According to Deadline, producer Marc Rosen and director Martin Campbell are set to reboot the cult British sci-fi series Blake’s 7, which was originally created by Terry Nation (the man behind Doctor Who‘s classic villains The Daleks) and ran for four series on the BBC between 1978 and 1981. The series centred on a group of convicted criminals led by the political dissident Roj Blake (Gareth Thomas), who get a chance at redemption by leading a galactic rebellion against the totalitarian rule of the Terran Federation.
At the height of its popularity, Blake’s 7 was attracting viewing figures in excess of ten million people, but the BBC opted against commissioning a fifth series and the show came to an end in 1981. It was revived in the late 90s for a series of official radio dramas and talk of a return to TV screens can be traced back to 2000, when producer Andrew Sewell acquired the rights to the series with a view to developing a made-for-TV movie through his company B7 Media. A later deal to remake the series with Sky1 fell apart in 2010, but now the recently formed Georgeville Television has secured the rights from B7 Media and is currently shopping the project to U.S. TV networks.
The new series of Blake’s 7 is set to be written by Joe Pokaski (Heroes) and will mark a quick return to outer space for director Martin Campbell, whose last offering was the big-budget, low box-office comic book adaptation Green Lantern. Despite being known for blockbusters such as GoldenEye, The Mask of Zorro and Casino Royale, Campbell does have past experience in television, having directed episodes of The Professionals and Minder early in his career, as well as the critically acclaimed BBC miniseries Edge of Darkness (along with the subsequent Hollywood remake starring Mel Gibson).
Originally published July 24, 2012. Updated April 10, 2018.
