‘Babylon 5’ Reboot Development Moves To 2023
by Erik Amaya
As with all things related to Babylon 5, a second chance might be the opportunity of a lifetime.
Deadline reports the planned reboot was not picked up by The CW for its 2022 pilot process, but network CEO Mark Pedowitz took the unusual step to move it to the network’s 2023 calendar. According to B5 creator J. Michael Straczynski, Pedowitz even called his reboot script “damned fine” and did not want the series’ fate to get swept up in the tumult of The CW’s potential sale in the next year. As a result, the project is still in active development even if it is not on the network schedule next fall.
The move is unusual for network television, but not unprecedented. Star Trek itself famously shot two pilots before NBC would commit. In Straczynski’s autobiography, Becoming Superman: My Journey From Poverty to Hollywood, he discusses the various meetings and almost-deals that occurred before the original Babylon 5 found a berth at that Warner-affiliated Prime Time Entertainment Network — a consortium of interests united to produce shows for first-run syndication — and even then, it took a long time to get the series going.
Word of the potential CW reboot was a surprise in-and-of-itself as a lingering disagreement between the various parties involved in PTEN and Warner Bros. Television made further Babylon 5 content seemingly unlikely. But as devoted fans of the series know, the road is never easy for the people on Babylon 5 or for many of the people making the show.
Should it get picked up, Straczynski will write and executive produce. According to previous reports, the show will be a hard reboot centering a new version of Captain John Sheridan — now a young Earthforce officer transferred to the eponymous space station ahead of various galactic events. According to Straczynski on Twitter, it will be a different show with a different message and objective than the original. In fact, he’s stated several times that the only reason to do it is if there is something new to say. With that in mind, it is unclear if any of the other characters from the original series will appear.
If “faith manages,” Babylon 5 may debut on The CW in 2023.
