15, 2004: The casting call for the movie has details on the four main characters. One of them, Galen, was of course a character on "Crusade." It is not clear whether the original actor, Peter Woodward, will play Galen in the film; a fan campaign is underway to urge Warner Bros. to retain the original cast.

  PLOT SPOILERS BELOW.

  • DIANE BAKER: A bright and attractive woman in her late 20s or early 30s, she's an Earthforce Intelligence Officer in civilian clothes who is reputed to be one of the best agents in the service. When her beloved brother is killed in a mysterious explosion on his spacecraft, Diane sets out to learn what caused the tragedy. She suspects a top-level cover-up -- but before she can get to the root of the problem, she is herself accused of conspiracy and murder. Despite the efforts of her friend, Elizabeth Lochley, to shield her, Diane finds herself behind bars, prey to a corrupt official who will stop at nothing to protect his greedy self-interest. But to Diane's amazement, the remarkable Galen, a techno-mage of near-supernatural skill and daring, enlists her help in unraveling the real mystery behind the recent deaths. Their investigation reveals that an ancient technology perfected by the mystic extinct Shadow race is being unleashed upon mankind by some as yet unknown conspirator. Once unleashed, the huge and all powerful shadow vessels could enslave the entire galaxy -- unless quick steps are taken to avert calamity...
  • GALEN: A cloaked, mysterious figure, 30-45, he appears to be human -- but there's an intensity about him that bespeaks something supernaturally powerful and enigmatic. Yet there's also something wry and urbane about Galen, a suggestion that he has humor and wicked wit lurking under his inscrutable exterior. A techno-mage -- one of an ancient sect that used science to perform apparently miraculous feats -- Galen is the guardian left behind by his kind to ensure that the ancient Shadow technology did not fall into the wrong hands. Aghast when he realizes that his long vigilance has been violated, Galen sets out to learn who is behind the Shadow technology that now threatens the galaxy. He teams with the feisty Diane in his investigation -- and he comes to feel real tenderness for his human ally. A hero and a deeply moral force, Galen stands strong against the forces of corruption that have been unleashed by his own people...
  • COLONEL JOSS MORGAN: A dashing and handsome officer in his late 20s or early 30s with the Earthforce Marines, he is the head of a security detachment sent to Babylon 5 to protect a contingent of inter-galactic diplomats who are meeting there. Humorous and daring, Morgan tries to befriend Elizabeth Lochley, the current commander of Babylon 5, but she's a bit prickly about having her jurisdiction violated by his forces. Later, Morgan and his forces prepare to battle the Hunter Killers unleashed by the evil Tyrell -- a virtual suicide mission that they face with gallantry, bravery and resolve...
  • TYRELL: 35-45, dark, enigmatic, striking and chilling, he is another techno-mage, Galen's old childhood rival, who supposedly departed for a distant sector of the galaxy years ago. Yet Tyrell has been secretly infiltrating the area, developing the ancient shadow technology and putting it on sale to the highest bidder. A deadly adversary of supernatural skill and power, he is not a rogue, as initially suspected. In fact, he is actually carrying out a mandate of his own kind. When Galen resists the corruption and madness, Tyrell prepares to battle him to the death...

jms speaks

• Apr 30, 1998: Any idea who'd direct the movie?
  I wouldn't want to say anything on this issue that might preclude any discussions; everything is fluid at this time, since nothing is set.

• May 20, 1998: As for the feature...that one is going to be the object of some considerable attention from me. I'll probably do what I tend to do for special stuff (should it get into development): noodle it and play with it and outline stuff until finally it refuses to wait any longer, then take a week or so and do nothing else but burn through the draft, then stick it in a box for another week, not look at it, then come back and pretend somebody else wrote it and tear it to shreds, then rebuild.

• Nov 21, 1998: What did you think of the trailer for the new "Star Wars" movie?
  Thought it looked great...and definitely raises the idea that maybe there shouldn't be a B5 movie until after the last of the three new SW films is out and done. Ain't no way any other SF film project can compete with that.

• In response to a 1998 rumor on the Coming Attractions B5 page
  No posters have been created. Nor have I spoken to WB about any movie concept concerning the Vorlons' impact on Earth. There were some preliminary discussions about a possible storyline (none of which has been accurately reported anywhere, that info is still held only by us), but it's my feeling that a) it's best to concentrate on getting CRUSADE right first, and b) I'm loathe to compete with the new Star Wars movies, and would rather wait until that's all done, so we can also take advantage of new technologies to make the show. Simply put...I'm in no hurry. I'd rather get it right than get it done on Tuesday.

