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J. Michael Straczynski offers hope for The CW's 'Babylon 5' reboot, despite network cancellations

The creator of Babylon 5 urged his fans to settle in and wait until a decision is made.

By Matthew Jackson Nov 15, 2022, 10:35 AM ET

The cast of the US science-fiction TV show 'Babylon 5' pose "flipping the bird" at the camera on the soundstage in Los Angeles, California. Photo: Michael Tighe/Donaldson Collection/Getty Images

It's been a little more than a year since news of a potential reboot of Babylon 5 surfaced over at The CW. Since then things have stalled in a big way, and remained stalled as The CW goes through major changes after its purchase by Nexstar Media Group. So, what does all that upheaval mean for our chances at more B5? According to creator J. Michael Straczynski, it means we wait, and it's as simple as that.

Straczynski took his Twitter account over the weekend to address new rumors swirling around about the future of his sci-fi series, a major creative force in the genre in the 1990s that remains one of the most influential series of its time. While he didn't offer any actual news on the future of the series, Straczysnki stressed that there's a good reason: There isn't news, and anyone who says there's news is lying.

-- and when it does I'll get it out as soon as possible or at minimum let you know that something has been decided. Through 30+ years of rumors and online nonsense I've always dealt straight with the B5 fan community. Waiting is hard, but wait we must until *something* is decided
— J. Michael Straczynski (@straczynski) November 13, 2022

The Babylon 5 reboot news cycle dates back to September of 2021, when it was first revealed that Straczynski was working on a new version of the series for The CW. A few months later, we learned that the show wouldn't be picked up as part of the 2022 TV season. Despite that setback, Straczynski stressed that the news was only a delay, not a death sentence for his mysterious new concept for the series. Babylon 5 was still in "active development," even if it was on hold at The CW. Then came the other major changes at the network, as several key genre series were cancelled amid an ownership shake-up, leaving even more looming questions about the future of Babylon 5.

So, here comes Straczynski, who's been known for his online presence and fan interactions pretty much since the dawn of the modern internet, to try and set the record straight once more. Sure, he doesn't offer any real news that we can cling to in terms of the show's future, but he also doesn't offer any doom, either. It's simply a matter of waiting to see what the powers-that-be at the network decide. How and when that'll happen isn't clear, but in the meantime, you've got dozens of classic Babylon 5 episodes to rewatch. And hope we still might get a few more.

Looking for more high-concept science fiction? Stream SYFY's Battlestar Galactica, the Jurassic World Dominion extended edition and more on Peacock right now. Plus keep an eye out for SYFY's new original series The Ark coming in early 2023.