Sci-Fi Storm

The Amazon series based on the 1999 hit sci-fi comedy Galaxy Quest is on hold according to writer Paul Scheer, but he is confident it will proceed.

According to an interview with The Wrap, Scheer says the show is “in a little bit of a hold pattern,” due at least in part to the June firing of former Paramount TV president Amy Powell for racially insensitive comments.With any regime change, there is also uncertainty over projects greenlit under the previous management, but it seems at least in this case there is a good chance that things will still proceed once management shakes out.

Never give up, never surrender!

The Galaxy Quest series based on the 1999 movie has been in development for a while at Paramount, with Amazon signing on for distribution, but plans took a hit when Alan Rickman, who played Alexander Dane/Dr. Lazarus in the movie, passed away in January of 2016.

Now it seems things are picking up again, with the series still set for Amazon, with The League star and occasional writer Paul Scheer working on a script based on a new take for the series. No word on whether this version will feature any of the original cast. Mark Johnson is still attached as a producer.

We knew Paramount was looking for a movie-to-series adaptation of Galaxy Quest a few months ago and was shopping it around…now EW reports that the project has landed at Amazon Studios, where it will undergo further development.

Beyond that, little is known, other than the production crew will look the same. Co-writer Robert Gordon, director Dean Parisot and executive producers Mark Johnson and Melissa Bernstein are all back and will do the same for the pilot, with the Gordon and Parisot also exec producing.

It’s still a long ways off…but never give up…never surrender…

Paramount has been digging deep in the archives looking for properties that it might be able to turn into TV shows (can’t we get some original ideas guys?), and it appears they may have found a nugget in the form of Galaxy Quest, the 1999 DreamWorks spoof about the stars of a long-canceled SF TV show being taken by aliens to help them against a malevolent enemy.

Nellie Andreeva at Deadline reports that Paramount is developing Galaxy Quest for the small screen, with original feature writer Robert Gordon, director Dean Parisot and producer Mark Johnson all on board to executive produce, with Gordon also expected to write the pilot.

Actor Robin Sachs, who has played many different roles across the board, often in prosthetic makeup, passed away last week at the age of 61.

Fans of Buffy the Vampire Slayer might recognize his face as that of Ethan Rayne, but he did a lot of voice work (most recently in the game Mass Effect 3) and acted frequently in prosthetic makeup, including the role of Sarris in the Tim Allen comedy Galaxy Quest, four different roles in Babylon 5 (two Narn and new Minbari), and General Valen in (Star Trek: Voyager).