Bryan Singer to direct "Battlestar Galactica"
Universal Pictures has set Bryan Singer to direct and produce a feature version of "Battlestar Galactica," confirming a report on the Hitfix website.
The development is something of a surprise because the most prevailing rumor had Singer flirting with the idea of returning to the X-Men series by taking the reins of "X-Men: First Class," which focuses on the younger mutant characters seen fleetingly at the Xavier Institute of Higher Learning. "Gossip Girl" creator Josh Schwartz wrote the first draft of that script.
"Battlestar Galactica" appears to be on a fast track and sources said that Singer could be looking at a $10 million paycheck to sign on to the film.
Singer has long been intrigued with "Battlestar Galactica" and flirted with relaunching it into a TV series right after he directed the original "X-Men." Back in 2001 I wrote about his plan, which involved teaming with Tom DeSanto to exec produce the series. Singer planned to direct the pilot of the new version of a series that originally launched on ABC in 1978 and ran two seasons. Here is what he said at the time, comments that certainly proved prescient:
"The lesson I learned on `X-Men' is to have a healthy respect for the fan base of sci-fi fantasy franchises, and I'm confident that the `Galactica' brand is a sleeping giant. It was a show I watched during its initial run, from the pilot to the final episode. The essence and the brand name is quite potent in a climate where there's a great deficit of scifi programming."
It is possible that the timing of the series went awry because of the World Trade Center disaster that occurred later that year. Certainly, it made a series that launched with the attack and destruction of earth unpalatable.
The director got busy on other projects. Ronald Moore came on as executive producer and oversaw the 73-episode series relaunch, which had a critically acclaimed run on Syfy.
It wasn't immediately clear whether Moore would be invited to write the screenplay, but it is clear that Singer will put his own creative stamp on the project as the studio indicates that the film will be "a complete re-imagination."
Glen Larson is aboard to produce. Singer's repped by WME and attorney Dave Feldman.
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don't trust the guy anymore...he'll screw it up
like he did Superman.
He should take a permanent break from Superhero movies.
Posted by: jackson | 08/13/2009 at 03:12 PM
This movie is going to tank.
There is no way the fanbase will accept this film, especially given how soon it is, and without that critical fan support, there is no way this film was reach out to the masses.
Posted by: Dillan Gandhi | 08/13/2009 at 03:21 PM
Whatever keeps his mitts off Superman is fine with me. What a dreadful piece of crap.
Newsflash to Brian Singer! Superman is not dark and doesn't have a single thing to feel alienated about, because Clark Kent was raised a Kansas farm boy among humans since infanthood. Applying the X-Men paradigm of persecuted alienation as gay allegory doesn't work with Superman.
Also:
1) So what if he bears a passing resemblance to Christopher Reeve, Brandon Routh can't act -period...as evidenced by a complete lack of work on his plate.
and
2) Richard Donner only made half a good Superman movie -the first half of Superman: The Movie. After he gets to Metropolis we're subjected to a Lois Lane of loose morals who smokes (presumably for the simple act of accommodating the demonstration of Supes' x-ray vision), insipid, uninspired characters like Miss Teschmacher and Otis, who never appeared in the comics and an ending that makes any future adventures moot. IE: There's no drama in ANYTHING if you can always turn back time to change EVERYTHING.
Unfortunately Singer blew it by honoring Richard Donner's Superman instead of the comic book Superman. What an absolute waste of the brilliant-on-paper casting of Kevin Spacey as Luthor.
Now maybe Warner's will wise up and hire Matthew Vaughan and Mark Millar to continue the franchise.
Vaughan has ALL the chops and NOBODY in comics writes superheroes more cinematically than Mark Millar -nobody. Not Geoff Johns or Jeph Loeb or Brian K. Vaughn or Brian Michael Bendis.
It's a no-brainer for Warner Brothers, but given the fact that the only good superhero movies they've ever produced are the first hour of Superman: The Movie and Christopher Nolan's Batman movies, the odds are against them...and no, I didn't forget Watchmen because, not being a common fanboy, I keep an open mind about comic related movies... and Watchmen flat sucked.
Posted by: MB | 08/13/2009 at 03:37 PM
After reading all the whining about Superman I feel I must remind everyone that Bryan Singer has not been tapped to direct the next Superman. He's directing Battlestar Galactica. After being subjected to the drivel of the latest series, I for one welcome this news. There is no way Singer can ruin anything after what Ron Moore did.
Posted by: M | 08/13/2009 at 05:23 PM
I for one really liked Singer's Superman. It had homages to both th Reeve and comic versions, and I was relieved they didn't totally reinvent him like they were threatening to do for years.
Posted by: John O'Brien | 08/13/2009 at 06:19 PM
@ M
It's to bad you didn't like the most recent Battlestar Galactica series. It has been praised by many people as one of the best written series of all time. I hope that the new movie is more to your liking, but for me I hope that I will enjoy it just as much as the series in the same way I enjoyed the new Star Trek as much as the shows and old movies.
Posted by: Jon | 08/13/2009 at 06:44 PM
I absolutely cannot wait to see this. Its about fracking time! I'll definitely be in line on opening day for this.
Posted by: Frack yes! | 08/13/2009 at 08:16 PM
PUHHLEEZ do not make this film unless you are casting all the players who just did the TV series. What are you thinking? It's like trying to remake Lord of the Rings...right now. Let this show grow some grass on its grave before you dig up the body. Or just Get Moore to write it and use the only cast that will ever make sense...
Posted by: FrackinFan | 08/13/2009 at 10:16 PM
How many re-imaginings can one series take?
