'Battlestar Galactica' Movie Brings In Writer Simon Kinberg
The long-awaited Battlestar Galactica movie has a new writer: Simon Kinberg. Kinberg will also produce the project, which is coming from Universal. The Battlestar movie has been kicking around for so long that at one point now-disgraced filmmaker Bryan Singer was attached to helm, and a revolving list of writers – including Westworld co-creator Lisa Joy – have been involved with the script. Now it's Kinberg's turn.
The last time we heard about the Battlestar Galactica movie, The Girl in the Spider's Web's writer Jay Basu was tackling the script and Francis Lawrence was in the director's chair. That was 2018. Now, THR reports that Simon Kinberg is on board to produce and write the film, which currently has no director. Dylan Clark will also produce. "Battlestar Galactica is one of the holy grails in science fiction, and I couldn't be more excited about bringing something new to the franchise, while honoring what's made it so iconic and enduring," said Kinberg. "I'm so grateful that Dylan and my partners at Universal have trusted me with this incredible universe."
Battlestar Galactica began its life as a TV series that aired from 1978 through 1979. It was canceled after 24 episodes but fan demand lead to a revival, Galactica 1980, which lasted for 10 episodes. The series was revived yet again in 2003 with a three-hour miniseries that in turn became a new TV series, which ran for four season and developed a strong following. Two different prequel series, Caprica and Blood and Chrome, followed. Since then, there have been plans for yet another TV reboot, with Mr. Robot creator Sam Esmail producing. The series has also inspired novels, comic books, a board game, and video games.
And then there's this movie, which has nothing to do with those other reboots. Since there are so many different versions of Battlestar Galactica, it's a little hard to pin down a synopsis. But the basic gist: a human civilization that occupies a group of planets known as the Twelve Colonies is on the run from the Cylons, an evil race of robots. The 2003 reboot threw an interesting twist into the story by revealing that the story existed in a cyclical universe, where the events of the show happen again every few thousand years.
As for this new movie – well, there are no details at the moment. One can safely assume it will follow the basic premise of humans at war with the Cylons. But where it goes from there is anyone's guess. Kinberg has a ton of writing and producing credits to his name, and has also branched out into filmmaking. He helmed 2019's X-Men: Dark Phoenix as well as the upcoming The 355.