Since this just hit the wire services, I figured I'd mention it here.

The release went out from Classics International, owner of First Comics.
A deal has been concluded between CIE and Rattlesnake Prods. (owned by my
partner on Babylon 5 Doug Netter) to form a separate entity to produce a
feature film based on the Grimjack books by John Ostrander.

The movie is budgeted for $30 million, and I've been asked, and have
agreed, to write the screenplay. (My job, as I see it, is to Leave The Damned
Thing Alone and *adapt* the book, rather than throw stuff out and make it all
up. I loved the book when it was out, and read it regularly. My hope is to
do as faithful a transition to film as possible. I've met with John
Ostrander, and our feelings on which cycle of the Grimjack story to base the
feature film on are absolutely the same.)

The plan is to have the script finished by late fall, probably around
November/December, and shoot the thing in early or mid-1995.

(In addition, this Fall we're currently slated to begin production on a
two-hour pilot for a new contemporary science fiction series which I've
created and written for first-run syndication. Current plans are to film the
pilot in either Vancouver or Portland, with Doug and I serving again as
Executive Producers, as with Babylon 5. I can't reveal the title at this time
-- it's nothing you'd recognize, it's an original concept, but it's a cool
title and I'd hate to lose it -- but I hope to have more on this over the next
few months. Also, there are still one or two more hurdles before we can start
production, even though we've been unofficially greenlighted, so I'll hold
back just a bit for now until the ink dries officially.)

The series that would come out of the pilot would also be exec produced
by me and Doug, but not with the same degree of direct day to day involvement
as Babylon 5, which remains our first priority. We would get a dedicated, SF-
informed writer/producer to head up the other show, under our direct
supervision.

jms