Giant Freakin Robot

What writer Ron Moore did with the recent Battlestar Galactica series was monumental. Not only did he rejuvenate a series whose previous incarnation was a little too bogged down by 1970’s tech and Star Wars references for its own good, but he somehow managed to craft a science fiction show with huge depth and amazing effects on a shoestring budget and insert it onto the fringes of the mainstream. If you haven’t seen it, find your way over to Netflix and get started.

Now that the series is over though, fans have been looking for their BSG fix and they’re about to get it. Bryan Singer has long been toying with the idea of directing a film using the BSG moniker, and the project is finally getting off its feet. We learned recently that Singer’s Excalibur project is dead, leaving him open to do his BSG film next. And the day after that, we learned that Anonymous writer John Orloff would be at the pen.

Orloff recently spoke with HitFix about the project and alluded to the fact that his movie won’t undo anything that has been done by the Ron Moore series. In fact, he’s hoping the two project can coexist in the same space.

The original BSG was schlocky and only entertaining now in a nostalgic fashion. Not only did Ron Moore’s superb reinterpretation of the universe Glen Larson created surpass it, but also it’s been surpassed by your cousin’s Youtube video of last week’s backyard wrestling bout. Bryan Singer has already let everyone know that he’s on board to finally direct the film adaptation of the original series, and now the movie has a writer.

John Orloff is a longtime fan of BSG, and this job comes after working on the Roland Emmerich film Anonymous from Sony Pictures that deals with a scenario where maybe Shakespeare didn’t write his own works. Honestly Orloff’s pedigree leaves a bit to be desired in the sci-fi category. Or in general really, except for a couple Band of Brothers credits which piqued my interest, the guy has little to get old or new BSG fans excited.

An argument could be made for the relative obscurity of Ron Moore, who kind of came from left field onto the mainstream sci-fi scene. But he had a history dating back to The Next Generation, and included great work on groundbreaking series’ like Carnivale. John Orloff appears sincere in his love for BSG, but I’ll need to see a little more than a use of the word “frak” to convince me this movie is worth my time.

Today word hit the net that X-Men director Bryan Singer’s attempt to remake the classic Arthurian legend movie Excalibur is dead. That matters because it means that Singer, suddenly has a lot more time on his hands. Time that he might spend on one of the many science fiction projects he’s been promising. In particular… Battlestar Galactica.

Singer has had a movie version of Battlestar Galactica on the back-burner for awhile now. In fact it had been long enough that we were starting to wonder if anything was every going to come of it. But talking to SFX on the eve of announcing that Excalibur is dead, Singer said that when their Excalibur project was cast off, “it allowed me to go straight into developing Battlestar Galactica – which I think will be really exciting.”

So apparently he’s not just making that his next project, it sounds like he’s actually already working on it. Singer doesn’t offer any further details, but we do know is that his movie will have nothing to do with either the 70s television series or the more recent Ronald Moore helmed remake series. That’s actually a shame since Moore’s version was about as perfect telling of this story as anyone could possibly fathom. Anything Singer does will only pale in comparison to that television show and, come on, it sort of seems like that show should just find a way to transition into feature films instead of starting all over again. Unfortunately, thanks to series creator Glen Larson they can’t go that route.

Fans of the Battlestar Galactica reboot have always been privy to information most shows keep secret. Ron Moore famously did a commentary podcast after each episode where he sat at home drinking scotch and giving details on the making of the show. It’s a fantastic thing to listen to on its own, or in conjunction with the episode. You should seek them out. But a lot of that information is available via the BSG bible, which has made its way online.

A show bible is a document that the creators use to establish the universe and characters the writing team will be working with. It keeps things consistent, and also gives everyone a clear focus on the show’s agenda. The BSG bible holds a few tidbits of info that aren’t common knowledge, but most of it is info only super fans will find exciting.