My prediction for the future is that there will be a reboot (set to zero) for the mainstream American market. Julie G, Jane Espanson and possibly Neil Gaiman are all in place. RTD would have been had it not been for his partner's cancer, which made him return to the UK. They will shave off some of the quirkier, more English characteristics of the show, sweep out conflicting canon, up the production values, make it more suitable for a network 1 hour slot less commercials, do audience research and slant the demographic accordingly (because DW was never conceived from the ground up as a show that had to accommodate commercials), and make it movie-friendly. I expect BBC involvement to be minimal under the relaunch, and for the show to be taken up by one of the US networks with, probably, an American showrunner.
However....that would never play with the British fanbase. But...and this will make a lot more sense once you know more about The Name of the Doctor...it doesn't have to. They will send the Doctor down some kind of Time Tunnel where all his adventures are archived, and those will get made on BBC as the occasional crowd-pleasing Special, and also have a subscription-only presence online. Big Finish already exists as a business model, and no doubt they've been watching the precedent of House of Cards on Netflix very closely.
The more you look at the carefully orchestrated publicity released for the 50th Anniversary, the more it looks like a promo for precisely this development. It turns the quirkiness and Englishness up to 11 and features Tennant heavily. There is a classic, rather naff monster for good measure (won't say which, for risk of spoiling you). It is a fanboy's dream.
Everyone is making a song and dance about not all 11 doctors being included, but I think CGI is the way forward there. Again, think Big Finish. Those actors still alive and willing could voice their CGI selves. You could create monsters and thrills galore relatively cheaply, and keep all those clever people in Cardiff in paid employment. Tennant has never really made it Stateside, but the British public love him, and quite possibly he'd be involved. Matt Smith might also be. The beauty of the concept is that it avoids the huge commitment of filming 14 eps back to back, so live actors could do lots of other things.
I don't see Moff hanging around. I think he's ready to quit and concentrate on Sherlock, which is already inked in for a fourth season.
I also wouldn't be at all surprised if the American reboot featured Barrowman in a leading role. It might even be his show. It's odd that he's been so cagey on the precise nature of his involvement lately. It seems bizarre to bring Tennant and Piper back for the 50th with no nod to Captain Jack. I'd be delighted to see an openly gay superhero in a high-profile networked show. Glee has helped blaze that trail - love or loathe it, there's no going back.
And do you know what? I think it could work. It might even be fantastic.
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However....that would never play with the British fanbase. But...and this will make a lot more sense once you know more about The Name of the Doctor...it doesn't have to. They will send the Doctor down some kind of Time Tunnel where all his adventures are archived, and those will get made on BBC as the occasional crowd-pleasing Special, and also have a subscription-only presence online. Big Finish already exists as a business model, and no doubt they've been watching the precedent of House of Cards on Netflix very closely.
The more you look at the carefully orchestrated publicity released for the 50th Anniversary, the more it looks like a promo for precisely this development. It turns the quirkiness and Englishness up to 11 and features Tennant heavily. There is a classic, rather naff monster for good measure (won't say which, for risk of spoiling you). It is a fanboy's dream.
Everyone is making a song and dance about not all 11 doctors being included, but I think CGI is the way forward there. Again, think Big Finish. Those actors still alive and willing could voice their CGI selves. You could create monsters and thrills galore relatively cheaply, and keep all those clever people in Cardiff in paid employment. Tennant has never really made it Stateside, but the British public love him, and quite possibly he'd be involved. Matt Smith might also be. The beauty of the concept is that it avoids the huge commitment of filming 14 eps back to back, so live actors could do lots of other things.
I don't see Moff hanging around. I think he's ready to quit and concentrate on Sherlock, which is already inked in for a fourth season.
I also wouldn't be at all surprised if the American reboot featured Barrowman in a leading role. It might even be his show. It's odd that he's been so cagey on the precise nature of his involvement lately. It seems bizarre to bring Tennant and Piper back for the 50th with no nod to Captain Jack. I'd be delighted to see an openly gay superhero in a high-profile networked show. Glee has helped blaze that trail - love or loathe it, there's no going back.
And do you know what? I think it could work. It might even be fantastic.