The recent series re-imagined the 30 year old original and that was fine, now they plan to do it again with the recent series only JUST having concluded?
Good way to kill a franchise IMHO
Posted by: Damien | 08/14/2009 at 03:19 AM
what a mistake letting bryan singer direct the bsg movie. there are many other directors which could do a better job than he after botching superman so badly. find someone else.
Posted by: Joel Taylor | 08/14/2009 at 04:03 AM
What the frak?!? The brilliant TV series just ended it's magnificent run. There's absolutely no need for this. There's plenty of other SciFi and/or comic book themes that he could work on instead.
Posted by: PC User | 08/14/2009 at 05:09 AM
This is the worst pop culture news I've heard all year. The latest BSG was fantastic. It had an outstanding cast and fabulous writers. Give us more time with Olmos and Mary McDonnell in a movie and I'm first in line. But, this, it seems unnecessary.
Posted by: Starbuck | 08/14/2009 at 06:34 AM
This is completely retarded. A reimagination of a reimagined series?
Posted by: bazza | 08/14/2009 at 06:36 AM
This is absolutely disgusting. I hate this idea. They are going to waste a 200 million dollars production budget + a lot more to place a product that almost everyone is at least reluctant to watch. The consensus indicates that the recent BSG TV series will remain for a long period of time as a landmark, so filming this movie with a whole different production/directing/acting team is pointless.
Use this money to feed a third world country instead, or something like that. It will be far more useful and rewarding...
Posted by: Moris | 08/14/2009 at 09:50 AM
I agree with M. The last series blew, it can only get better. You can lead fabois to a theater, but you can't make them like it.
Posted by: Tim | 08/14/2009 at 09:55 AM
Didn't Universal learn its lesson about feature adaptations of cultish sci-fi TV shows with 'Serenity'? Considering BSG was only a middling success even on cable -- 4 million viewers usually, though the finale spiked to about 4.5 -- this is going to tank hard.
Posted by: Channing | 08/14/2009 at 11:33 AM
If you need any more evidence that the collective attention span of humanity can now be measured in seconds, this is it. Seriously? Universal is going to spend millions of dollars to re-imagine something that has been over for a mere six months (Caprica aside)? Galactica was immensely successful because it was that rare perfect storm of concept and storytelling and casting. If you want to bring something to the big screen, assemble the cast and tell more of this incredible story. Universal is wasting time and money indulging a writer/director, talented as he clearly is, who has yet to develop anything original. Leave Galactica alone for a while, you FRAKKING idiots.
Posted by: siense | 08/14/2009 at 11:35 AM
"""Universal is wasting time and money indulging a writer/director, talented as he clearly is, who has yet to develop anything original. Leave Galactica alone for a while, you FRAKKING idiots."""
And, what Original Creation pray tell has Ron Moore EVER Created?
According to Joe Haldeman Moore didn't even create Virtuality, he simply lifted it.
Posted by: Callahan | 08/14/2009 at 12:34 PM
Milk, milk, greedy, squeeze, take no risks, repeat, re-hash, re-imagine, play it safe, suck, suck, more more. LEAVE IT ALONE! Tell a new story. It's done for now, with dignity and intelligence, and it's OVER. Go away. Make your own thing.
Posted by: G. Donne | 08/14/2009 at 12:55 PM
Yay, finally we get to be told a BSG story in the spirit it was always meant to be told. I hope it retains a lot of what made the 70s version so much fun to watch, while incorporating some of the ideas Singer/Desanto had for their version of the remake. Adama dead? Yes please. Human's forced to become cybornetic cylons? Yes please. Apolo turned into a cylon and leading the cylons against the human race? Yes please. Beings of Light coming back? Yes please. Aliens in the BSG universe again? YES! Please.
This is fantastic news. Hopefully it will spawn another TV series more in the spirit of the original, but updated for the new millennium.
Posted by: Sanderson | 08/14/2009 at 01:12 PM
Wasn't aware we were talking about Ron Moore, Callahan.
Posted by: siense | 08/14/2009 at 01:18 PM
There is zero chance Ron Moore will have anything to do with this movie. This movie is being done by Glen Larson, who does not want that abomination anywhere near his franchise. He controls the movie rights, and therefore you will finally see a proper modern take on his actual show, not the West Wing meets Space Above and Beyond with his proper nouns slapped all over it.
Ron Moore's show was not BSG in any way, shape or form. He simply stole its clothes in the middle of the night and made the show he wanted to make, and spent the next 5 years poisoning his audience against the original.
Posted by: Bickle | 08/14/2009 at 01:27 PM
He should either stay away (how do you improve on the perfection of the peabody winning syfy series) or pick up a piece of Ron Moore's brilliant vision and do the first cylon war portion that was never discussed/explored or pick up where this series left off with the cylon home planes still unexplored and a band of humans trying to make a go on their new planet...perhaps there is more of the story to tell but to do a third imagining of the series is really unfair to the fan base and the franchise.
Posted by: gromit | 08/14/2009 at 01:39 PM
edit to above post..."home planes" should read "home planet"
Posted by: gromit | 08/14/2009 at 01:42 PM
>>Didn't Universal learn its lesson about feature adaptations of cultish sci-fi TV shows with 'Serenity'? <<<
Serenity broke even domestically theatrically, and has gone on to make a bloody fortune on video, cable, and continuous midnight screenings. It's had 4 separate video releases in the US alone(DVD, Special Edition DVD, HD DVD and Blu-ray), selling over 10 million copies thus far, again, domestically alone.
So if that's failure, bring it on :)
Posted by: Bickle | 08/14/2009 at 01:51 PM