• Jan 4, 1999: The B5 tv movies produced so far cost just a tick under $3 million.

  We could almost certainly do a high-quality theatrical feature for about $35-40 million.

  The average going price for a feature these days is $55 million.

• Nov 30, 2003: On the B5 front, there has been something of rather substantial proportion that's finally gone from talk to money, such that I'm now working frantically to meet some deadlines, but there's nothing I can say about this until after January 15th, probably closer to the end of that month.

  The only thing I can say is that phase one of the new project is a go, hence the furious writing schedule at this end of things, which is why I've been silent until deciding to kick up some dust on the political discusion. I've been writing my little brains out.

  I know the immediate result of this will be speculation, but if we could keep that to a low roar on the nets to avoid precluding anything, that would be a wonderfulness. But trust me: I wouldn't go on about something in this way if it wasn't a significant development. Just trust me on this one for a bit and hold fire until further word.

  (Longtime followers of the various news groups know that an eep means that something significant has happened, but that I can't talk about it...the eep is just a way of saying, on the QT, that something has, indeed, happened and it's real, not just speculation or maybe-gonna-happens. So on that basis, you may consider this an eep.)

• Jan 29, 2004: It's taken longer than hoped for to be able to talk about this, because it's taken longer than hoped for to go through all the machinations of the deal. Depending on the nature of a given deal, it can take a few weeks to a couple, three months to actually cut the deal and finalize the language in terms everybody can agree with. We only literally finished the deal last week.

  Writing on B5:TMoS is complete, and as soon as the powers that be sign off on everything, it can be turned in and we can start moving. At that point, I can say more about this.

  Figure another couple of weeks.

• Jan 30, 2004: Just to honk you off even further about all this...in the speculation of titles...one of you was correct.

• Feb 17, 2004: Movie business decisions are made based on perceived quality.

  Your point could not possibly be more incorrect.

  Movies are green-lit because the studios think they can make money from it. Period. If it's a quality movie, great, but that's secondary to: will we get a profit out of it? Frankly, it's *harder* to ge a quality movie made these days than ever. It took "Secondhand Lions" ten years to get made, as just one recent example.

  But commercial movies that can get cranked out and pull in the money, regardless of the actual quality of the product, are simplest of all to put forth. Freddy vs. Jason, Alien vs. Predator, the last couple of Batman movies...80% of what gets pumped out to movie theaters is awful. What we remember are the stellar 20%, but those are the ones that were hardest to get going, that took years and blood and shouting to get made...but for which everyone subsequently takes full credit.

  Your assumption, and the truth, dine at totally separate tables.

• Feb 26, 2004: Y'know, if there's anything more annoying than having to sit on good news, I can't think of what it might be. (Well, okay, being staked to an ant hill at high noon is a pretty obvious one, but you get the idea.)

  The only things I can say right now about B5:TMoS is that now that all the correct agreements have been signed, sealed and delivered, the draft has gone in, met with great enthusiasm all around, notes have been received, and the next draft is in process and has to be delievered within two weeks so that certain other steps can be set into motion.

  I still can't tell you what it *is* because that has to come from the proper people through the proper channels at the proper time...but I can tell you a few cases of what it *isn't*...it isn't a novel, or a short story, a comic, an animated series, a radio drama or a stage play. Beyond that, deponent sayeth not.

  Except to say that it's pretty cool.

• Apr 29, 2004: I know I've been absent for a while now, but there are reasons, especially in regards to B5:TMoS. In a project of this nature, and this size, there's stage one (let's do this) stage two (let's make everybody's deal) and stage three (making it). We're hip-deep in stage two just now, and it's taking a freaking long amount of time to get through it all. Stage two is also the most unnerving and nerve-wracking stage when there's a lot of money involved, as there is in this situation.

  So every day is a case of "Are we there yet?" and being told yes...almost.

  I swear, it's the kind of thing that could lead a monk to murder.

  Thing of it is...there's a LOT happening right now in the B5 universe, on a multitude of fronts, some of it in response to TMoS, some of it coming up completely on its own. All I can say at this moment is that if you've been waiting for new stuff in the B5 universe, you may be getting your wish in spades very soon.

