The good news is that an independent source, http://www.comingsoon.net/news/topnews.php?id=7515 [1] has reported a start date for the filming of [i]The Memory of Shadows[/i]

[quote]Babylon 5 Movie Starts Filming in April
Source: Production Weekly December 8, 2004

Steven Beck will direct a big screen adaptation of the popular sci-fi TV series Babylon 5. The movie, titled The Memory of Shadows, is intended for theatrical release and was written by series creator J. Michael Straczynski. Production Weekly reports that the project starts filming this April in the UK.

In "Shadows," the technology of the ancient and extinct Shadow race is being unleashed upon the galaxy by an unknown force, and Earthforce intelligence officer Diane Baker, whose brother was recently killed in a mysterious explosion, it out to find out who is behind the intergalactic conspiracy.

Joining her is Galen, a techno-mage who has been charged with keeping the technology out of the hands of those who would abuse it.[/quote]

The bad news comes in two parts. The first comes from JMS himself on [url]http://jmsnews.net/msg.aspx?id=1-17253[/url]
[quote]>I've listened to the commenary and features but I haven't heard anything
>really
>about what happened. Certainly not anything like the story we were told at
>Hawthorne. One wonders if they gave in and let JMS talk about what happened
>and then simply edited it out.

Yes, that's exactly what happened.

I sat down to watch the DVD set yesterday, having picked it up at the local
store, and went to the commentary. I'd put that information at the very start
of my commentary.

Now, understand: what I'd told WB was this....if you want me to do the
commentary, my requirement is that you let me tell what really happened. If
you want to use the commentary, you have to leve that in. If you don't want to
have that in, then don't use the commentary at all. Everybody agreed.

So I started it up...listened...and it was gone.

In its place is a segment taken from the on-camera interview.

This was the one tape they didn't send me for approval, which being busy I
didn't track back, but I was always told there wasn't a problem. At no time
did ANYONE from WB or New Wave Entertainment tell me that this was being done.

Doing these DVDs was the only way I had to date to get the bad taste of that
experience out of my mouth, the sheer dishonesty and rudeness of it all.

So much for that goal.

The term "furious" doesn't even begin to cover it. I'm normally a very quiet,
soft spoken kind of guy.

But last night I broke the sound barrier and the dictionary all at the same
time.

Furious.

You have no idea.

jms[/quote]

The second bit comes from several reports on [url]http://jmsnews.net/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=584[/url]

[quote]Heya, Jan!

Can you get through on the newsgroup Straczyski posts on? I've been hearing things I don't like the sounds of. It finally got me to register there but there's trouble. Yeah, I emailed the moderators. This is waht I was trying to post:

<<Suddenly I'm hearing rumors from people that there's trouble with your new movie.

A friend of mine told me that Warner's getting cold feet because they only want Blockbuster hits with big stars. Isn't Babylon 5 successful enough? I know you said the DVDs sold really well. Just because it's a TV show doesn't mean it won't be a hit. Are they talking to other studios? Anyways, my friend told me that the money folks are looking for movie stars to take the place of Bruce and Mira and the rest because they think nobody'll come see TV actors. That's dumb. He says that you don't want to change the actors and that's what's holding everything up. I'm glad to hear that but now there's the news about you filming in April. Does that mean everything's okay now? I don't think I want to see it without the stars I already know.

Please tell us!!!

Dani>>[/quote]

and

[quote]According to my source, this is a problem folks!

WB has suddenly in the eleventh hour decided that TMoS isn't high-profile enough since it's roots are in TV. The financiers are, according to my source, looking for big named actors over JMS's objections because they don't think fans will come out to see TV actors in a big screen film. JMS is supposedly battling on their behalf, but my source tells me that things are coming down to the wire and that a decision will have to come soon...either replace the cast with big stars in the same roles or not.

Supposedly WB is also not considering it to be big enough and are in negotiations with other studios to distribute it.

My source tells me, they're sending out casting notices on main cast...word is to prove no firestorm will come from the fanbase if this gets out and thus shut JMS up.[/quote]

Both of these quote come from people who have proven to know thier stuff (i.e. made predictions that came true).

My feeling is that JMS will sink the project rather than let the original actors down.

So, the good news is that production has started, and the bad news is that is likely will never be finishd. :(
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