Although Battlestar Galactica has never truly gone away thanks to the enduring popularity of the original series and its 2000s reboot, the sci-fi franchise is definitely getting ready to turn a new chapter. In addition to a new series being developed for Peacock by Mr. Robot showrunner Sam Esmail, the Battlestar Galactica movie that’s been in the works since 2009 is slowly making progress. As it turns out though, these two Battlestar projects are closely connected rather than being separate takes on the same mythology.
This information comes from producer Simon Kinberg, who’s producing and co-writing the Battlestar Galactica movie with Dylan Clark. In an interview with Collider, Kinberg said with the second draft of the script finished, the search is underway for a director to helm the feature, with shooting expected to begin either towards the end of this year or in early 2023. Kinberg also said the following about the movie’s ties with Peacock’s forthcoming Battlestar Galactica series:
In terms of the situation with Sam and the show, I can’t say too much about it other than there is synergy between the two enterprises and constant communication between us. We’ve become close and been having a really good time together and there will be, for lack of a better phrase and it’s an overused phrase, a shared universe.
It would have been easy enough to develop these two Battlestar Galactica projects on independent tracks, but now we know Simon Kinberg and Sam Esmail have been collaborating on them. Kinberg didn’t elaborate on how tightly these Battlestar narratives will be weaved together, though I imagine they’ll be standalone enough that if someone decides to just watch the TV show or movie, it’ll still be easy to follow along with what’s going on.
It’s also worth remembering that rather than being a straightforward reboot, Peacock’s Battlestar Galactica series was previously revealed to exist in the same continuity as the 2000s series. So by Simon Kinberg mentioning a “shared universe,” evidently that also applies to the Battlestar Galactica movie. Here’s what Kinberg had to say about that:
There are connections, but it is certainly not simply a continuation or a remake of Ron Moore’s masterpiece.
So just like with Peacock’s Battlestar Galactica series, don’t expect the Battlestar Galactica movie to simply retell the core story of the remnants of humanity fleeing from the Cylons. Following the conclusion of the 2000s Battlestar Galactica series, a prequel called Caprica aired for one season, and the web series Blood & Chrome was intended to launch a TV series, but it wasn’t picked up. With both of these new projects still in the early developmental stages, it’ll likely be a while until we learn just how they specifically fit into the Battlestar Galactica tapestry.
Rest assured though, CinemaBlend will keep you apprised on major updates about the Battlestar Galactica movie and the companion Peacock series. For now, you can see Simon Kinberg’s latest movie, The 355, in theaters starting tomorrow, January 7.