Blake's 7 to be revived by Microsoft for Xbox One
Microsoft is reported to be backing a remake of classic BBC sci-fi show Blake's 7 for owners of the Xbox One games console.
From Star One to : Blake's 7 could be coming back, as Microsoft is reported to be backing a remake of the classic BBC sci-fi show for owners of the upcoming games console.
Georgeville TV's reboot of Blake's 7 is helmed by Heroes writer Joe Pokaski and GoldenEye director Martin Campbell, and was originally intended to appear on TV channel SyFy. But it now seems the 13-episode series will go out on the Xbox, according to the Financial Times.
Created by Terry "I invented the Daleks I did" Nation, Blake's 7 first aired in 1978. It was like a very British, anti-Star Trek, in which a ragtag band of criminals and troublemakers took on the totalitarian Terran Federation and, more often than not, lost. It included such technological marvels as Orac, a small box that could communicate with other computers. How novel!
The titular Blake, played by Gareth Thomas, jumped ship after the second series, only to return for perhaps the bleakest ending of a TV series ever filmed, when he's shot dead by his former friend Avon while the rest of the cast is massacred in slow motion.
The original cast has reunited for a series of audio plays from Big Finish, to kick off in January next year.
Microsoft is also funding a live-action TV show based on sci-fi game to be shown on the Xbox, produced by none other than Steven Spielberg.
With its newfound interest in creating telly, Microsoft is looking to emulate the success of Netflix, which has started producing new programmes such as , and.
Do you remember Blake's 7? Should Microsoft make TV shows? What classic show would you like to see revived? Tell me your thoughts in the comments or on our dystopian Facebook page.