I'm a bit dubious about hearing of new productions of Gerry Anderson's sci fi shows. UFO (and Space 1999 for that matter) might well be a great series that stands up to repeat runs, but it's also very much a product of it's time.
They were made in a time when the rate at which our understanding and venturing into space was developing at a faster and faster rate and the situations posed in them were at least vaguely plausible, even though they were still firmly rooted in fantasy.
I can't see any way a modern day UFO can work and still be true to the original - especially when the situations posed in the original UFO turned out to be nothing like that and mankind's ventures into space and the major technological breakthroughs posed in such series (like artificial gravity) have remained more or less static for 20 years. Remember the premise of the original: it was 1970, the year after the moon landing and therefore we had made ourselves visible to aliens intent on invading our planet. A secret defence base would be constructed to fight them off, which would take ten years to build, and then the timeline fast forwarded 10 years (at the time) to 1980, which is where the series was set. What are they going to do now? Show them still fighting the u-fo's in the same base nearly 35 years later? Do the same thing again and set it in the future again, again envisaging technology and a world which just won't come to fruition? At least the original had the brightly lit, colourful, noisy environment of the base and lack of political correctness which the licence of early 70's TV allowed, how will a modern series work? It'll just be like every other contemporary 'secret government organisation' series with the characters personal lives overrunning the script that's in production now - little more than 'La Femme Nikita' but with aliens instead of terrorists.
Any new series would just borrow the title, but in no way be true to the original - programmes like UFO sadly belong to an era which is very much over. I love watching the repeats, but I wouldn't like to see any new episodes made.
Carlton America is also developing a remake of Gerry Anderson's classic 70s science fiction series UFO.
The Guardian announced the news in a report about the development of an American version of Soldier Soldier, to be made by the team behind The West Wing.
"In Soldier, Soldier and UFO we have two powerful programmes with strong track records of success internationally," said Carlton America president and chief executive, Stephen Davis.
"We are confident these properties will be adapted in a way that will assure two hits in America."
The new UFO is being developed by Trilogy Entertainment Group, the company behind The Outer Limits and the Twilight Zone remakes.
LOS ANGELES, October 27, 2003
Carlton America, the U.S.-based television arm of Carlton International Media Group, is currently developing drama formats of two high-profile Carlton International television programs for the United States market, including the military drama "Soldier, Soldier" and the sci-fi series "UFO." The announcement was made today by Stephen J. Davis, President and CEO of Carlton America.
In late 2003 Carlton issued a press release stating that Trilogy Entertainment (the makers of the new OUTER LIMITS and TWILIGHT ZONE series) was working on creating a new UFO TV series for US networks. Stay tuned on that one...
The magazine also includes the latest news of Working Title's live-action Thunderbirds feature film, Trilogy Entertainment's new Canadian-produced UFO television series, and Gerry Anderson's own Captain Scarlet - The Return Of The Mysterons television series
None of those reports indicate that a series is actually being made - they all state that the idea is being developed. BIG difference.
Vast numbers of programmes are in development at any given time. Perhaps 10% of those will get to pilot stage, and 2% will go beyond pilot to full series.
Until such time as the UFO revival is officially greenlit (which could be in 1 year, 5 years, 10 years or never) there's no new series being made.
Retro revivals are very much in vogue at the moment, with Doctor Who, Thunderbirds and Starsky and Hutch all returning, so its perhaps not suprising that rumours like this will crop up.
Personally I never got into UFO, although I did quite like the Space:1999 repeats on BBC Two a few years back.
