Universal just can't get enough Battlestar Galactica. Even as Mr. Robot's Sam Esmail is developing a new version of the sci-fi concept for TV, the company's movie arm is moving forward with a new creative type aboard. Simon Kinberg is no on to write and produce the film.
Galactica, as devotees of Ronald D. Moore’s seminal remake series will know, follows the survivors of a human civilisation through the outer reaches of space as they attempt to evade a Cylon fleet hellbent on exterminating them to reach a new home.
Originally the brainchild of Glen A. Larson in the late ‘70s, its most recent incarnation offered powerful allegories about post-9/11 America, the erosion of civil liberties and cloning, not to mention some frackin’ epic space battles with Cylon toasters. Expect any movie version worth its salt to offer plenty more.
"Battlestar Galactica is one of the holy grails in science fiction, and I couldn't be more excited about bringing something new to the franchise, while honoring what's made it so iconic and enduring," said Kinberg in a statement. "I'm so grateful that Dylan [Clark, who has been attached as producer for years] and my partners at Universal have trusted me with this incredible universe." Kinberg, of course, spent years shepherding the X-Men franchise as writer and producer and he'll be part of the team looking to build Galactica out.
Of course, all this has happened before – filmmakers such as Bryan Singer, Francis Lawrence and others have come and gone – and will happen again if this version doesn't come together. Kinberg next has spy thriller The 355 on the way on 15 January.
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