Although I cannot profess to have been a follower of it, I am led to believe that the recently concluded Battlestar Galactica TV series was one of the best sci-fi series ever commited to our screens. It should be a source of encouragement to know therefore that Ron Moore, the writer-producer of the highly-acclaimed show is looking to reboot 60′s TV series The Wild Wild West.
Most of us tend now to associate that name with the feature adaptation starring Will Smith and Kevin Kline, a film most “celebrated” for the colossal amount of money it lost at the box office and the general mauling it received from critics on its release.
Ron Moore seems to be looking at a TV reworking, rather than a feature adaptation, although by all accounts the project is at such an early stage of development that it might be weeks or months before it is even pitched to TV companies, let alone start to be made. Presumably Moore will be considered a safe bet for shepherding the project to the screen and perhaps the most interesting thing to watch out for will be the tone of the series.
Battlestar had some very dark and serious story arcs and certainly Deadwood has demonstrated that the Old West can be shown in all of its violent, sweary, explicit “glory”. Whether Wild Wild West would go for a lighter tone (much like the Will Smith version) or play it meaner and grittier, it may be a while before we find out.
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