Sci-Fi Film and Television Developments

Forbidden Planet
11/23/09 – SCI FI Wire reported that J. Michael Straczynski is now drafting a screenplay for a new movie version of the classic 1956 sci-fi movie Forbidden Planet, and he said the reboot will remain faithful to the original while adding more backstory and leaving room for a sequel.  The 1956 original is famous for its groundbreaking visual effects, as well as for the introduction of Robby the Robot, and told the story of a shuttle crew that lands on the planet Altair IV to investigate a missing colony that landed there decades earlier.  "We've actually decided to show more of the first ship when it first arrived 20 years earlier to sort of counterpoint what's happening in the present story," Straczynski said. "If you're a fan of the original, as I am, and have always been, I think it's very faithful to that." Warner Brothers owns the rights.

12/19/08 - IESB.net reports a rumor that James Cameron may be taking a renewed interest in helming a remake of the 1956 classic SF movie Forbidden Planet, which has gained momentum in recent weeks with a script by Babylon 5 creator J. Michael Straczynski.

10/31/08 - Babylon 5 creator J. Michael Straczynski is writing a long-in-the-works update of the SF classic Forbidden Planet for Warner Brothers, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Joel Silver is producing via Silver Pictures.  Released in 1956, Planet told the tale of an expedition sent from Earth to check on a colony of scientists on a far-off planet. They find two members, a man who has found alien technology that doubled his intellect, Dr. Morbius, and his daughter, both of whom have managed to survive an unseen monster roaming the planet.  The movie, directed by Fred Wilcox, starred Walter Pidgeon, Anne Francis and Leslie Nielsen, but is perhaps best known for the character Robbie the Robot.

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