‘It’s Just Been a Matter of Time’

Summary

• The
  Babylon 5
  reboot faces delays due to various obstacles beyond Straczynski’s control.
• Straczynski remains positive about the reboot’s future, waiting for interested buyers to come on board.
• Despite setbacks, Straczynski is determined to fight for the show’s revival, willing to overcome challenges.

The reboot of classic sci-fi series Babylon 5 has been given a surprisingly positive update from creator J. Michael Straczynski. The ‘90s show was originally set to be rebooted back in 2021 on The CW, but was confirmed not to be moving ahead there. However, Straczynski is still positive that the reboot will happen at some point.

Babylon 5

Release Date January 26, 1994

Seasons 5

Speaking recently to Inverse, the creator explained that despite being scrapped with The CW, there is nothing standing in the way of the reboot other than the need for things to fall into place. He said:

“It’s just been a matter of time and obstacles. We were going to go with the CW originally, then Warner got it back. Then, we were going to take it out to the market, but then the Discovery purchase happened and that put us on ice for a while. Then, okay, that got all cleared up. And then the strike hits. After that, right as they were literally prepared to send it out the door, the rumor about a merger between Warner and Paramount happened. So, finally, it went out to buyers about two weeks ago. We’re waiting on word from those who have been sent the pilot script. One has said no, but the rest are all still in process. There’s interest from the rest of them. So, we will see where it goes.”

Why Has the Babylon 5 Reboot Not Happened Yet?

Warner Bros. Television

From the moment of its announcement in 2021, the reboot of Babylon 5 seemed to be doomed to failure. Due to circumstances well out of Straczynski’s control, it took very little time for the project to be put on hold when The CW’s ownership changed hands with AT&T coming on board the network alongside CBS. This was followed by the merger between Warner Media and Discovery in 2022, which further pushed back discussions about the reboot.

Later the same year, The CW saw Nexstar purchase a 75% ownership majority of the network, and a scripted series massacre ensued, with almost all the channel’s content in this category being axed. Of course, all of this happened just prior to the onset of the WGA strike, which meant that the chance to shop the project around elsewhere was also nixed before it could begin.

Related Babylon 5: The Road Home Review: A Movie More About Its Creator Than its Universe Though a fun adventure, the Babylon 5 movie’s real insight is to J. Michael Straczynski.

With his latest update, Straczynski suggests that there are plenty of buyers now interested in the Babylon 5 reboot, and it really is just a waiting game to see who will bite first. Although the creator is extremely positive about the future of the project, things are never signed and sealed until…well, they are signed and sealed. Babylon 5 could still face more challenges before the revival happens, but it seems that Straczynski is more than willing to fight the show’s corner for as long as it takes to get the reboot off the ground.

The original series of
Babylon 5
can be found streaming on The Roku Channel and Tubi.

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