NEW YORK -- After transforming "X-Men" into a hit (headed for a sequel with him at the helm), director Bryan Singer will steer a relaunch of the cult series "Battlestar Galactica."

Singer has made a deal with Studios USA to reinvent the series and exec produce it with Tom DeSanto, and he'll direct the pilot if it doesn't clash with the "X-Men 2" shooting schedule. The studio is finalizing deals with show runners, and will shop to networks shortly.

Hatched in the wake of "Star Wars," the Glen Larson-created "Battlestar Galactica" premiered on ABC in 1978 and ran two seasons, starring Lorne Greene as the commander of the title vessel.

Despite its brief run, the series has attracted a cult following. "The lesson I learned on 'X-Men' is to have a healthy respect for the fan base of sci-fi fantasy franchises, and I'm confident that the 'Galactica' brand is a sleeping giant," said Singer. "It was a show I watched during its initial run, from the pilot to the final episode. The essence and the brand name is quite potent in a climate where there's a great deficit of scifi programming."

The original series was produced by Universal Television and the assets were inherited by Studios USA when Barry Diller took the helm. While USA Television Production Group president David Kissinger got frequent e-mails from fans, he never considered revisiting the turf until Singer's direct approach.

"I never dreamed a filmmaker of Bryan's stature would be enough of a hardcore fan that he saw this as a franchise that could be reinvented," said Kissinger. "In the initial meeting, I was wary that he might be just another feature guy looking to slap his name on a TV project, but it was immediately clear this wasn't so. He's got a whole mythology and arc for the series already worked out."

At $1 million per episode, the original was the highest budgeted drama of its time. A cutting edge reinvention will be pricier, but Kissinger was confident the revenue would be there. "We'll shop it right away with the goal of having it in a prime time slot on a network, but it's possible that we might be able to do a dual window scenario with the SciFi Channel," said Kissinger. "With Bryan's vision and a brand name which has international appeal, we're optimistic we'll be able to make it on the grand scale he imagines. The visual imagery he's talking about is unprecedented in its effects and scope."

The show's being packaged by WMA, which teamed with lawyer David Feldman to make Singer's deal. The drama will be shepherded by USA senior veep of drama programming Dan Pasternack, with creator Larson also aboard.

Singer unexpectedly has time to immerse himself in "Galactica," as the film he planned to direct, "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind" has been pushed back post-strike. Singer plans to spend the next few months in full scifi mode, having just signed his "X-Men 2" deal. He hopes to have that Fox film ready for a possible holiday 2002 bow.

Variety Link - 2/21/01.

Battlestar Galactica: Talk about a bit of news from right out of the blue. Variety reports that "X-Men" Director Bryan Singer and Producer Tom DeSanto will "steer a relaunch"' of the cult 80's sci-fi TV series "Battlestar Galactica" for Studios USA. After the studio inherited the rights to the property from Universal, there's been messages from fans asking for the shows re-emergence but the TV Production Group President David Kissinger never considered the possibility till Singer came in - "I never dreamed a filmmaker of Bryan's stature would be enough of a hard-core fan that he saw this as a franchise that could be reinvented. In the initial meeting, I was wary that he might be just another feature guy looking to slap his name on a TV project, but it was immediately clear this wasn't so. He's got a whole mythology and arc for the series already worked out". The budget is expected to be easily over the original series' $1 million per episode. As long as it doesn't clash with his "X-Men 2" commitments, Singer may direct the pilot which the studio wants to get on a major network. This pretty much shoots down recent attempts by original series alumni Glen Larson & Richard Hatch who were slowly developing their own feature film version takes on the franchise. Thanks to 'Bentley'

Dark Horizons Link - 2/22/01.

X-Men director Bryan Singer will reinvent an updated Battlestar Galactica television series for Studios USA, which inherited the rights to the 1970s cult SF show from Universal, Variety reported. Singer has made a deal with Studios USA to executive produce it with his X-Men partner Tom DeSanto, the trade paper reported.

Singer will also direct the pilot if it doesn't conflict with his plans to helm X-Men 2. The studio is finalizing deals with show runners and will shop the series to networks shortly, though USA said it might work out an arrangement to share the show with The SCI FI Channel, Variety reported. Studios USA and SCI FI are both owned by USA Networks, which also owns SCIFI.COM.

The original series, starring Lorne Greene, was created by Glen Larson and ran on ABC for two seasons starting in 1978. Singer's plans would appear to torpedo earlier efforts to revive Galactica by both Larson and original series star Richard Hatch (not the Survivor winner).

USA Television Production Group president David Kissinger told Variety that he received frequent e-mails from fans, but never considered reviving the series until Singer approached him. "I never dreamed a filmmaker of Bryan's stature would be enough of a hard-core fan that he saw this as a franchise that could be reinvented," Kissinger told the trade paper. "In the initial meeting, I was wary that he might be just another feature guy looking to slap his name on a TV project, but it was immediately clear this wasn't so. He's got a whole mythology and arc for the series already worked out."

The Sci-Fi Wire Link - 2/22/01.

Bryan Singer isn't just solely focusing his attention on X-Men 2. He's also spearheading a relaunch of the Battlestar Galactica TV series.

According to Variety columnist Michael Fleming, Singer has struck a deal with USA Studios to reinvent the '70s TV series. Singer will also act as an executive producer of the program along with his X-Men partner Tom DeSanto. Beyond that, as long as it doesn't clash with his X-Men 2 duties, the helmer is planning to direct the pilot episode as well.

While talking to Fleming, Singer stated his intentions for this new Galactica, saying, "The lesson I learned on X-Men is to have a healthy respect for the fan base of sci-fi fantasy franchises, and I'm confident that the Galactica brand is a sleeping giant. It was a show I watched during its initial run, from the pilot to the final episode. The essence and the brand name is quite potent in a climate where there's a great deficit of scifi programming."

USA Television Production Group president David Kissinger sounds almost shocked regarding Singer's involvement in the project, saying, "I never dreamed a filmmaker of Bryan's stature would be enough of a hardcore fan that he saw this as a franchise that could be reinvented. In the initial meeting, I was wary that he might be just another feature guy looking to slap his name on a TV project, but it was immediately clear this wasn't so. He's got a whole mythology and arc for the series already worked out."

"We'll shop it right away with the goal of having it in a prime time slot on a network, but it's possible that we might be able to do a dual window scenario with the SciFi Channel," Kissinger adds. "With Bryan's vision and a brand name which has international appeal, we're optimistic we'll be able to make it on the grand scale he imagines. The visual imagery he's talking about is unprecedented in its effects and scope."

Word has it that the recent problems with the Confessions of a Dangerous Mind project are what allowed Singer to direct some of his energy towards this newly forged Galactica project.

Meanwhile, X-Men 2 is firmly in place to start up production in early 2002 with a holiday 2002 release date planned.

Cinescape Link - 2/22/01.