The last time fans saw Battlestar Galactica on any screen was with the miniseries Blood and Chrome in 2012. That miniseries told a prequel story to the reboot series from Ron D. Moore that ran on Syfy from 2004 to 2008. Since then, fans have had little news on the future of the franchise, in any form. The miniseries didn’t have the reception that most wanted, and any future plans seemed to stall indefinitely.
At one point, a film was in production with Bryan Singer attached to direct. But Singer’s increased involvement with the X-Men franchise may have prompted his backing out of the project, or at least a delay in the release of the film – a fact that certainly wasn’t helped by his signing on to direct the remake of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. In fact, the last anyone heard of this film, Jack Paglen (Transcendence) was attached as its screenwriter, but that was back in 2014, and there has been no significant update since. Bryan Singer wasn’t even mentioned in that report.
But now, The Tracking Board (via THR) reports Michael De Luca has signed on to produce a Battlestar Galactica film for Universal, together with Scott Stuber and Dylan Clark of Bluegrass Films. The expectation is to use the film “to launch a massive event franchise.” While this bodes well for getting Battlestar Galactica out of the development stage, the report does not mention a timetable for the release of the film. The current draft of the script came from Paglen, and no other writers were mentioned in relation to the De Luca news. Bryan Singer is also apparently still involved as an executive producer, though he is not confirmed to direct.
De Luca is a highly experienced producer, so chances are improving for Battlestar to reach theaters soon. He was most recently involved in Syfy’s miniseries Childhood’s End, but you may know his work from Oscar-nominated films like The Social Network, Captain Phillips, and Moneyball. He’s also produced the Fifty Shades franchise, American History X, and Tropic Thunder, among many others.
The Battlestar Galactica franchise started in the wake of Star Wars back in 1978 but ended a year later in 1979, though a failed attempt to revive the show came in 1980. The show was created by Glen A. Larson, and aired on ABC. The plot concerned a group of humans who were almost wiped out by a race of intelligent machines called Cylons. To escape the Cylons, humanity must search for an ancient and mythic human colony located on a distant planet called Earth.
Later, from 2004 to 2008, the show returned to the small screen on Syfy in what is now considered one of their greatest shows to date. Moore’s reboot provoked deep thoughts on theology, philosophy, ethics, and politics. The creators attempted two minor spinoffs with Caprica, which only lasted one season, and the miniseries Blood and Chrome. Now it appears fans may have a feature film to look forward to.
Bryan Singer and others have mentioned the planned film will be a reboot of the franchise. While it may seem odd to reboot the series after just a few years, it’s not unheard of (think Spider-Man or Batman). Additionally, this will be the first time that Battlestar Galactica will grace the silver screen, so fans can likely expect a story told on a much grander scale than what they have been given in the past.
Battlestar Galactica does not yet have a release date.
Source: The Tracking Board (via THR)
