Microsoft will finance a remake of classic 1970’s BBC sci-fi show, Blake’s 7, replacing the previous backer, U.S. cable network Syfy.
The Financial Times reports that  the company had agreed to finance development and production of the show but has not committed to a full series. The new show will be programming for the Xbox One.
The previous deal had FremantleMedia International and Georgeville TV producing thirteen hour-long episodes for the channel, written by Heroes scribe, Joe Pokaski.  It is unclear if this is still the case, or if Martin Campbell will remain in the directors chair, his previous credits include Casino Royale and The Green Lantern.
The 1970’s show was famous it’s wonky sets and depressing story which included the titular Blake leaving half way through and almost the entire cast being killed off at the end of the run.
It’s also quite bitchy, as you can see in the video above.
Fans have reacted with anger to the news. Well, I say fans, I only know one, my husband who has a box set of the series and constantly threatens to make me watch it.
“Blake’s 7 is a British institution,” he said. “How dare Microsoft hijack it and deny non Xbox owners the right to see Serverlan and her shocking frocks seek universal domination!”
Source: Financial Times via Polygon
Dar-Kaus
A 1970’s show on a 1970’s looking VCR, MS are going all retro it seems.
humanfish
Gimme exclusive games, rather than exclusive programming please.
Starman
It’ll be sold to tv networks if its successful, so it wont be exclusive forever.
TSBonyman
I remember being fascinated but not understanding much of what was going on in Blake’s 7 as a kid, but i tried watching it on a dvd i found a few years ago and i just couldn’t get into it.
Who knows, they might make a good job of it, Battlestar Galactica did well out of it’s reboot.
Dar-Kaus
This is MS were talking about after all so ‘a good job of it’ probably equates to making an announcement, followed by a few u turns along the way and eventually only be made available to English speaking countries.
TSBonyman
Ha yes, what was i thinking. I was focusing on my hope for a feisty reboot of a tv show that held some odd nostalgia for me and i forgot all about the elephant in the room. :)
gaffers101
I used to watch this when I was a kid. An American re-make would just ruin it for me.
The Von Braun
Nooooooooooo!!!!
There is no way they are going to ‘get’ what made this show so great (grew up watching it as a nipper).Stories were often quite dark and ohhhh just leave it alone MS.
*Plus, technically, you don’t see entire cast get killed, surrounded and shot yes, but whilst you see an impact wound on Blake after Avon shoots him, when the Federation troops open fire, no wounds, so they could have been stunned (order maybe given to capture alive so there can be a public show trial etc).
Blake had been ‘fitted up’ as was, made out to be a kiddy fiddler, rather than just ‘taken care of’ (ie shot or killed in an ‘accident’) as Federation wanted the (drugged up) population to loose faith in this ‘leader of men’.
Knowing the USA, it’ll probably open with the original ending just being some drug induced vision/dream sequence etc.Never happened.