'Transcendence' Writer Comes Aboard Revived 'Battlestar Galactica' Film

Around the time the rebooted Battlestar Galactica TV series was ending its run on SyFy Channel, Bryan Singer came aboard to helm a big screen version of the original series. But he had actually been working on something even before that, so this seemed like the perfect chance for him to put some of those ideas to work. Nothing has been heard about it in three years, but now Variety reports Universal is moving forward on the Battlestar Galactica film, only Singer may not be involved.

Transcendence and Prometheus 2 scribe Jack Paglen has been hired to write the screenplay for Battlestar Galactica, which also has the involvement of series creator and producer Glen Larson. Paglen takes over from John Orloff (A Mighty Heart), who was intending to merge all of the Battlestar Galactica continuities somehow. Universal wants a "complete reimagining", something more streamlined for audiences unfamiliar with the property, so it makes sense to bring someone new in.

As for Singer, Variety's piece only refers to his past involvement with the project, implying that he's moved. With him spearheading the renewed X-men franchise it's doubtful he would have had time for it, anyway.

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'Prometheus' Sequel Moves Forward; Ridley Scott May Not Direct

After the lukewarm reaction to Ridley Scott's Prometheus, it wasn't clear if Fox would be willing to move ahead with a sequel. For that matter, it wasn't certain if Scott had it in him to tackle another trip into Alien territory, especially since he's already developing a sequel to Blade Runner and has The Counselor opening later this year. But it does sound as if the film is alive and well, it just may not happen with Scott behind the camera.

Variety reports that Jack Paglen has been brought on to pen Prometheus 2, or whatever it will be called. Paglen is the red hot writer behind Transcendence, the big sci-fi film from famed cinematographer Wally Pfister. As for Scott, he's definitely on board as a producer, but the story is a little squishy beyond that, saying "it’s unknown at this time if he will direct."  My guess is that Scott will hand pick a successor, leaving him free to do other things while overseeing the franchise.

We can argue whether Scott's ambition exceeded his grasp, but for me Prometheus was successful enough. He has said in the past, and it's reiterated in Variety's story, that the sequel will be more of a standalone effort. That I'd be very interested in seeing, especially with some new blood at the helm.

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