Babylon 5, the Road Home: a ‘drawsome’ return to the galaxy? (1st trailer)
Well, strap on your gravity boots and ready your jump gates, space-faring fans, because you’re in for a nebular nostalgia blast. Hold on to your power couplings, because we’re taking a “Return to Babylon 5”. Yes, that’s right, just when you thought the Zathras had ceased their incessant yammering and the Shadows were finally banished to the corner for their millennium-long time-out, the iconic franchise decides to pitch a cosmic curveball.
And how does one resuscitate an epic space opera without causing interstellar whiplash? By transforming it into an animated film, of course. We’re not talking saturday morning cartoon, but a CGI-fueled spectacle, because nothing says ‘we’re in the future’ like a show from the past deciding that traditional camera work is too archaic.
We’re all set for some well-loved faces (or should I say voices?) to reprise their roles – Bruce Boxleitner’s John Sheridan will be warping his way through timelines and realities, no doubt followed by a bemused Claudia Christian as Susan Ivanova. Good to know some things remain a constant in every reality.
And speaking of realities, we’re promised new cosmic revelations about the Universe. I’m hoping for the meaning of life to be more profound than “don’t annoy Vorlons,” but in the Babylon 5 multiverse, you never know.
The flick is directed by Matt Peters, known for making Batman and Superman throw their toys at each other in ‘Battle of the Super Sons.’ Now, he’s been given the gravity-defying task of steering Babylon 5 back onto our screens, or more specifically, straight-to-video. J. Michael Straczynski is back at the helm of the screenplay, assuring us it’s the most B5-ish since the original. That’s a relief! I was worried we’d end up with Babylon 90210.
On the horizon is a trailer and further details, with the release date slated for summer. You can expect DVD, Blu-ray, 4K and video on demand versions to appear quicker than a Pak’ma’ra on a buffet. In the meantime, we’ll just have to rewatch the original series, read the fan theories, and speculate on whether Sheridan still has his epic hair in animated form.
Bottom line? This venture might either be a quantum leap forward, or a jumpgate disaster. Either way, there’s no doubt we’ll all be tuning in, drawn back into the cosmic vortex that is Babylon 5. The road home, indeed.
