BATTLESTAR GALACTICA: Simon Kinberg to Write and Produce for Universal

Simon Kinberg to Write and Produce Battlestar Galactica Movie

Universal Pictures has acquired Simon Kinberg to write and produce a new feature adaptation of Battlestar Galactica.

Fresh from producing the X-Men franchise for over a decade — from X-Men: First Class to the award decorated Logan — Kinberg will be joining producer Dylan Clark (The Batman, War for the Planet of the Apes), who has long overseen development on the movie for Universal. Although Kinberg has also tried his hand at directing with 2019’s X-Men: Dark Phoenix and the spy thriller The 355 in 2021, he will not be directing the BSG film.

“‘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,” Kinberg said in a statement. “I’m so grateful that Dylan and my partners at Universal have trusted me with this incredible universe.”

The franchise has gone through many adaptations since it first launched as a live-action TV series on ABC in 1978. While it was originally viewed as a rip off of Star Wars, BSG gained respect from audiences and critics after the acclaimed reboot of the series in 2004, starring Edward James Olmos, Mary McDonnell and Katee Sackhoff. Both shows adhere to a loosely similar premise — a fleet of human starships protected by the Galactica commanded by captain Adama (Olmos) flee a race of robots bent on the extermination of humanity and seek refuge on a mythical planet called Earth.

The feature film version of Battlestar Galactica has no plot connection to the plans for a new TV series that is now under development at NBCUniversal’s streaming service Peacock by executive producer Sam Esmail (Mr. Robot).

Kinberg says that he intends to start totally from scratch with his script, which he has been developing for years. Lisa Joy of Westworld and Jack Paglen of Transcendence recently took turns attempting a screenplay, and Kinberg’s old X-Men colleague Bryan Singer had been set to direct back in 2009.

The 355, which Kinberg also co-wrote, stars Jessica Chastain, Lupita Nyong’o, Penelope Cruz, Diane Kruger and Fan Bingbing. It is scheduled to premiere on January 15th, 2021.

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