Blake's 7 getting remade

[Heradel]

From the Guardian:

First Battlestar Galactica was reinvented as a must-watch TV show and clever allegory for US foreign policy post-9/11. Then the Doctor returned from Gallifrey to make sci-fi cool and revive mainstream family viewing.

Now Sky One is hoping to continue the successful reinvention of the genre with a multimillion-pound remake of the 1970s British favourite Blake's 7. The broadcaster yesterday announced that it had approved the development of two new scripts from the production company that holds the rights to the series.

It will hope to retain the addictive plots, realism and moral ambiguity of the original, which featured Roj Blake and his crew on the run from a totalitarian government called the Federation which rules the galaxy with an iron fist.

But it is likely that it will jettison the shaky sets and 1970s special effects which saw one of the spaceships constructed from hairdryer parts. And there is one other conundrum for the writers to solve: the eponymous Blake died in the final episode of the original series, when he was shot by fellow crew member Avon, and the rest of the main characters appeared to perish too.

[Windup]

From the Guardian:

And there is one other conundrum for the writers to solve: the eponymous Blake died in the final episode of the original series, when he was shot by fellow crew member Avon, and the rest of the main characters appeared to perish too.

Hah!  There's a difference between "appeared to perish" and "perish," just like the difference between "mostly dead" and "dead."  Miracle Max, call your office...

[Ocicat]

Blake's 7 would have to be a re-imagining ala Battlestar, instead of a continuation. 

The actors made that show it's original iteration.  And while I can see new actors doing different versions of Blake, Avon, and Vila, I'd never buy new actors pretending that they were the exact same characters picking up where things left off.

Plus, new viewers would be so confused.  There's just so much history, betrayals, and such.

A new version could be great, presuming the writers are willing to kill of characters, and not in the same manner and order as in the original show.  Things should eventually go spinning off in a different direction that's no less brutal...

[wintermute]

It's not the first time someone's tried to bring Blake's 7 back. Personally, I'll believe it when it's actually optioned...

[stePH]

From the Guardian:

First Battlestar Galactica was reinvented as a must-watch TV show and clever allegory for US foreign policy post-9/11. Then the Doctor returned from Gallifrey to make sci-fi cool and revive mainstream family viewing.

Now Sky One is hoping to continue the successful reinvention of the genre with a multimillion-pound remake of the 1970s British favourite Blake's 7.

...

And there is one other conundrum for the writers to solve: the eponymous Blake died in the final episode of the original series, when he was shot by fellow crew member Avon, and the rest of the main characters appeared to perish too.

Not an issue if the program is a remake (like Battlestar Galactica) instead of a continuation like Doctor Who.

[Heradel]

Not an issue if the program is a remake (like Battlestar Galactica) instead of a continuation like Doctor Who.

They are saying reinvention, which usually means grabbing the name and some other bits from the set, then chucking everything else to do something completely different, a la BS:G.

[stePH]

Not an issue if the program is a remake (like Battlestar Galactica) instead of a continuation like Doctor Who.

They are saying reinvention, which usually means grabbing the name and some other bits from the set, then chucking everything else to do something completely different, a la BS:G.

So how is there a "conundrum" for the writers?  I think the author of that article is somewhat confused.

[oddpod]

did any one catch the si-fi chanels audio virshon of blakes 7?
i lisend to a few and thay seamed quite good, but culdent find the buton to down load them

http://www.scifi.co.uk/blakes7/