JMS SPEAKS

[Lyta Alexander]

Subject: Re: Attn. JMS: Chris Franke ever to return?
From: [email protected] (Jms at B5)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5.moderated

<font color=red>I ask because I was unaware of how undecided TNT really was in terms of separating Crusade from B5. That is until I read a recent post from you. Your early messages regarding a Call to Arms seemed to indicate a strong desire on your part to create a VERY different sound for that film
and later for crusade.</font>

Yes, that was really all there was to that particular decision. Crusade (by my
original plan at least) was gradually going to grow into a somewhat experimental show, and I wanted the sound to reflect that...something definitely non-Western in origin.

jms

[Lyta Alexander]

Subject: from jms: a few quick items
From: [email protected] (Jms at B5)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5.moderated

While I'm waiting for permission to talk about some of the big stuff that's going on, some general news....

As announced today in a press release from the SciFi Channel, the network has picked up all 13 episodes of Crusade for broadcast this Summer. This will be the first time the series has been broadcast since its brief, original run on TNT.

I received an email the other day from Fiona Avery (B5 reference editor, columnist for the B5 Magazine and script writer for both Crusade and Earth: Final Conflict) announcing that the first issue of her new, original comic, NO HONOR, will be debuting next Wednesday the 21st from Top Cow/Image. (I've seen the scripts/artwork and it's killer.)

On the topic of comics...I will be writing a one-off B5 Graphic Novel for Wildstorm that will debut later this year. I figure on writing it as soon as I get out from under my current deadlines.

One aside...as you know, most viruses that go out these days tend to attach themselves to Microsoft Outlook email address books. Apparently there's an *awful* lot of you out there that have me in your email address books, even though you may not have actually used it in that way. Hence, whenever one of
these viruses gets out, as one came out today, I invariably get a bunch of them
in my email box. Just as a favor to me...if you don't actually *need* my email address in your address book, can you delete it to help me out when this kind of stuff happens? It ain't like I'm hard to find....

And finally...yes, it's true, B5 will be coming out on DVD starting with The Gathering and In the Beginning, to be released in July. The series will start soon thereafter. I've been going over the artwork and related issues for WB Home Video, and though at this time there's no supplementary material involved, at least as far as I know, it should be pretty cool. (Don't know yet which
aspect ratio they'll be using, but my *guess* would be widescreen, now that WB is correcting the earlier versions.)

All of that said...as noted well above, there's some substantial TV-related news sitting out there waiting for me to talk about it as soon as I'm given the go-ahead to do so. Suffice to say that one very large deal has now been set and closed, another is in heavy negotiations (with money now on the table from those involved), and a surprise third project is also coming up fast and
furious.

More on these when I'm allowed to talk about them. Probably sometime next week.

jms

[Lyta Alexander]

Subject: Re: from jms: a few quick items
From: [email protected] (Jms at B5)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5.moderated

<font color=yellow>The only question I have here is... will it just be the SE version of
the Gathering, or will the original _also_ be available on the disc?</font>

The first disk will have In the Beginning and the SE version of The Gathering.

jms

[sindatur]

YEEEHAAAAAW!!!

Wow Scifi Channel came through for us. I missed the Path of Sorrows (I think that's right)(The 4th ep. they showed) and didn't even tape it. Apparently it explains Galen's separation (unless that's the episode that was shown later, but was supposed to be earlier)from Gideon and crew.

Also, if they take on the 13, who's to say they can't remuster the crew and finish the Great Maker's Dream (And ours)

------------------
Sindatur - The Grey owl Wizzard

[Lyta Alexander]

Subject: Re: from jms: a few quick items
From: [email protected] (Jms at B5)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5.moderated

<font color=red>Will this be part of continuity of the show? Is it something you've now planned for this or something that might come "out of storage". the story of the Telepath War maybe?</font>

I think I'd like to do something in continuity with the series, so that it feels like an unproduced episode...but I haven't decided yet, and don't want to go too far down that road until I've talked more to the guys at Wildstorm. They've been great in all this, they initiated the project, and I want to be sure that welcome is treated properly.

