Battlestar Galacticais getting a reboot for NBCUniversal’s Peacock streaming service from Sam Esmail, the creator ofMr. Robot. It has been reported Esmail will executive produce the straight-to-series drama and is currently searching for a writer for the project. At this time, no other details are known about the reboot, but it will reportedly feature an “updated, more modern look at the world as told through the lens of the sci-fi favorite.” It will also be inspired by the Syfy TV series from 2004 more so than the original series from 1978.
Created by Glen A. Larson,Battlestar Galacticafirst premiered on television in 1978. It starred Lorne Green, Richard Hatch, and Dirk Benedict, telling the story of a battlestar ship called the Galactica and its inhabitants searching for a new home after humanity was defeated by an army of warrior robots called theCylons. The show was axed after just a single season, though a write-in campaign led to the spin-off seriesGalactica 1980. In that show, the Galactica and its fleet of ships reach Earth in the year 1980, only to find that the planet is incapable of defending itself from the oncoming Cylons. The show ran for a total of ten episodes, also consisting of a single season.
In the years to follow the original series,Battlestar Galacticahad grown a large cult following. Talks of doing a new movie or revival series began in the late ’90s, and at one point Fox TV nearly developed a new version with many cast members reprising their roles. Ultimately, this project would fall through, leading to the total reboot series which aired on Syfy from writer Ron Moore and producer David Eick. Its cast notably includesEdward James Olmos, Mary McDonnell, Katee Sackhoff, Jamie Bamber, James Callis, Tricia Helfer, and Grace Park. Originally airing as a three-hour miniseries for the network, Moore and Eick’sBattlestar Galacticaturned out to be a hit, leading to a series order to make the show an ongoing series. This time, the show had a much more successful run, spanning 76 episodes overall across four seasons.
Syfy’sBattlestar Galacticafranchise has expanded upon its story following the end of the show. The movieBattlestar Galactica: The Planreimagines the battle between the Cylons and the twelve colonies of mankind. The prequel seriesCapricalater debuted on Syfy in 2010, although it ended its run after a single season due to low ratings. Moore would then be approached by the network to develop anotherBattlestar Galacticaspin-off series, although Syfy later opted not to move forward with the project. It later evolved into the web-seriesBlood & Chrome, which later aired as a TV movie on Syfy.
TheBattlestar Galacticareboot will be the secondSam Esmailseries for Peacock, joining the limited seriesAngelynewhich stars Emmy Rossum (Shameless). The Syfy version ofBattlestar Galacticawill be available to stream on Peacock as well. The streaming service from NBCUniversal is set to launch in April 2020. News of theBattlestar Galacticarevival comes to us fromThe Hollywood Reporter.
