TMoS casting guessing game

[Chris Springob]

What good are internet messageboards if they don't allow you to speculate based on virtually nothing in the way of hard facts?

Since JMS has now all but confirmed that TMoS is a feature film to be, and, years ago, he said that he'd want any future B5 movie to include the original cast (because they helped the show succeed in the first place), I want to know which cast members you think are going to be in the movie.

IMHO, there's a high probability that the movie will center around the Telepath War. But while story demands may influence who would appear in the movie, "real world" factors (what is the actor doing now? what kind of relationship does the actor currently have with JMS, WB, etc.?) are likely to be more important. So keep that in mind. Remember to state who you think is going to be in the movie (along with some explanation), not who you *want* to be in the movie.

WB may make an announcement (potentially along with some casting) in little more than a week. So time is running out for everyone to make wild uneducated guesses.

 

[Tarondor]

Assuming you're right about the Teep War:

Boxleitner - it ain't B5 without him

Doyle - just try and keep him out!

Furlan, Katsulas & Jurasik - can't see B5 without them, but can't see that Delenn would have much to do with the telepath war. Imagine they'd have small parts (a crying shame and a damned good reason to pick another B5 era for the movie).

Christian - Ain't Happenin'. More's the pity.

Biggs - Yeah, I think he'd play an important role. Another attempt by outsiders to use his research, perhaps.

Scoggins - Yes. She's hot and she could easily have a role in the Teep War.

Koenig and Tallman - No Teep war without Bester and Lyta, right?

Furst - Dunno, but who doesn't want to see Vir again? I do!

Conaway - Likely in a bit role.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Now, having said all that, the downfall of such a notion is the small or absent roles for Delenn, G'Kar and Londo, who, with Sheridan, are the spiritual CORE of Babylon 5. I'd rather see a movie about "the incident" with David Sheridan. That would include all of these characters in a more central role, and would occur at about the right distance in time from "Objects at Rest" for the actors' present ages. Perfect, in my opinion.

 

[Leto II]

Here's a breakdown of the potential characters that was posted a few days earlier on another discussion board...it's organized according to likelihood of each person's participation in the storyline:


The Absolute Indispensibles:

[*]John Sheridan: A no-brainer. President of the Interstellar Alliance, the plight of both the "normals" and "blips" becomes his concern during the conflict, walking the lines between the needs of Earth (pardon pun) and the other races under his leadership.

[*]Lyta Alexander: Another no-brainer. Her uprising long in the planning phases, the Telepath War erupts -- starting causes and party unknown as yet -- upon her return with G'Kar in 2264.

[*]Michael Garibaldi: Connected to Lyta and Alfred Bester in more ways than he'd care to imagine. Put in charge of financing, training, and equipping Lyta's paramilitary force during her absence, he possesses another very personal grudge against Bester due to his telepathic neural block.

[*]G'Kar: Lyta's travelling companion from 2262 until 2264, G'Kar has become an advisor to Sheridan and Delenn as of late 2265 (c.f., Legend of the Rangers); he would undoubtedly inform the IA as to Lyta's intended plans, and have some decent character moments and lovely G'kar Speeches as the plausible voice of conscience to Lyta's troubled id.

[*]Alfred Bester: The third no-brainer. Little needs saying, here.

[*]Lennier: JMS has stated that Lennier meets his fate during the Telepath War, and the early script draft for the Crusade episode "The Path of Sorrows" depicted Lyta Alexander crying out to Lennier during the assault upon the Psi Corps's Mars headquarters. See "Delenn" below for further notes on this one.

[*]Delenn: Her primary reasons for meaningful direct involvement in the Teep War are twofold: first, as Sheridan's "vice-president" (per "A Call to Arms") and head of the Rangers, she would be in a direct position to influence the participation of the Interstellar Alliance's frontline forces in any action against the Psi Corps (again, note that the IA is apparently brought into the war once the alien races and outer human colonies are threatened -- an explicit Alliance jurisdictional affair).

Second -- the setup seen in "Objects at Rest," concerning Lennier's eventual "redemption" in both she and her husband's eyes for his crime. Having Lennier and Delenn and Sheridan cross paths once more against the backdrop of the war -- while Lennier accomplishes some sort of significant act that affects those involved, redeems himself, and which results in his death -- is a vital part of this story.



Potential Vital Supporting Players:

[*]Susan Ivanova: Apart from being captain of one of EarthForce's premier Warlock-class destroyers, and thus likely to be positioned on the front lines of any major military action (and her destroyer having recently been freed of Shadowtech influence that the Corps could exploit), Ivanova holds a very, very personal reason for a probable inclusion by JMS in the screenplay: her family history with the Psi Corps, and the organic character outgrowth of her unleashing her long-held-in-check inner rage, and giving Claudia Christian some possibly significant scenes to play. And again, another tremendous "G'Kar-as-conscience" opportunity.

