Peacock's Battlestar Galactica Reboot No Longer In The Works After Lengthy Development

Summary Battlestar Galactica reboot at Peacock no longer moving forward, despite plans first announced in 2019.

UCP studio will shop the project to other outlets, leaving hope for new home for the beloved property.

Despite setbacks and delays, the potential for a successful reboot remains due to recognizable brand name.

Peacock’s long-gestating Battlestar Galactica reboot is no longer moving forward at the NBC-owned streaming service. A long-term passion project for Mr. Robot creator Sam Esmail, plans for a fresh reboot of the beloved sci-fi property were first announced as far back as 2019. Earlier this year, The Sinner’s Derek Simonds was announced as the Battlestar Galactica reboot’s new writer and showrunner, after Michael Lesslie (Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes) departed the project in 2021.

Per Variety, however, the reboot is no longer in active development at Peacock, despite its announcement initially forming part of the streamer’s proposed slate of original programming before its 2020 launch. It is reported that, according to sources familiar with the situation, UCP, the responsible studio who originally signed a deal with Esmail’s Esmail Corp, will instead begin shopping the project to other prospective outlets.

Will The Battlestar Galactica Reboot Find A New Home?

Not All Hope Is Lost For The Property's Latest Reimagining

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Despite some initial hesitation surrounding the direction of Ronald D. Moore’s 2004 Battlestar Galactica reboot, the revamped sci-fi property quickly gained both critical and popular acclaim for its gritty reimagining of the original 1970s show. Swapping out the pulp sci-fi sensibilities of the original for a more grounded approach heavily steeped in post-9/11 metaphors, Moore’s approach would quickly win over both new and established fans alike and ultimately come to be recognized as one of the best science fiction shows to emerge from the early 2000s.

However, when NBC first announced plans to reboot the property again for their new Peacock streaming service, reactions were mixed. Despite executive producer Esmail delivering his own critically acclaimed hit with Mr. Robot, many feared that it would be unlikely for a new take on the property to succeed in the wake of Moore’s beloved version. Nonetheless, development on the new reboot would still manage to forge ahead despite the setbacks of having its original showrunner depart the project and even the inevitable delays posed by 2023’s WGA strike.

1:24 Related Battlestar Galactica's Ending Secretly Set Up The Perfect Reboot Series Ronald D. Moore's divisive Battlestar Galactica ending perfectly set up the next entry in the BSG canon, by revealing that we may face the same fate.

Now, with this latest blow, the property’s established fanbase may be quick to assume that the new Battlestar Galactica reboot will never come together. However, many popular shows have succeeded in finding new homes after being passed on by their original network or streamer, and some of Netflix and Prime Video’s biggest hits were once shows that were developed elsewhere before being picked up by the streaming giants. Moreover, given Battlestar Galactica’s instantly recognizable brand name, it is possible that Esmail and Simonds could still find themselves bringing audiences back to humanity’s war with the Cylons.

Source: Variety