Legendary Babylon 5 Creator Wants to Be the Next Doctor Who Showrunner
J. Michael Straczynski is asking for the keys to the TARDIS, nicely.
Could Doctor Who ever be run by an American showrunner? Even though the show was co-created by a Canadian, Sydney Newman, and an Englishwoman, Verity Lambert, the long-running science fiction series is very much thought of as a U.K. institution. And yet, one legendary American science fiction and comic book creator is throwing his hat in the ring to become the next Who showrunner, should the series require a massive shakeup.
J. Michael Straczynski has tweeted that when he has the legal ability to work in the U.K., he would “love nothing more in life than to take on that job [showrunner of Doctor Who.]” He also clarified that rumors circulating online, claiming he already has the job, are totally unfounded.
In the world of science fiction television, JMS is most famous for creating and showrunning Babylon 5 (1994-1998), which featured its fair share of time travel stories, as well as memorable down-to-earth relationships, and depictions of future-tense political situations that still resonate to this day. JMS was also the first script editor on the 1987 animated show The Real Ghostbusters, and many of those monster-of-the-week stories have a certain Doctor Who flavor.
Technically, there is no actual need for a new Doctor Who showrunner at this point. The future of the series is currently in limbo, as a third season with Russell T Davies at the helm has yet to be confirmed by either the BBC or Disney. But, with no official announcement, the general consensus among fans is that it's very likely that Who will go on some kind of hiatus, before reemerging in a few years with a new actor as the Doctor, and perhaps an entirely new creative team.
JMS would certainly be an interesting choice for a new showrunner for Who, and even he questioned whether or not the world is ready for an American to take over such a famously British series. “I suppose the question is, would Doctor Who fans be willing to accept an American?” JMS tweeted. “Even a hardcore anglophile with a UK visa, for such an inherently British series, given Babylon 5 and Sense8 and the like? Would I be worthy?”
Outside of his original shows like Babylon 5 and Sense8, JMS has a great deal of experience with preexisting franchises. Not only has he written both Marvel and DC comic books for decades (he’s a co-writer of the 2011 Thor film), but, back in 2004, as a fan, he even proposed a full reboot of the Star Trek franchise, complete with an outline for how to structure it. Obviously, Star Trek did enjoy a full reboot a few years later, but JMS was not involved at all.
Essentially, Straczynski would probably bring a lot of interesting and dynamic ideas to the table if he ever were writing for Doctor Who, or, given the chance, to be the showrunner. But none of that means this exact outcome is likely to come to pass. The future of Doctor Who is certainly at its murkiest point right now, and the most unclear since the late 1990s, following the ill-fated 1996 TV movie starring Paul McGann. But that doesn’t mean this wibbly-wobbly franchise will suddenly be taken over by a new showrunner. At least, not yet.
