Galaxy Quest – the classic Tim Allen Star Trek spoof – will be getting its own TV series.
According to Variety, the folks at Paramount Television are looking through the company’s back catalogue for new projects… and the 1999 sci-fi spoof seems to have caught their eye.
“Paramount Television is shopping a TV spin on the 1999 comedy Galaxy Quest, a spoof of the sci-fi TV show that starred Tim Allen and Sigourney Weaver.”
“Robert Gordon, who co-wrote the DreamWorks feature with David Howard, is in negotiations to work on the TV adaptation,” they added, “as are original director Dean Parisot and executive producers Mark Johnson and Melissa Bernstein.”
Of course, Galaxy Quest is looked on with much fondness by Star Trek and sci-fi fans.
The 1999 comedy lampooned the entire geek sub-culture with its depiction of nerdy Galaxy Quest fans who knew the schematics of the series starship inside out… but subverted all the usual expectations as the same geeks eventually saved the day with their inside knowledge of the ‘fictional’ craft.
“Paramount has been mining its film vault for properties with built-in brand names to develop as TV series,” they explained. “Par revived its TV wing two years ago after dropping out of TV production following the 2006 divorce of Viacom and CBS Corp.”
Galaxy Quest originally starred Tim Allen as the actor Jason Nesmith – the almost Shatner-esque lead in a fictional sci-fi show called Galaxy Quest. Co-starring Sigourney Weaver and Alan Rickman, the show has been off the air for a long time… and while the crew are often forced together for conventions, it’s clear that tensions run rife.
But an alien race – who has picked up Galaxy Quest broadcasts – becomes convinced of the crew’s valour, it’s up to a bunch of actors to save them from a villainous threat…
Unfortunately, Paramount Television declined to comment on the reported Galaxy Quest TV series… but what form could it take? Will it follow the actors after their close encounter or will we see the actual Galaxy Quest head to our screens?
For now, we’ll have to wait and see… but I can’t help thinking it’s a stroke of genius.
Would you watch a Galaxy Quest TV series? Will Tim Allen return as Captain Taggart? Let us know what you think in the comments below…
