[B5JMS] JMS: Can we have a...

[b5jms-admin at cs.columbia.edu]

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From: janmschroeder at aol.com (Jan)
Date: 03 Jan 2003 17:53:08 GMT
Lines: 27

state of the Straczynski-verse update?  Things like:

Can we pre-order 'But In Purple, I'm Stunning' yet? If not yet, when? Where?
How much? If not yet, when?

How's filming going on Jeremiah?  What's different between this year and last
year?  What are your favorite episodes so far?  More titles, please?

Projects WCBN?  Anything more you can tell us?

Comics?  Which are out, pending, turned in and anything else cool?

Haven't heard anything about the Rising Stars feature film for a while. 
Anything happening there?

What else is keeping you busy these days?  Bet you didn't take Christmas or New
Year's off, did you?  Speaking of which, Happy New Year!

Realizing that this violates all of the rules about asking too many questions
in a post,

Jan

 
Check out my auctions of Babylon 5 scripts, Crusade scripts and rare
memorabilia at http://makeashorterlink.com/?L3B525DA2


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From: jmsatb5 at aol.com (Jms at B5)
Date: 06 Jan 2003 22:58:59 GMT
Lines: 77

>state of the Straczynski-verse update?

On projects new and old...there's been a variety of happenings.

On Jeremiah, we're about to start on episode 7, "Voices in the Dark," and I
just finished writing 8 and 9, "Crossing Jordan" and "Running on Empty."  By
the time we hit mid-week, we'll be halfway through shooting on the season,
which should wrap around the first week of April, though post will take us
through mid-May.

On Polaris...we got down to one of three projects of which one or two would be
greenlighted for production.  It went down to the wire, but finally SFC decided
that the premise of Polaris was a little too science fictiony, when they were
looking to go for ideas that had more immediate mainstream appeal.  So even
though they felt that Polaris was the best written of the projects they had in
development, they went for a project about intergalactic (not interstellar,
intergalactic) vampires called "Bloodsuckers."  It is, to be fair, one of those
concepts that, when you hear it, you get it, there isn't a lot of background
needed.

It happens.  Networks develop tons of shows but only green-light a handful
every year.  Showtime had something like 35 projects in development this past
season, and picked 3.  So at least we made it to the final cut, which is
something.

We still feel strongly about Polaris, and once the turn-around period has
expired, plan to bring it elsewhere.

But as one door closes, another opens.  The thing about television is that you
can only have x-number of projects in the works at one time as a show runner
(as opposed to someone who EPs and just sells shows).  For instance, on
Jeremiah, I'm in first position, meaning MGM and Jeremiah have first call on my
services.  When Polaris was in development, it occupied second position,
meaning that had it gone ahead, that show would've had call on me above any
other projects, but second behind Jeremiah in case of any conflicts of
priorities or schedules.

It's very difficult to sell or develop projects in third or fourth position,
because it has the potential to compromise those productions if you get jammed
up on shows with higher priority.  

Which is a long way to say that, once Polaris went away, it cleared the decks
to take on another television project in development, which is very new and I
can't discuss it yet until we're further down the road.  

On the comics front, I've turned in the first 2 issues of Supreme Power, and
should have the third issue in sometime next week. I'm working with Gary Frank
and Joe Quesada on the art and look of the book, which is very cool.   Also
working on issue 51 of Amazing Spider-Man, which I hope to turn in this week. 
(Issue 49 should be out in a couple weeks, I think.)

I've been told the writer/directors doing the dust-up on Rising Stars: The
Movie are progressing well, and I keep hearing about this thing shooting
sometime later this year, but that's strictly unofficial until somebody tells
me on the record.

The text for the B5 Quote Book is nearly done, and I think that one will be out
around April.

I'm also doing an 80-minute audio drama called "The Adventures of Apocalypse
Al," for a company that will put the show out later this year.

> Bet you didn't take Christmas or New
>Year's off, did you?  

No, couldn't, too many projects to write.  

 jms

(jmsatb5 at aol.com)
(all message content (c) 2003 by synthetic worlds, ltd., 
permission to reprint specifically denied to SFX Magazine 
and don't send me story ideas)