  Soon, I promise, all will be made clear. I don't like being Mr. Mysterioso on this, but if I say too much, the-powers-that-be will use my head to make a 2.35:1 sized hole in the wall.

• Jun 14, 2004: My apologies for the prolonged absence, but the loss of Richard Biggs kind of took the wind out of our sails and it's taken a while for me to feel up to saying anything about B5. This has also had the effect of slowing up anything to do with B5:TMoS (which as some of you have guessed or inferred does indeed stand for The Memory of Shadows), because in the writing we/I never imagined he wouldn't be here to be a part of it. More on that another time.

• Jun 15, 2004: One oddity...constant readers will remember a while back when I was asked what TMoS was, and I provided a list of things it *wasn't*. The aforementioned oddity is...one of those things has come up as an adjunct to TMoS.

• Aug 3, 2004: What effect has Richard Biggs' death had on the project?
  It's resulted in a slowdown to make changes and adjust things.

• Aug 7, 2004: Who will be cast as Dr. Franklin in Richard Biggs' place?
  That character will not be recast.

• December 17, 2004: Any truth to the rumor that Warner Bros. wants to replace the original cast?
  I would like to be able to comment on this, but for the time being I am not able to do so.

• January 30, 2005: I'd say that the next two weeks are going to be critical for the future of TMoS. There have been a variety of conversations about a variety of things and people, and some offers are starting to go out to various individuals...so we shall see what we shall see.

• February 25, 2005: The rule of thumb in Hollywood is that for every thousand scripts that get written, only a few dozen get into development, and out of those, only one will ever get made...if that.

  A little over a year ago, I was approached by a company that wanted to make a Babylon 5 movie. They optioned the rights, and commissioned a script. (It's worth mentioning that I, not WB, own the rights to a B5 movie. When we were negotiating the original B5 deal -- by whose terms I will never see a dime in profit -- the one thing they did let me have were the movie rights, figuring they'd never be worth anything in the long run.)

  Anyway...on December 27th of 2003, the script for "The Memory of Shadows" was turned in, and the process began of trying to make the deal work with all the various forces involved. It is, to say the least, a very difficult process on any movie where the studio does not directly take the financial reins. In terms of B5, Warner's position was esssentially, "We only do big-budget movies with big names, so you're on your own." If there were big-name movie actors in the film, they'd get behind it; without that, things become very problematic, especially as far as the financing was concerned. You much have to put together a consortium of international interests and business plans rivaled in complexity only by the Allied invasion of Normandy Beach.

  Nonetheless, every attempt was made by the people involved to get this deal in place. This was not being done by Doug or myself, but rather by the company/individuals who approached us and optioned the rights. At times, it seemed we were inches away from a deal...stages were reserved at Elstree, actors were contacted, a director was in place, the script went through many revisions, a few key staff were hired, again not by me...it was really a year-long roller coaster ride. During that time, the people involved, with every good intention, tried very hard to pull the necessary pieces together on the deal. The option expired in late December 2004, but I renewed it without cost, to give those involved more time to try and make things work.

  In the end, however, the deal could be put together, and it did not look as if that was going to change at any point in the foreseeable future. So the option has reverted, and to all intents and purposes, the project has dead ended. Nor do I think this particular incarnation will arise again at any point in the future, though prognostication has always been a tricky art, especially if you have to do it without the benefit of hindsight.

  This was not the first time someone's taken a run at a B5 feature film, and it will not be the last. Eventually it will happen, because such things are simply inevitable. If they can do a Brady Bunch movie, you can be sure that sooner or later, somebody's going to do a B5 movie. The only thing I can say without equivocation is that when that day comes, as the rights-holder, I will make darned sure that it's done right, because I'd rather have no B5 movie than one that doesn't live up to what fans and I myself would want to see.

  To that end...I can wait.

  Anyway, just thought you should know the story.

• February 27, 2005: "Forgive me if you're tired of talking about this right now, but are you currently looking to follow up on this (maybe negotiate deals to put the possibility of making the movie again sometime in the near future), or are you tabling it for now until all the loose ends are tied up?"

  My own feeling is that, after all that's gone on, best to let it rest for a year or two, then see what happens. Gearing up for sometehing like this takes a lot of time, energy and visceral material, and when something like this happens, it's best to just take a breather for a bit. Besides, there are other fish in need of frying now, and I have to turn my attention to them.

Last update: May 27, 2024