Babylon 5 Creator Calls on Fan Support To Save the Reboot

Babylon 5 creator J. Michael Straczynski is calling on fans for their help in trying to get the series’ reboot made. The CW announced the Babylon 5 reboot in 2021, but that was before the Warner Bros. Discovery merger and the subsequent sale of The CW to Nexstar Media Group. Previously, The CW confirmed that the project is still alive, but its final fate will apparently be decided soon. Yesterday, he tweeted that, “It’s never been my way to ask B5 fans and followers for a solid on behalf of the show.  Because I feel it’s my role, and the role of the show, to be in service to you, not the other way around. But tomorrow, for the first time in 22 years, I will ask.”

Today, he asked fans to show their support for the Babylon 5 reboot on social media by tweeting about it in an attempt to sway Warner Bros. Television’s final decision. “The fate of the #Babylon5 pilot may be decided end of this month,” Straczynski tweeted today. “Though much of @TheCW was bought by @NXSTMediaGroup the decision also rests heavily with @WarnerbrosTV. If fans want to show their support for B5 & let them know you want this to happen, now is the time #B5onCWin23.”

Babylon 5 has a dedicated fan following that was pleased to see the series finally brought to streaming on HBO Max, with some minor touchups. They are, of course, showing their support for the reboot on social media, but whether that will be enough to get the new pilot made remains to be seen.

In February, Straczynski said that the Babylon 5 reboot was in active development at The CW for 2023, with The CW chairman/CEO Mike Pedowitz still on board with the idea. “I should mention that Mark is a great guy and a long-time fan of B5,” Straczynski wrote on Patreon. “He worked for Warners when the show was first airing. Calling the [reboot] pilot a ‘damned fine script,’ he said he was taking the highly unusual step of rolling the project and the pilot script into next year, keeping B5 in active development while the dust settles on the [prospective] sale of the CW.”

In May, Pedowitz confirmed the reboot was still “very much in active development, I personally spoke with Straczynski back when we picked up the pilot. I’m a huge fan of Babylon 5, on a personal basis, I’ve seen every episode of the series. I’ve known Joe for a long, long time. I’d love to bring back that story in some shape or form, I think it’s perfect for the CW.”

The original Babylon 5 is streaming now on HBO Max.