Bryan Singer Re-Imagines Battlestar Galactica For The Big Screen

Posted by Rob Hunter (rob@filmschoolrejects.com) on August 14, 2009

The next stage of Hollywood’s plan to remake everything ever made has begun… they’re now moving on to remaking remakes.  And while we can all agree that most remake announcements warrant more WTF’s than applause, this latest one seems more frakkin stupid than usual.

Per Variety, Universal Pictures has hired Bryan Singer to direct a Battlestar Galactica feature film. Universal says the film will be “a complete reimagination.”

Variety’s post has more info on Singer’s close calls with the BSG universe over the past decade, but that’s not the most relevant fact at play here.  What is important is the fact that Universal says Glen Larson is on-board to produce, but fails to mention Ronald Moore in any capacity. Moore of course is the man who took the cheesy entertainment found in the original 1978 series and turned it into four seasons of action, drama, sex, and moral quandaries… easily one of the best shows ever to grace the boob tube.

What Moore did, in essence, is to re-imagine a mildly entertaining sci-fi series and turn it into a phenomenon that received near-universal acclaim. Where can they go with this? How can this be improved? When this rumor first started making the rounds earlier this year, there was no word as to ‘where’ the new movie would take place? Would it be the old-school seventies BSG or would it be Moore’s complex and multi-layered creation? There’s still no official word, but /Film points out an interview with Tom DeSanto, a co-producer on a previous attempt at re-birthing BSG, who says the idea he originally had Singer intrigued by was a direct continuation of the original series. It’s an interesting read that thankfully never got off the ground…

So there are three options here.

One, the movie can take off from the original series… BAD IDEA because who really cares at this point? The show is fondly remembered more for it’s nostalgia factor than anything else. Some of the original actors are dead, the rest are ancient, and none of them are marquee names.

Two, the movie can take off from the recent series that just concluded a few months ago… BAD IDEA because that story already ended. Folks may disagree with how it ended, but the fact remains that it did end. The story is wrapped up. It’s done. And like option one this requires the audience have prior knowledge. Universal won’t want that if they’re after the largest audience possible.

Three, the movie can take the initial concept of a human/cylon war that sends humanity in search of a new home and just start fresh with new characters and stories… BAD IDEA because Moore’s series is still so resonant, and honestly, no two hour movie will be able to capture one-tenth of the show’s depth and creativity. That said, this will most likely be the path Universal and Singer choose. Using this summer’s Star Trek reboot as their model they’ll pack it full of young actors and lens flares and call it the birth of a new franchise.

Crappy ideas all around, but I guess it could be worse…

What do you think about a Battlestar Galactica feature film? How should they do it (if they have to do it at all)?

Read more articles by Rob Hunter