Following the reveal of the Babylon 5 animated movie last week, described as a "love letter" by creator Joe Michael Straczynski, more information has been revealed about the 90s revival, including its story and cast.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the project will bring back many cast members from the original show's first five seasons, including Bruce Boxleitner as John Sheridan, Claudia Christian as Susan Ivanova, Peter Jurasik as Londo Mollari, Bill Mumy as Lennier, Tracy Scoggins as Elizabeth Lochley, and Patricia Tallman as Lyta Alexander.
Christian's appearance is especially notable given that she left the show due to a contract dispute following its fourth season. Both Christian and Straczynski have shared different sides of the story, but the upshot is that she was written out of the show in Season 5, though the character wasn't recast.
Christian will join the rest of the cast in a time-traveling story that is expected to pay tribute to the original series. The official logline reads:
Travel across the galaxy with John Sheridan as he unexpectedly finds himself transported through multiple timelines and alternate realities in a quest to find his way back home. Along the way he reunites with some familiar faces, while discovering cosmic new revelations about the history, purpose, and meaning of the Universe.
The animated movie will be a continuation of the original story, which followed the humans and aliens inhabiting the Babylon 5 space station amid the galaxy's descent into war. It was notable for being an early example of serialized television in an era where syndicated shows like Star Trek: The Next Generation mostly relied on standalone storytelling. Shows like Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Battlestar Galactica would follow in its footsteps, bringing with them a grittier style of storytelling.
Straczynski has tried to revive the series several times over the years, including an announced reboot that is awaiting a production order at The CW, but Babylon 5: The Road Home marks the first time in more than a decade that the series has appeared on the screen. It will be released directly to streaming and is expected to be out this summer.
Kat Bailey is a Senior News Editor at IGN as well as co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Have a tip? Send her a DM at @the_katbot.
source https://www.ign.com/articles/babylon-5-animated-movie-story-and-cast-revealed