Well, that's at least ONE weight off my chest....

To those who've heard the news already, and those just now finding out...the
SciFi Channel today announced that we have a new Babylon 5 TV movie going into
production that will also serve as a pilot for a likely new series.

The movie (and the series) is under the heading of BABYLON 5: THE LEGEND OF THE
RANGERS. The specific title for the 2-hour movie's story is "To Live and Die
in Starlight."

There isn't much I can tell you about the story because we're kinda keeping the
details under wraps as much as possible for the time being. What little I can
say....

It's set in the B5 universe just under 3 years after the events of "Objects at
Rest." At this point there's one major character from the B5 universe in the
script (a fan favorite). Where B5 was a heavy drama with some adventure/action
elements, this one is a little more skewed toward adventure with underlying
drama (which is about what you'd expect from the Anla-Shok).

We've been sitting on this information for a while now...such that we're
already well into pre-production. We'll be shooting this movie around mid-May,
well in advance of any potential actor's strike (the script is done and so far
everybody likes it a LOT).

We've already got designs coming in on a new ship, and a new *kind* of
ship...and we're going to be getting more into Minbari aesthetics, technologies
and philosophy.

It's got some great characters, and it's a lot of fun.

I have other news to announce on other fronts...have since the end of the year,
in fact...but I'm still sitting on the details awaiting another press release
from another studio. What I *can* say is that I have a firm GO order to
executive produce a new series (nominally SF) that will go into production
after the potential SAG strike. When that's finally over, if the strike indeed
happens, we pull the trigger and go into principal photography and it's an
order for a full season's worth of episodes.

I can't give you any details right now on the subject, title, studio or
network. That will have to await the studio's release...so don't even ask.

As far as doing both projects at the same time is concerned...it's actually
quite common, as testified to by folks like John Wells and Aaron Sorkin and
David Kelly and others. So there won't be any conflict.

More later.

jms

(jmsatb5@aol.com)
(all message content (c) 2001 by synthetic worlds, ltd.,
permission to reprint specifically denied to SFX Magazine
and don't send me story ideas)

>Marcus should remain dead just like the Beatles shouldn't get back together.
>

As Paul noted, the Beatles cannot get back together again as long as John
stubbornly remains dead....

jms

(jmsatb5@aol.com)
(all message content (c) 2001 by synthetic worlds, ltd.,
permission to reprint specifically denied to SFX Magazine
and don't send me story ideas)

>But have any of them been writing three monthly comics at the
>same time as well? ;) At any rate, this is great news!

You've gotta understand...I've always done multiple projects. While I was
story editing Twilight Zone, I wrote and sold my second novel, was writing a
monthly column for Twilight Zone Magazine, and hosting a two-hour weekly talk
radio show on KPFK-FM Los Angeles, Hour 25.

At the tail end of B5, I was handling all the post production for B5, writing
the 2 new movies, writing and setting up Crusade, writing multiple outlines for
the various Del Rey novels, writing the "We Killed Them in the Ratings"
novelette that was published shortly thereafter in an anthology, and writing
Rising Stars.

It's just kinda what I *do*.

It's always been that way with me...I like writing in a lot of different fields
at the same time because it keeps me from going stale. The more work I have,
oddly enough, the better I get...I'm at my worst when I have only one thing in
front of me, and I fret over it and second-guess it to death.

I sometimes think I'm the only creature known to modern science whose natural
environment is hot water....

jms

(jmsatb5@aol.com)
(all message content (c) 2001 by synthetic worlds, ltd.,
permission to reprint specifically denied to SFX Magazine
and don't send me story ideas)

>Well, it's a more varied output, and I think that it's a more
>consistent quality of work, but the volume makes me think of Isaac
>Asimov.

Not even close. I think I'd pretty much have to double my output to get within
spitting distance of Asimov (though why anyone would want to spit on him is
beyond my comprehension...).

jms

(jmsatb5@aol.com)
(all message content (c) 2001 by synthetic worlds, ltd.,
permission to reprint specifically denied to SFX Magazine
and don't send me story ideas)

>The REAL question is where you manage to find all those 28-hour days
>while
>the rest of us are stuck with 24....

It came in the same transdimensional boxes ALL the aliens brought with them
when they secretly invaded Earth, which were also given to their agents here,
who have been charged with the task of....

Well, I've said too much already.

jms

(jmsatb5@aol.com)
(all message content (c) 2001 by synthetic worlds, ltd.,
permission to reprint specifically denied to SFX Magazine
and don't send me story ideas)