U P D A T E
ROBOGEEK HERE AGAIN (Friday evening) with an important clarification and additional info...
The good news is that production has indeed been underway... but apparently my original source(s) were partially misinformed -- or rather inferred information that proved to be incorrect.
The production activity originally reported below, it turns out, is _not_ related to "Battlestar Galactica: The Second Coming," but is something completely separate, distinct, and brand-spanking-new. (More or less, at least. More on that in the last paragraph.)
Was AICN intentionally misled in order to "shake the tree" on this project? I don't think so; it seems like an honest mistake on the part of our source(s) and us. Sometimes the chain of information has weak links that get filled by rational assumptions, and it's a judgment call on when to go with a story. And it looks like we should have held back a day. Sorry.
But, when you get one person who just happened to fleetingly come across a shoot, sees Mr. Hatch, some green screen, etc. -- and then an independent confirmation comes in from someone who's seen footage and overheard something ("pilot presentation" and "The Great War Magellan") and... well... some people get excited or just honestly misinterpret. In this case, some fill-in-the-blank assumptions were made that proved a tad off-base. For that we humbly apologize.
On the upside, we now know that there is a BRAND-NEW SCI-FI PROJECT brewing involving Richard Hatch, his team behind last year's "Second Coming" teaser trailer, and... some green screen. ;-) This is not entirely insignificant, and begs the question... Is this some "reincarnation" of the "Galactica" revival series, that _wouldn't_ have to deal with the issue of Universal's exclusive rights to that original property? Thereby giving Hatch and his gang the opportunity to shop it around to _whoever_they_wanted_? Thereby exponentially increasing their odds for success? This is what the whispers I'm now hearing allude to. But we're still checking into it, so don't get _too_ excited.
I want to thank those of you who stepped forward to help clear this up (most of you I can't thank publicly -- though I can thank Chris Freehan of the Glactica Revival Site at battlestar.homepage.com). If anyone else has more info, please pass it along.
In the meantime, stay tuned...
P.S.: We're also still checking up on the status of the Larson/Moyer-Universal pseudo-Galactica Imax property, which doesn't seem to have moved much beyond the talking stages... (Vaporware, anyone?)
Hey folks, Harry here with this update on the whole BATTLESTAR GALACTICA front. I hope you enjoy ol Robogeek's report from the frontlines...
Greetings, citizens! Robogeek here with some news on the "Battlestar Galactica" front.
Production is underway this month in Burbank on a "presentation" for the pilot episode of Richard Hatch's proposed "Battlestar Galactica: The Second Coming" television series, which would revive the cult series with members of the original cast. Yes, that's right -- brand new "Galactica" footage is in the can.
For those of you keeping score at home, "Galactica" creator/producer Glen Larson (teamed up with Todd "Wing Commander" Moyer) is hatching revival plans of his own in the form of an IMAX film since his proposed feature was shot down by Universal. However, Larson's plans do not include the original main characters. (Hatch played Commander Apollo in the original series.) Perplexingly enough, Larson's "Galactica" project reportedly focuses on Commander Cain (played in the original series by Lloyd Bridges) and the Battlestar Pegasus. Huh?
Complicating matters is that, apparently, while Larson controls the film rights to the franchise, Universal controls the television rights. Given the success "Fantasia 2000" is currently enjoying, an IMAX "Galactica" is certainly an intriguing notion. Then again, imagine having to endure another "Wing Commander" movie -- this one eight stories tall. (I mean, without the Galactica or her crew, would it really even _be_ "Galactica"?)
Anyway, Hatch is apparently moving forward with zeal on his campaign to launch his proposed TV series, which picks up some twenty years after the original. Last year he unveiled a self-produced "trailer" for said series which, while very rough around the edges, sure seemed to spark with fans. Now, to further his efforts in getting the series off the ground, he is actually producing segments of the proposed pilot episode, reportedly entitled "The Great War Magellan" (or something along those lines).
Unfortunately, my (extremely reliable) source could only speak to me for a scant few seconds before being taken by Cylons, so I have very few details at this point. However, the plot apparently involves some sort of conflict between the Galactica and some rogue clans, or something. Cast includes Hatch as Apollo, Terry Carter as President Tigh, John Colicos as Baltar, Jack Stauffer as Bojay, and Richard Lynch (who played "Wolfe" in the original series' two-parter "Gun On Ice Planet Zero," btw) as Count Iblis, among others -- including many new, younger characters. They seem to be shooting lots of green screen, so it'll probably be heavy on "virtual sets" like we saw in that trailer.
As always, if anyone has any more details on this project or anything else (especially the "Buckaroo Banzai" TV series in development), please contact either El Cosmico or myself.
P.S.: Remember, folks -- "GvsE" returns to television thanks to the Sci-Fi channel, which will air eleven new episodes Fridays at 9pm beginning March 11!
