“Battlestar Galactica”: Derek Simonds becomes new showrunner of Peacock reboot in the works from producer Sam Esmail

EXCLUSIVE: There’s a new writer at the helm of Peacock’s long-running reboot of the popular sci-fi franchise Battlestar Galactica. The sinner Creator Derek Simonds came on board as writer, executive producer and showrunner.

Battlestar Galacticawhich is still in development at Peacock, was a passion project for Mr. Robot Creator Sam Esmail – a big fan of the original – whose company Esmail Corp. The restart will take place via UCP, where the company is based.

It was first announced in 2019 as a game in development on NBCUniversal streamer Peacock Battlestar Galactica Michael Lesslie previously worked at Reimaging as a writer and executive producer.

The latest version is a new version of the classic IP and was created by Sam Esmail and Chad Hamilton of Simonds and Esmail Corp. executive produced. UCP, a division of Universal Studio Group, is the studio.

“We’re working on it,” Esmail told Deadline in October Battlestar Galactica Reload series. “And actually I just read a great review and it’s in great shape. Now that the strike is over – at least the WGA strike – we’re back to developing it further.”

The original Battlestar Galactica focused on the last group of humans facing extinction after a series of wars with a robotic race, the Cylons, that destroyed the Twelve Colonies. All humans are left behind in a remnant group of battleships anchored by Galactica as they search for their last chance for survival: a legendary thirteenth colony called Earth.

The original series, created by Glen A. Larson, produced by Universal and starring Richard Hatch, Dirk Benedict and Lorne Greene as Commander Adama, ran for one season on ABC from 1978 to 1979. It was followed by a short-lived sequel and several books – and comic book series, a board game, and a video game that achieved cult status, if not commercial success.

UCP (then known as Universal Cable Productions) produced Ron Moore’s critically and commercially successful 2003 sequel, which began as a miniseries before becoming a series, starring Edward James Olmos in Greene’s commanding role, Mary McDonnell, Katee Sackoff and Grace Park. for four seasons and spawned a short-lived prequel, Caprica.

Simonds is the creator and executive producer of USA Network/UCP’s hit crime anthology series, which ran for three seasons. He is repped by WME and Zahafte Films.

Esmail also served as co-creator and executive producer of the UCP series Homecoming for Prime Video and recently directed and produced the hit Netflix film Leave the world behindsee you again Homecoming Star Julia Roberts. He is represented by CAA and McKuin Frankel Whitehead.