Surprise BABYLON 5 animated movie announced

Warner Brothers have confirmed that they have produced a Babylon 5 animated film, written and produced by original creator J. Michael Straczynski.

Straczynski had been hyping up a new B5 announcement for a few weeks, although cautioning this had nothing to do with the mooted live-action reboot of the show (previously in development at the CW but recently moved to Warner Brothers directly). Speculation had been rife over audio dramas, video games or comics, but an animated feature film is something of a surprise.

The setting, cast, release date and even the title of the film will remain under wraps for another week or so, with further information to follow. However, Straczynski indicated that the film is already complete and in the can, and the release date will be "very soon," presumably indicating this year.

Although the cast remains a matter of speculation, Straczynski had previously confirmed he had spoken to Bruce Boxleitner about the project, hinting at a return for Captain/President John Sheridan (or, possibly, Boxleitner voicing another character in a cameo).

More information will follow next week.