She and Straczynski have apparently patched up their differences in recent years (Joe speaking glowingly of her on the DVD commentary tracks, etc.), and this forgiveness and rapprochement could translate into a meaty role for her in the flick.

[*]Elizabeth Lochley & Zack Allan: For any motion picture to feature the words "Babylon 5" in its title, audiences will rightly be expecting to see some glimpse of the station itself. As a strategic point for the Alliance circa 2264-65, it might very well serve as a tactical staging area for forces from Minbar and other IA worlds. And its commander and chief of security would be right there in the thick of the preparations to war. (To wit, there is also that long-awaited Lochley/Ivanova Jell-O bitchfight-throwdown that we might end up glimpsing, but I digress...)

[*]Dr. Franklin: As head of Xenobiological Research at EarthDome, Franklin holds an important position close to the President herself, and would undoubtedly be consulted during the war effort thanks to his work both with legit telepaths, and as the former head of the "underground railroad" he helped to put together. This latter characteristic could be the more important of the two, as coordinating between Lyta's resistance forces and the Alliance might prove to be a major turning point in the conflict.

[*]Susanna Luchenko: President of the Earth Alliance, she'd be rightsmackdab in the political (and military) crossfires arising out of Psi Corps's sudden movement to overthrow the government, and the Earth Senate's disassociation with the agency. Lots of fireworks could await, here; Beata Pozniak in fact reprised her role in the ****canned B5 computer simulator, and could be seen here, as well (assuming that all Contractual Actor Issues are sussed out).



Others Who Might Get A Smidgen Of Screentime, But Who Are More Or Less Even Money Right At This Moment:

[*]Vir Cotto: Centauri Ambassador to Babylon 5, it is described a number of times in the "Fall of Centuari Prime" trilogy of novels that Vir was onboard B5 during the Teep War, and as such would have probable interactions with Captain Lochley and others there. If the war comes to Babylon 5 as is expected, his involvement as an "unofficial" advisor to the IA (owing to Centauri Prime's Drakh-induced withdrawal) could give Stephen Furst some good scenes with both the human characters, as well as others (for instance, say...G'Kar).

[*]Londo Mollari: Perhaps the most difficult character to shoehorn into the storyline, it is still possible via one of several methods; see Joe DeMartino's "Drakh arms sale" scenario, for one. Being in contact with Vir aboard the station for some reason is another.

[*]Shiv'kala: See "Londo" for all pertinent reasons.

[*]Tessa Halloran/"Number One": Garibaldi's successor as the IA's Head of Covert Intelligence, she'd be in a primo position to place past members of the Mars Resistance into contact with Sheridan's and Lyta's forces, due to the location of Psi Corps's primary headquarters there.

[*]John Matheson: Maybe, maybe not. But he was certainly on the opposite side of the war for quite some time, up to and during the Psi Corps's probable victory against EarthGov, and the one Crusade character whom could fit into the movie without it feeling totally contrived. Perhaps a brief, passing cameo. We'll see.

[*]Byron Gordon: As Neroon once said, "...After a fashion." According to the third "Psi Corps" novel, before he died, Byron placed a telepathic simulacrum of himself within Bester's subconscious, which starts surfacing around the time of the war as an accusing, Jiminy Cricket-esque, birdie-on-the-shoulder voice of neglected morality to him, much to Bester's woe. Having Robin Atkin Downes doing a few scenes would give some ironic resonance to the whole "Remember Byron" leitmotif, and to the entire first half of Season Five.

 

[Sindatur]

Leto II, that all sounds great, but the Telepath War, from all indications we've seen in the Series, is PsiCorps against Rogue Telepaths, and some Mndanes getting in the way here and there, but, I can't see Earth Force's Flagship having an active role in it. I concede there's any number of ways Susan herself could be involved, and possibly a glimpse of her ship, but, the ship itself shouldn't be actively involved, I wouldn't think.

Lyta, Sheridan, Bester and Lennier all seem neccessary for a telepath War, and most of the rest of the characters seem plausible as you have laid them out.

 

[Chris Springob]

[*]Londo Mollari: Perhaps the most difficult character to shoehorn into the storyline, it is still possible via one of several methods; see Joe DeMartino's "Drakh arms sale" scenario, for one. Being in contact with Vir aboard the station for some reason is another.

What's the "Drakh arms sale" scenario?

I think people may be overestimating the extent to which the story will dictate the cast, and underestimating the extent to which it'll work the other way around.

