That’s right folks yet another property being remade and rebooted. SciFi Channel (or SyFy) is preparing to do an updated version of the 1988 movie turned Scifi cop T.V. show. Tim Minear, producer of shows like Firefly and Angel, is apparently involved at writing this new “updated” version. Apparently Scifi channel is looking for ways to create another property with the success that Battlestar Galactica brought them. As BSG was a reboot of the 1979 series of the same name, they are attempting to strike gold again.

Sci Fi programming exec, VP Mark Stern, has this to say,

It’s very much in keeping with what we’ve been looking to do — find themes that are more than just hard sci-fi, something that feels contemporary and relevant and invites a broad audience in

For those who are unaware of what Alien Nation was about 2 Detectives, one human, and one a member of an alien race that is forced to seek refuge on Earth. These aliens, known as Newcomers, integrate themselves into the general population of Earth. As they try to live their lives as any one else would, they are faced with discrimination and mistrust because they are not human.

This new series is said to be based in modern day dealing with the social issues that we are facing. Namely, immigration, the economic situation, and possibly terrorism. This new series is also being designed to have an “evolving mythology” that will progress throughout the course of the series much like BSG. The show is mainly supposed to be geared towards being a “buddy/scifi cop show”.

Minear is currently writing the script and series treatment and the show will more than likely take place in the Pacific Northwest. The show will take place roughly in the year 2020 about 20 or 30 years after the original series where the Newcomer population has grown from a few thousand worldwide to several million.

Minear goes on to say,

You can take (the original ‘Alien Nation’) a step forward and really do a show that encompasses the clash of civilizations, and the idea of a ghettoized minority. You can touch on racism, terrorism, assimilation, immigration. And there’s room for satire.

So apparently this going to be quite a bit of a comedy. A tongue and cheek Scifi/cop show. Not quite the same direction that Battlestar Galactica went. Apparently SciFi has been wanting to do something with the Alien Nation franchise for sometime.

Stern goes on to say,

The challenge is how do you do it in a way that will reinvent it without it feeling like a derivative rehash. We sat down with Tim, who is someone we’d been looking to work with for quite a while, and his approach felt like it wouldn’t be a traditional adaptation. We got excited.

So apparently Battlestar sparked something over at the SyFy to tell a story that deals with current world issues that you can only really pull off on cable. I am all for that but it sounds like they are trying to do that mixed with a buddy cop comedy. So….not sure how that is going to work. Obviously comedy lends well to speaking about current political and social events, but they seem to be a bit all over the place with this.

I was never a huge Alien Nation fan but I really do like Tim Minear’s work. Angel and Firefly are 2 of my all time favorite T.V. shows so I hope they do a good job with this….even though its another remake.

Source: VARIETY