Thursday, April 24, 2008

Blake's 7...finally?

Here's a project that's been on and off again so many times, I'm skeptical about it coming to fruition - but maybe now the time is actually right.

From today's Hollywood Reporter:

LONDON -- Hoping to cash in on the success of classic sci-fi revamps such as the BBC's Doctor Who and Battlestar Galactica, Sky One is planning to remake cult '80s space series Blake's Seven.

Sky has commissioned two 60-minute scripts with the intention of creating a new sci-fi series of the hugely popular show, which followed the intergalactic tales of a small band of rebel fighters struggling to evade the dark forces of the Federation.

Memorable for its cardboard sets and leather-clad arch villainess Servalan, the show was the creation of sci-fi legend Terry Nation, himself responsible for Doctor Who's arch-nemesis the Daleks.

Sky One commissioning editor Elaine Pike said Seven was "ripe" for a revival, which will be jointly exec produced by Andrew Mark Sewell at B7 Prods. Most recently the show was released as a successful series of audio books starring a modern cast including This Life star Daniela Nardini.

Revamped television formats have proved a huge success in the U.K., with a reworking of Doctor Who also generating original spinoff Torchwood. But the cultural politics of revamps can be tricky, said Sky One head of programs Richard Woolfe, who two years ago abandoned much-trumpeted plans to remake The Prisoner.