Everything We Know About Babylon 5: The Road Home, The Animated Sequel To The Original Series
"Babylon 5" is getting another moment in the sun. Series creator J. Michael Straczynski revealed via Twitter on May 3, 2023, that an animated film based on the show is forthcoming; he included a picture of the script he wrote with the announcement. Subsequent details were revealed a week later via The Hollywood Reporter, including the voice cast.
Subtitled "The Road Home," the movie's description 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."
Multiverses are the hot thing right now, between Best Picture winner "Everything Everywhere All At Once" and the Marvel Cinematic Universe's current phase. The forthcoming "Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse" will give "Babylon 5: The Road Home" competition for the best animated multiverse movie of 2023. Straczynski is a comic book fan who wrote "Amazing Spider-Man" from 2001 to 2007, so he'd probably appreciate the comparison.
"The Road Home" will star the original cast of characters, but when it takes place in relation to the original series has yet to be revealed. As "Babylon 5" went off-air 25 years ago, even the actors who haven't passed on have aged out of their roles in live-action. Going the animated route thus makes sense.
The name of the place is Babylon 5
"Babylon 5" is set in the mid-22nd century, or "The Dawn of the Third Age of Mankind." The titular setting is a neutral space station where the five great powers of the galaxy — Humans, Centauri, Minbari, Narn, and Vorlons — can meet, like a galactic United Nations. The fate of the galaxy itself, and ancient power vying to determine it, wind up intersecting at Babylon 5.
"Babylon 5" has had films before. It actually began as one, premiering in 1993 with the feature-length pilot, "The Gathering." In 1998, between seasons 4 and 5, the prequel film "In The Beginning" aired on TNT. One-off TV movies, "Thirdspace" and "River of Souls" followed, then came failed spin-off pilots "A Call to Arms" and "Legend of the Rangers."
Before "The Road Home" was announced, Straczynski's latest effort to reinvigorate "Babylon 5" was a reboot series on the CW. That network has pivoted away from genre TV, and the fate of the "Babylon 5" reboot is currently uncertain. Straczynski pivoting to film thus makes sense.
The cast
Most of the show's surviving main cast is involved in "The Road Home." Bruce Boxleitner is back as Sheridan. So are Claudia Christian as his right-hand-woman Susan Ivanova, Peter Jurasik as Centauri ambassador Londo Mollari, Bill Mumy as the Minbari diplomat Lennier, Tracy Scoggins as Sheridan's successor Elizabeth Lochley, and Patricia Tallman as the psychic Lyta Alexander.
However, much of the original "Babylon 5" cast is no longer with us. Richard Biggs, who played Dr. Stephen Franklin, passed in 2004, followed by Andreas Katsulas (Narn ambassador G'Kar) in 2006. Michael O'Hare, the show's original lead during season 1 (as Commander Jeffrey Sinclair) died in 2012 after a long battle with schizophrenia. Gerry Doyle (B5 security chief Michael Garibaldi) died in 2016, while Mira Furlan (Delenn, B5's Minbari ambassador and Sheridan's eventual wife) was the most recent loss in 2021.
These characters will appear in "The Road Home" voiced by new actors. Rebecca Riedy is stepping in for Furlan as Delenn, Anthony Hansen is Michael Garibaldi, Andrew Morgado is G'Kar, Phil LaMarr is Dr. Franklin, and Paul Guyet will play Sinclair. Given that Straczynski worked alongside the original actors, I'm confident these recastings were done with respect for them in mind.
Remaining credits
Additional cast includes Mara Junot, who is credited as "Computer Voice" and "Reporter," while Piotr Michael will voice Sheridan and Delenn's son David. Guyet will play double as the alien Zathra, steward of the mysterious "Great Machine" on Epsilon III, the planet that Babylon 5 orbits. Could Zathras' machine be the impetus that sends Sheridan traveling across the multiverse? I wouldn't rule it out.
The film will be directed by Matt Peters, who recently helmed "Batman and Superman: Battle of the Super Sons." It's unconfirmed if "The Road Home" will use the same 3-D animation style as that film. Other crew includes Rick Morales as supervising producer and Sam Register as executive producer.
"Babylon 5: The Road Home" will be produced by Warner Bros. Animation and distributed by Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment, likely indicating it will not receive a theatrical release. The exact release date is unknown, though Warner Bros. is reporting planning a Summer 2023 debut. According to Giant Freakin Robot, the film has been rated PG-13 by the MPA.
A release date for "Babylon 5: The Road Home" is forthcoming.