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Battlestar Galactica Movie Reboot Taps Jay Basu As Writer
Universal Pictures has tapped writer Jay Basu to rewrite the script for its Battlestar Galactica film reboot. Red Sparrow director Francis Lawrence has signed on to helm the feature, which has been in the works since 2009.
Glen Larson's original 1978 series has already spawned a spin-off, Galactica 1980, and of course Ron Moore's seminal 2004 reboot. While the influence of the original remains strong, Moore's four-season series reached far more mainstream popularity and spawned its own (albeit short-lived) spin-offs in Caprica and the web series Blood and Chrome. Universal has attempted for nearly a decade to adapt Glen Larson's original concept into a feature film, and as of 2016 the project had undergone a revolving door of producers, writers and directors which included major names like Bryan Singer. But 2018 has seen the most news and buzz erupt around the film, which finally looks like it might get off the ground.
The Wrap reports that, fresh off The Girl in the Spider's Web and work on another 70s reboot with Sony's Charlie's Angels script, Jay Basu has been tapped to write the latest draft of Universal's Battlestar Galactica movie. This marks the second high-profile reboot/sequel project Basu has received after last year's announcement that he'd be penning the script for TriStar's Labyrinth sequel. He'll be rewriting a previous version by Westworld writer and co-creator Lisa Joy. Joyhad been attached to the film as early as 2016, and her cerebral yet emotional approach to A.I. and the implications thereof made her seem like the perfect choice to adapt Larson's vision of humanity wrestling with their own creations.
The human-Cylon conflict that has served as the basis for every iteration of Larson's original concept has its roots in humanity's desire to advance technologically, and the consequences of said advancements. Both Larson and Moore's series follow a small group of humans that are the only remnants of their race following a bloody, extended war with the Cylons, artificial lifeforms created by humanity and who eventually evolved and rose up against their masters.
The story bears more than a passing resemblance to the premise of Westworld, which is why Lisa Joy's initial participation made sense. But the film had already undergone the aforementioned producer/director overhauls, so it's not totally surprising that the project is still evolving. That said, director Francis Lawrence seems like the most promising choice to finally get BSG into theaters. He's a huge fan of the original series as well as Ron Moore's adaptation, and it's only been since he's been involved that the project has had regular news updates. This time, it looks like Battlestar Galactica might finally make it to Earth's movie theaters.