What about Jerry Doyle's recent dustup with JMS? Is that likely to prevent him from joining the cast? Does Andreas's appearance in Rangers mean that he's among the most amenable to doing new B5 projects?

Does anyone know if any of the cast has travel plans during the next couple of weeks? That could be a clue about making a public appearance for the announcement. Has Jerry Doyle said anything on his radio show about taking some time off in the near future? Is any of the cast slated to appear at Cannes?

 

[Leto II]

Leto II, that all sounds great, but the Telepath War, from all indications we've seen in the Series, is PsiCorps against Rogue Telepaths, and some Mndanes getting in the way here and there, but, I can't see Earth Force's Flagship having an active role in it. I concede there's any number of ways Susan herself could be involved, and possibly a glimpse of her ship, but, the ship itself shouldn't be actively involved, I wouldn't think.

Don't let Joe DeMartino hear you say that...

Trust me (us) -- it gets *much* bigger than that towards the end. Just pick up the third "Psi Corps" novel and look at the back cover...it as much as states that the Interstellar Alliance enters the war and turns the tide back in EarthGov's favor against the Corps. Prior to that -- as clearly seen in "The Path of Sorrows" -- the Corps was actually winning against the rogues and, apparently, even EarthForce.

Besides which, it's unlikely that JMS could even sell a film like this to the studio execs without the promise of at least *a few* reasonably large-scale space battle sequences...and the Earth fleet would be one of the few parties to be positioned for involvement in a situation on this scale.

It ultimately spirals way beyond the original "Rogue-Teeps-Versus-Psi-Cops" premise, which is in keeping with Joe Straczynski's long-standing tradition of red-herring storytelling misdirection. As we know from Crusade and the Psi Corps novels, the *true* objective for Psi Corps (and Bester himself) was nothing less than the complete takeover of the Earth government.

 

[Sindatur]

Hmm, guess I'll have to pull it off the bookshelf and do a re-read, I don't remember any epic Space Battles (Ala Shadow War or Clarke's War) in Final Reckoning that had to do with the Teep War.

 

[Leto II]

Well, there weren't any in there, since that novel is set long *after* the Teep War ends, and only contains direct flashbacks to the *political* repercussions during and after the war.

We do learn, however, that Lyta gets killed during one of the war's final battles (in the destruction of one of the Corps's primary bases), but there's nothing in the book at all to preclude the possibility of some significant space engagements. In fact, it's almost guaranteed to happen, since we know that EarthGov (i.e., the Senate) attempted to stop its own former agency before it could gain dominion, and such actions would of necessity encompass military action against the ships that EarthForce themselves built for the Corps (per "Value Judgments").

Again, though, in order to have a broader appeal beyond the core 15 million or so fen who're going to be there to "open" the film -- to the "propellerheads" (as JMS has termed them) who watch movies to See Stuff Blow Up; to the casual, undecided ticketbuyer whom might be interested in the "action quotient" glimpsed in the film's trailers -- it's got to have "crossover" appeal. And it's certain that Joe won't skimp on that particular front.

 

[Sindatur]

Now that you mention that, I think back to "The Corps is Mother, The Corps is Father" and I guess there was a reason JMS hid that PsiCorps MotherShip in HyperSpace

 

[colonyearth]

Now that you mention that, I think back to "The Corps is Mother, The Corps is Father" and I guess there was a reason JMS hid that PsiCorps MotherShip in HyperSpace

Actually in S5 Bester refers to the Mother Ships...plural. And hints at a very large and secret force awaiting their moment to be called forth into fire and war.

Yes, the TW has a lot of potential. And as some of you may recall, I used to be a huge opponent to the TW film idea. I've since paid closer attention to that thread when watching all 5 seasons and done some more research. Is there a possibility that it will be a Drakh War film? Yes, "there are always possibilities." Point is, we won't know until "around the Ides of May."

Leto II, loved the character-by-character blow, very well done and saved me the work...much appreciated.

Although, I think you're all underestimating JMS' ability to involve the entire cast in very significant and powerful ways into whatever story he's going to tell. Things we're not aware of or one of JMS' great red herrings.

I think we will see Londo in an important role to the story somehow. Who's to say that JMS won't tell a multiple story tale that hints at or wraps up and ties together by the end?

For all we know, he's been told to tell a one-off story with enough left to do at least two more films so that if this one's a success, a trilogy can come from it. If that is the case, we all know JMS can appear to wrap something up when in fact it's only just begun. "No one (nothing) here is exactly as he (it) seems."


Knowing JMS he'll plan for such a contingency and, who knows, might even leave us hanging somewhat on certain elements, meaning a clear hint and a half to more going on, or an intense side story that is yet to come to fruition. This is, after all, JMS we're talking about here.

