Larter is in talks to play Virginia Lake, the "strong but feminine" woman at the heart of the show, says Gratzner. She'd be starring opposite Joshua Jackson, who's playing pilot Paul Foster.

And the new movie is already planned as the first installment in a trilogy — the first screenplay is written, and the second and third movies exist in treatment form. The movie's aliens will still be evil organ-stealing bastards, and they'll be humanoid instead of District 9-style creatures. It sounds like a recipe for exciting G.I. Joe-style schlock, but apparently that's not the goal.

Gratzner, a veteran special-effects worker, tells Forbidden Planet:

What I want to do with UFO is what Christopher Nolan did with the Batman franchise, or Martin Campbell did with Casino Royale. UFO is not a spoof, or a parody or a kids' movie. It's a pretty dark story, actually…it is not a show for young children.

You could argue, of course, that both Batman and James Bond had a track record of being dark and tackling adult themes before those films appeared, whereas UFO has a track record of this:

Great pep talk: "You're doing a fine job — a man's job. But you don't have to do it any better just because you're a woman [in a Lady GaGa costume.] And don't forget, you're a very pretty girl." And then they make the other woman stand with her leg raised , in a silver miniskirt. When she tries to move, they're like, "Hold it right there." As she says, "Not the most flattering of pin-ups."

Anderson's first live-action science fiction series, before Space: 1999, UFO is a delightfully campy adventure show about SHADO, a secret organization that fights evil organ-harvesting aliens. The moonbase staff all wear purple wigs and shiny silver outfits, and the music is jazzay, sixties style.

On the other hand, reading between the lines of Gratzner's interview, it sounds like he really wants to make something closer to J.J. Abrams' Star Trek, keeping a lot of the concept design and silly outfits of the original, but with a smidge more character development and slightly more serious plots. But he's namechecking Batman Begins and Casino Royale because they're the gold standard for reboots right now. In any case, an Abrams-esque remake could be an attainable goal, and could actually do quite well amidst a swarm of Nolan-wannabes. Fingers crossed! [Forbidden Planet]

CinemaSpy speculated with production illustrator Eric Chu (known for his work on the BSG reboot) as to how he would redesign and update the series. One idea is to strip down the "cheese" of the 70s and infuse the work with a gritty and dark reality... because space life is hard.

Here are a few images that Chu dreamed up. What do you think about a slightly darker but still purple-haired franchise? Chu is the expert on gritty space opera by now so we can assume, should they go down this path, this might be a fair representation of what awaits us all.

Check out the rest of the speculative art at CinemaSpy.

In an interview with Den of Geek, Anderson acknowledged he had been contacted by the new film's American producers and that he has high hopes this will lead to him having a role in the film's production:

"I got a call from somebody in America. It was very kind actually - they phoned to say, 'Gerry, listen, there's an announcement going out now [about the new movie] and we didn't want it to come as a shock to you', which was a kind move. As a result of that I had a long chat with them. It wouldn't help me to blow this up bigger than it is, but I have a feeling that I might end up being a consultant on the movie."

This marks something of a change from the last time one of Anderson's shows got the Hollywood treatment. The makers of the utterly disastrous 2004 movie Thunderbirds had initially invited Anderson on as a creative consultant, but let him go days later when they decided they already had enough people on the payroll. Anderson has previously described the Thunderbirds movie as "the biggest load of crap I have ever seen in my life", which sounds about right.

Despite this previous bad experience, Anderson is cautiously optimistic that UFO will be different from the mostly awful Hollywood remakes of classic British shows, Thunderbirds very much included:

"Over here there's a rather unfortunate history about remakes; Thunderbirds the film was a disaster, and The Avengers, and so on. But I hope, and I think I probably believe, that this could be the exception."

The UFO movie is currently still in the development stages. The original series is available on DVD and heartily recommended.

[Den of Geek]

UFO isn't as well-known today as some of Gerry Anderson's other shows, such as the Supermarionation series Thunderbirds (otherwise known as what Trey Parker and Matt Stone were parodying in Team America: Wold Police) or Space: 1999 (which, for all its lofty intentions, might be the one show that can outdo the original Battlestar Galactica when it comes to space opera cheesiness).

But, despite its dated 1970's style - let's just say bell-bottoms were heavily featured and leave it at that - UFO was probably the best of the bunch, offering an uncompromising look at a desperately underfunded paramilitary organization as it attempted to defend Earth against an alien threat it barely understood. This organization was SHADO, or Supreme Headquarters Alien Defense Organization, led by Commander Ed Straker. Straker's cold, calculating character made him an unlikely hero, but it also provided the show with much of its dramatic heft, as his singleminded pursuit of the enemy left him ever more isolated from his friends and family.

The show also had the standard Gerry Anderson assortment of cool vehicles and equipment, including a Moonbase - infamously staffed by sexy young women whose uniforms consisted of sparkly silver catsuits and purple wigs - and a submarine that launched a fighter jet. I'd attempt to explain further, but the opening sequence does a much better job of setting up the premise (it's also unspeakably groovy):

Though the show admittedly got off to a bumpy start, with some poorly paced, woodenly acted early episodes (considering most of the creative team had spent the previous decade working with puppets, that's not entirely surprising), UFO quickly developed into an exciting mix of action and drama. Its last nine episodes, made after a forced months-long production break, represent the show in top form and is some of the best science fiction ever made for British television.

So that's the original show, which I heartily recommend checking out. But what about this new movie? Not much is yet known, although it will retain the original's near-future setting. The TV show was made in 1970 but was set in 1980, and the movie features a similar decade-long gap, as it will take place in 2020.

Joseph Kanarek and Ryan Gaudet are currently writing the screenplay. UFO will be their first screenwriting credit. The film is being produced by Avi Haas and Henri M. Kessler as well as super-producer Robert Evans, who used to be famous for being behind the likes of Chinatown and The Godfather but is now mostly famous just for being super-producer Robert Evans.

Admittedly, this isn't quite the dream team I'd want handling a personal favorite like UFO, but I'm going to remain optimistic. The show's dark tone, uncertain enemy, and complicated characters arguably make it a fit far better with the science fiction of today (like Battlestar Galactica) than it ever did with the lighter shows of the 70s (like, well...Battlestar Galactica). UFO was ahead of its time, but its time might just be right now.

[Sci Fi Wire]

Famous names: Martin Landau, Barbara Bain, Barry Morse, Catherine Schell, Gerry Anderson, Sylvia Anderson

Crunchy goodness: 3

Stunt casting: Joan Collins is Kara, one of the last survivors of a super-advanced race who wear togas and survive by stealing organs from a group of hairy barbarians. (Who'd begrudge Joan Collins a kidney?)

The shit: The camera always zooms into Catherine Schell's eye whenever her sexy shapeshifter turns into a bird or donkey, as the plot requires.

Life lesson: When you find a new home planet that looks perfect and idyllic, you might want to check for alien mind controllers, vampires, ancient intelligences or creepy blobs before you settle in.

Space:1999 Net, a collection of Space: 1999 themed websites