Spelljammer Spelljammer TV show planned back in 2002?

[AtomicPope]

It was to be a TV show, that is very much not Hollywood - or at least not so much back in 2002.

Let me introduce you to X-Files...

 

[dave2008]

Let me introduce you to X-Files...

I'm not sure what your point is, do you care to clarify?

 

[AtomicPope]

I'm not sure what your point is, do you care to clarify?

X-Files was produced and filmed in Canada. Season 6 they moved to film in Hollywood. It wasn't enough to move the film location though. Hollywood got its hooks in and nearly tanked one of the most popular shows on TV. Season 6 saw the first big ratings drops. The showrunner moved to appease David Duchovny, not to replace the crew. After Season 5 there was a big struggle to get the show back on track, and away from Hollywood. It never really did. There were moments of greatness but no consistency. And all of this took place in the time frame that would have aired a Spelljammer tv show.

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

Except that in 2002, referencing Guardians of the Galaxy likely would've gotten this response:

Heck, with this being dated March of 2002, even Treasure Planet (which didn't come out until November) would likely have been just as mystifying a selling point.

Magic Guardians of the Galaxy meets Treasure Planet, but with D&D stuff. Done and sold.

 

[Henadic Theologian]

Except that in 2002, referencing Guardians of the Galaxy likely would've gotten this response:

Heck, with this being dated March of 2002, even Treasure Planet (which didn't come out until November) would likely have been just as mystifying a selling point.

Oops, temporal paradox incoming.

 

[Plaguescarred]

Interesting find indeed! I wonder what it would have been like, i have a feeling it would have been animated cartoon.

 

[Oofta]

I think I found a gif from the pilot episode ...

 

[teitan]

Interesting. More fuel for Spelljammer/Planejammer being the next setting.

a filing from 2002 is fuel for 2022? From a time when it was very different people running the show? How?

 

[teitan]

Firework (and similar groups, often distributed by Tribune Entertainment) did a lot of tv shows that seemed to be trying to capitalize on the potential boom in hit syndicated shows that Baywatch/Highlander/Hercules/Xena could have engendered. They were often (in the U.S.) shown late at night on Friday/Saturday/Sunday and were marketed to the young adult male demographic. I think they also did a lot of work capitalizing on tax credits or similar that Canada and New Zealand gave for filming there. I remember videotaping a block of TV that included Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda, Beastmaster: the Series, Mutant X, Total Recall 2070, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's the Lost World (followed by Stargate SG-1 reruns) specifically to watch while sobering up after a night out (or in, I had a problem).

Honestly speaking, most of the shows were... just fine. Other than sometimes lower production values, there was nothing in particular that made these shows mostly forgotten footnotes while other turn of the century episodic action/fantasy/sci-fi shows like Stargate, Xena, Buffy, Charmed ended up as cultural touchstones. I think they just tried to capitalize on a boom that didn't materialize*.
*Plus for Firework specifically I think there was a big legal battle over Mutant X, because Marvel sold them the rights and they thought they could use a bunch of stuff, but turns out it was only that stuff that Marvel hadn't sold to Sony, which wasn't much, and it was a whole big hullabaloo and I have no idea who if anyone is the good or bad guys in the story, but I suspect it was a distraction that a small tv producer really couldn't survive.

*sold to FOX, not Sony. Sony only had the Spider-man character. Fox had X-Men and related characters, plus Fantastic Four, Ghost Rider, SHIELD and Daredevil.

 

[teitan]

Except that in 2002, referencing Guardians of the Galaxy likely would've gotten this response:

Heck, with this being dated March of 2002, even Treasure Planet (which didn't come out until November) would likely have been just as mystifying a selling point.

When GotG came out the response was "who?". A brilliant trailer, talking Raccoon and walking tree changed that. PLus Chris Pratt's natural charisma.