Last week J Michael Straczynski revealed that the mysterious Project #2 that had been in the works was completed and was in fact an animated movie. He also promised that more details would be revealed within a week. He has kept good on that promise and The Hollywood Reporter revealed new details including our first look at the animation in a picture of the Babylon 5 space station and a projected summer release.
Here’s what we know so far!
Titled Babylon 5: The Road Home it will include the voices of many original cast members including Bruce Boxleitner as John Sheridan, Claudia Christian as Susan Ivanova, Peter Jurasik as Londo Mollari, Bill Mumy as Lennier, Tracy Scoggins as Elizabeth Lochley and Patricia Tallman as Lyta Alexander. Piotr Michael will play John Sheridan’s son David, unseen in the original series, and Mara Junot will play a reporter and a computer voice.
Several of Babylon 5‘s original cast members have passed away since the show aired its last episode.
JMS has been very active on Twitter communicating with fans and he discussed how sensitive a subject it was to both him and the original cast on the recasting of characters for cast members no longer with us.
“before any of this started, I emailed the surviving cast to ask if they’d be okay working with new actors portraying our fallen friends, and that if even one said no, we wouldn’t do it. But they were all on board.” – J Michael Straczynski
Stepping in to fill those enormous shoes are Paul Guyet as Zathras (replacing Tim Choate) and Jeffery Sinclair (replacing Michael O’Hare), Anthony Hansen as Michael Garibaldi (replacing Jerry Doyle), Phil LaMarr as Dr. Stephen Franklin (replacing Richard Biggs), Andrew Morgado as G’Kar (replacing Andreas Katsulas), and Rebecca Riedy as Delenn (replacing Mira Furlan).
Straczynski wrote the film and executive produces. Matt Peters, known for Batman and Superman: Battle of the Super Sons, directs, with Rick Morales serving as supervising producer. Sam Register is the executive producer on the project.
Babylon 5: The Road Home will continue the story he started in the 1990s, with the logline stating, “Travel across the galaxy with John Sheridan as he unexpectedly finds himself transported through multiple timelines and alternate realities in a quest to find his way back home. Along the way he reunites with some familiar faces, while discovering cosmic new revelations about the history, purpose, and meaning of the Universe.”