I’ve been slacking on posting news on here for years now, but I did want to comment on a recent announcement. It seems that a brand-spanking-new version of the classic BBC science fiction series Blake’s 7 is in production by the former Sci Fi Channel. I know it changed its name to Syfy years ago, but that still looks like a slang term for syphilis to me, and makes me cringe when typing it. Syfy has been looking for their next big show for quite a while now, and with channels like BBC America directly competing with, and in many ways overtaking them in the realm of speculative fiction TV, something like Blakes 7 could be a real “shot in the arm” that the network needs. It could even be their next Battlestar Galactica if they play their cards right. Truth be told, I wasn’t a fan of the recent version of Battlestar Galactica because I was far too fond of the original show. For years I wondered why they chose the BSG license to do such a remake, when more fitting brands would have been better – ones like Blake’s 7.
Blake’s 7 is a dark show comprised of anti-heroes and criminals banded together to fight a common foe. The story follows the struggles of Roj Blake (as played by Gareth Thomas). A notorious political dissident, Blake has been arrested, tried, and convicted on false charges by a brutal totalitarian government, and deported to a prison planet. Blake unites a group of fellow misfits, steals the transport ship he’s on, and wages a war against his oppressors. To sum up Blake’s 7 one simply has to imagine George Orwell meets Star Trek. Well, that was the original show at least; nobody really knows what direction Syfy will take the show. And considering the fact that the show is very underground here in the States, I seriously doubt that it will stay completely faithful.
I did find an official write-up (posted below) for the show that appears to be some sort of treatment for the new show. Is it the same magic, or could we have another dud like Syfy’s unwatchable Flash Gordon catastrophe? I guess time will tell.
The year is 2136, Blake wakes up on one side of the bed. He reaches for the other side. There’s nobody there. As reality sets in, this handsome ex-soldier sits up, and looks at a photo of his wife Rachel. Beautiful. Deceased.
A revolutionary reinvention of the long-running BBC series made in the late 1970s, Blake’s 7 tells the story of seven criminals – 6 guilty and 1 innocent – on their way to life on a prison colony in space, who together wrestle freedom from imprisonment. They acquire an alien ship which gives them a second chance at life and become the most unlikely heroes of their time.
David Ellender, CEO FremantleMedia International and Kids & Family Entertainment said, “Blake’s 7 was such a forward-thinking concept that the show continues to have resonance with audiences today. Its complex characters and gritty storylines, coupled with the highly talented team and modern production techniques are sure to appeal to both original fans of the show and new viewers.” Leon Clarance, co-founder of Georgeville Television and CEO of Motion Picture Capital, the finance arm of Reliance Entertainment, said, “Joe Pokaski and Martin Campbell have worked tirelessly with the Georgeville TV team to create an amazeballs reboot of this classic space opera which I watched with my father when I was a child. This reimagined classic for a new generation of science fiction fans will enthrall original and new fans alike. I couldn’t be happier to have our beloved show handled internationally by the passionate team at FremantleMedia.”
And yes, He said “amazeballs” in a press release…
Related articles
- Blake’s 7 – An Overview and Episode 1 (justjessaustralia.wordpress.com)
- Blake’s 7 – Characters/Cast (Part 2) – Blake (justjessaustralia.wordpress.com)
- Blake’s 7 – Episode 2 (justjessaustralia.wordpress.com)
- TV: Inventory: Over there: 30 foreign series that need immediate legal import to the U.S. (avclub.com)
- Horizon: The Truth About Personality, BBC Two, review (telegraph.co.uk)
- ’12 Monkeys’ series reportedly headed to Syfy (theverge.com)
- Syfy TV adap of ’12 Monkeys’ on its way (plus3intelligence.wordpress.com)
- Starz Greenlights BATTLESTAR GALACTICA Producer Ronald D. Moore’s New Series OUTLANDER (collider.com)
- New BATTLESTAR GALACTICA Starbuck Miniseries Coming from Dynamite (haveageekasm.com)
1. I’m glad I’m not the only one to think syphilis when I see Sci Fi’s new logo.
2. I loved Blake 7. I watched it on PBS when I was young.
3. They will make something great or something awful, but probably nothing in between.
4. You are right, they will probably not remain all that faithful to it because they don’t thing their sci-fi loving, nerdy audience would ever know about some Brittish show from a few decades back.