<font color=red>Do the B5 rights still hold with DC then (they own Wildstorm right?) because they are a WB company? I was urprised that it wasn't under the Top Cow imprint when you said it. But then I don't really know how the licensing thing works so....</font>

WB owns the rights, which reverted after DC stopped doing the books. They'd rather not go to an outside company for political reasons.

<font color=red >Oh and *thanks so much*. Just had to buy yet MORE comics to get me up
to date on Midnight Nation after hearing such great things. I thought I could give them up completely after dropping X-men. Then I read "Born In Fire". And bought loads of RS to get me current. Now I'm into MN. (when's #5 out?)</font>


Good timing. Midnight Nation #5 comes out tomorrow. Get this one, it's a real corker.

<font color=red>What is the expected time frame one hearing back regarding the Rising Stars film? I've decided to wait until the series is over before reading them, but I've heard great things.</font>

Film-making is a long process. The first draft is in, I'm currently revising it for a second draft. If all continues to go well, and so far it's gone very well, we could film this sometime in the fall or spring of next year, so it could conceivably be in theaters by next fall/winter. Assuming nothing
glitches along the way, and you always have to assume those things.

<font color=red>Is Fiona Avery's B5-related news, that hasn't been released, related to your talks with sci-fi? Is her deal, whatever it is, still in the works?</font>

It's still in the works.

jms

[Lyta Alexander]

Subject: from jms: i forgot something
From: [email protected] (Jms at B5)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5.moderated

I forgot to mention in my last post that on March 26th, I'll be doing a panel discussion on writing for the fantastic, which will be carried via satellite to various universities and the two divisions of the Museum of Television and Radio. The panel will feature me, Harlan Ellison, Chris Carter and 1-2 others TBD.

jms

[Lyta Alexander]

Subject: Re: from jms: a few quick items
From: [email protected] (Jms at B5)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5.moderated

<font color=red>And before anyone flames me: The Gathering was shot in 4:3 as opposed to the rest of the series. Thus, a "widescreen" version would have to either be a cropped or vertically panned & scanned version, and this would be far from the show's correct aspect
ratio. </font>

No, the DVD of the Gathering would not be in fake wide, it'd be in the original aspect ratio. As I noted earlier, the way SFC aired it was an error.


jms

[Lyta Alexander]

Subject: Re: from jms: a few quick items
From: [email protected] (Jms at B5)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5.moderated

My logic on ItB was basically this: you can't keep the basic info on the series a secret forever. Some things enter the common base of knowledge. So you may as well play into that by showing what folks will pretty much know about over time anyway, and make the suspense one of, "When are the *characters* going to find out about this stuff?"

Playing B5 to some extent as a mystery only works when it's first on the air. After that, the dynamic changes substantially.

jms

[Lyta Alexander]

Subject: Re: Thirdspace: When was it filmed?
From: [email protected] (Jms at B5)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5.moderated

<font color=red>As we all know, Claudia Christian did not sign on for season 5 of the show. That said, wasn't it TNT that requested the movies? Wouldn't she have been
out of contract for when the film would have been shot?</font>

All of the actors who appeared in the movies negotiated separate deals for those, NONE of the movies were covered by prior series deals because one's a movie, one's a TV series, and the pay rates vary considerably.

jms

[Lyta Alexander]

Subject: Re: JMS Marching Morons--Seattle area
From: [email protected] (Jms at B5)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5.moderated

<font color=red>Early heads up for JMS' dramatization of "The Marching Morons" on
March 7th on Seattle's KUOW which can also be heard at www.kuow.org.
The series title is NPR Playhouse 2000X and the host is Harlan Ellison.</font>

Don't bother. I found out recently that the script that has my name on it does not represent the work I did. The guy who does the show basically wrote a script of his own and put my name on it. I've asked him (through attorneys) to take my name OFF it, because it's just awful. And it's false advertising, because it ain't my work.

jms