Posted in: CW, Preview, streaming, TV | Tagged: babylon 5, j. michael straczynski, jms, preview, the cw

Babylon 5: JMS Updates CW Reboot, Secret B5 Project & Rising Stars

So the last time we checked in on how things were looking for J. Michael Straczynski's "from-the-ground-up" Babylon 5 reboot pilot, it was May of this year, and The CW President Mark Pedowitz reassured fans that the network was still strong on the project. "It is very much in active development, I personally spoke with Straczynski back when we picked up the pilot. I'm a huge fan of 'Babylon 5', on a personal basis, I've seen every episode of the series. I've known Joe for a long, long time. I'd love to bring back that story in some shape or form, I think it's perfect for the CW," Pedowitz shared at the time. Nearly four months later, JMS is offering an update and some clarification on both of his Babylon 5 projects. Yes, you read that correctly… both.

"Since there seems to be some confusion about all things B5, let me clarify: B5 Project 1 is the reboot/reimagining for CW, which is awaiting a production order. Project 2 is the one we've been doing in secret with some of the cast," JMS wrote over the course of two tweets. "Until there's an official announcement, all of us are sworn to secrecy and can't tell you what it is or even what medium it's in (film/audio/video/game/print/semaphore), I can only tell you that it's done and has a '23 release date. I hope this clears up any confusion." Now here's a look at the original tweets:

With regards to the secret Babylon 5 project, JMS offered details on it just before the end of last month. The best part? The project's done, and "all of the main B5 cast members still around participated." That said, the project most likely won't be debuting until after a rollout at next year's San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC):

And in the following three tweets, JMS clarifies what "all means all" and "main cast" means:

And for fans of the JMS-created & written Rising Stars (1999-2005), we also learned that JMS was able "to spec out a 'Rising Stars' pilot episode" that's set to go before buyers "soon":

JMS first revealed that the pilot had not been picked up but that Pedowitz spoke with him to confirm that the pilot was still in active development back in February of this year. JMS began his update by referencing the biggest news surrounding The CW over the past few weeks and how it would play a factor in "how  many pilots, and what sort, could be picked up during this transition." That transition? The rumored sale of the network by Warner Bros Discovery and Paramount Global (previously ViacomCBS) to Nexstar. As JMS wrote, "pre-existing deals" and prior "commitments" would then play heavily into the decision-making.

Straczynski's series proposal focuses on John Sheridan (Bruce Boxleitner in the original series), an Earthforce officer with a mysterious background who is assigned to Babylon 5, 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. His arrival triggers a destiny 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.

Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!

Stay up-to-date and support the site by following Bleeding Cool on Google News today!