"Faith manages."

 

[Demon]

It's not likely, but I'd love to see Talia Winters pop up again. Bad Talia could be fun and we don't know for sure that she got dissected :devil:

 

[vacantlook]

I'd love to see Talia pop up again. Even if it's not in a telepath war movie, I'd like to think that Talia's story isn't over yet.

 

[Leto II]

...Dammit, it just struck me:

If Paul Winfield hadn't passed away recently, there would have been an excellent opportunity for Dr. Franklin's father to have gotten worked back into the fold once again (which we'd hoped for during the last two seasons of B5, but which never materialized).

Think about it: Dr. Franklin -- his son, close to the presidential Cabinet, a high-ranking government officer -- colluding with and supporting the renegade teep movement against the "legitimate" Psi Corps...and *then*, later, the tables turn as the Corps begins its movement against EarthForce. General Franklin would've gotten caught between both sides.

What a loss.

 

[Elenopa]

Now that you mention that, I think back to "The Corps is Mother, The Corps is Father" and I guess there was a reason JMS hid that PsiCorps MotherShip in HyperSpace

The Motherships are still around in Crusade's time. One appears in the unfilmed script with Bester.

 

[gangster]

Everyone seems to think the movie will be about the Telepath Wars so is guessing the casting for that event. I respectifully disagree because I suspect TMoS stand for The Memory of Shadows and if this correct, the movie will likely be the Drakh War. This would use as many of the original cast as are available and include cameos of those not available for prolonged gigs. (Just my opion :devil

 

[Kosomot]

What Drakh war? As I understand it there were two major encounters with the Drakh. One was covered in the A Call To Arms TV movie and the other took place around the time of the future events depicted in War Without End. I think it is unlikely that the movie will take place in that era.

 

[vacantlook]

Even if it is "The Memory of Shadows," that could reflect toward a telepath war. Telepaths were created to be weapons against the Shadows. Additionally, the Shadows had agents work with the PsiCorps and EarthGov to give the PsiCorps more power in the government.

 

[Kosomot]

Although "The Memory of Shadow" remains a very strong possibility I have also become fond of "The Myth of Sheridan" after listening to the SiL commentary.

 

[hypatia]

I lost interest in this whole thing for awhile, but I confess now that the supposed announcement date draws nearer (we hope) I am getting curious again. But I missed out on most of the debate.

Could someone tell me why this project couldn't be focussed more on "Crusade" and the cast of "Crusade" than the original B5? Since no one is mentioning it, I suspect it was mentioned as an option and dismissed for some big reason.

In my mind Babylon 5 itself is so wrapped up, I really think I'd prefer to see a resolution to the Crusade story, actually.

 

[Leto II]

Although "The Memory of Shadow" remains a very strong possibility I have also become fond of "The Myth of Sheridan" after listening to the SiL commentary.

Trouble is, it's not exactly a title brimming over with "marketing" appeal for that all-important crossover demographic...to say nothing of the fact that your Average Steve-Bob Moviegoer On The Street ain't gonna know who the hell this "Sheridan" is, to say nothing of paying gelt for a ticket for some movie featuring him or her.

These viewers will have to know precisely *why* this "Sheridan" person even has a "myth" surrounding him, which would presuppose an intimate familiarity with the greater five-year arc. Which, as far as sustaining a crossover box office take is concerned, is the kiss of death.

It will be a title more "kicky" and generalized -- in other words, something that will "hook" the unwashed noobs into buying that succulently enticing ticket. Although not necessarily what *I* think the title will even be, The Memory of Shadows *is* slightly more marketing-friendly and -- as I said -- non-specific enough to not overtly discombobulate the casual viewer off the street.

Everyone seems to think the movie will be about the Telepath Wars so is guessing the casting for that event. I respectifully disagree because I suspect TMoS stand for The Memory of Shadows and if this correct, the movie will likely be the Drakh War. This would use as many of the original cast as are available and include cameos of those not available for prolonged gigs. (Just my opion :devil

It ain't gonna be the Drakh War, or anything remotely Crusade-related.

Remember, this is a Babylon 5 film -- a series that sustained viewership for five long years, not some show that got cancelled before a single episode ever made it onto the air.

Added to that, the Telepath War is about the only major untold story still present on the timeline that could conceivably involve ALL of the original cast before many of their characters perish for various reasons (and two of them *do*, in this particular one). The studio ain't gonna risk tens of millions of dollars on a major potential tentpole release like this without the presence of the cast of the most widely-known B5 series to anchor that film.

Let's put some reality into perspective here, folks...