Friday, April 12, 2002

'B5' creator JMS is 'just Joe' to stars 

Plans for sequel series are dead
By Scott D. Pierce
Deseret News television editor


To legions of "Babylon 5" fans, J. Michael Straczynski is this generation's version of "Star Trek" creator/producer Gene Roddenberry. Nobody's calling him the Great Bird of the Galaxy (as Trekkers were wont to do with Roddenberry), but mention JMS to Babylonians and they'll know exactly who you're talking about.
Straczynski is the man who created an entire universe well, at least a galaxy in the sci-fi series and its sequels.
He's currently producing the Showtime sci-fi series "Jeremiah," but it wasn't his "Babylon 5" credentials that attracted ex-"Cosby" kid Malcolm-Jamal Warner to sign on.
"I'm not much of a sci-fi guy," said Warner, who admitted he wasn't even aware of who Straczynski was. "One of my closest friends called me . . . and said, 'Hey, man, I got on the Web site to your show. You didn't tell me J. Michael Straczynski is the creator of your show! He's like a god, man!' And here I am, I'm calling him just Joe.
"And this is one of my closest friends and he's, like, 'Dude, you don't understand! He is a god!'" Warner said.

The Sci Fi Channel won't turn its movie "The Legend of the Rangers" into a series.
 
Not that Straczynski is as impressed with himself as some "B5" fans seem to be.
"Tell your friend, if I were a god, I would have more hair and a deeper voice," Straczynski said.

THE "LEGEND" DIES: Looks like the latest attempt to revive the "B5" franchise is dead. The Sci Fi Channel has failed to pick up "Babylon 5: The Legend of the Rangers" as a series.
Too bad.
The cable network's president, Bonnie Hammer, said that Sci Fi is going to move away from outer-space and alien shows. It does, however, have plans for a four-hour "Battlestar Galactica" miniseries for next season.

OFFICIALLY CANCELED: It's certainly no surprise the writing has been on the walls for months but UPN has finally, officially canceled "Roswell." The final episode airs Tuesday, May 14.
After two seasons on the WB, UPN made much of how thrilled it was when it picked up the jettisoned show for this season. But the ratings were far less than thrilling.
Repeats of all three seasons begin airing on Sci Fi in the fall.

STAR WARRING: The Fox TV network will build up to the May 16 Fox motion pictures release of "Star Wars: Episode 2: The Attack of the Clones" with three consecutive Thursday-night airings of earlier films in the series.
(Or, perhaps, given that "Clones" is yet another prequel maybe two of these are later/earlier films in the series.)
"The Empire Strikes Back" will air Thursday, April 25; "The Return of the Jedi" on Thursday, May 2; and "The Phantom Menace" on Thursday, May 9.
Fox has little to lose here basically, the network is turning over quite a few hours of programming to advertise the new movie, but nobody is watching Fox on Thursday nights anyway.

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E-MAIL: pierce@desnews.com