Topic: Jerry O'Connell talks Sliders History and a Possible Reboot

https://www.yahoo.com/tv/jerry-oconnell … 18691.html

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Re: Jerry O'Connell talks Sliders History and a Possible Reboot

Just read this from a link on the Slideheads Facebook page. Decent interview. Let's hope the reboot talk becomes a reality. Good to hear he's willing. If Jerry is an active participant, any Sliders reboot will be at least mildly successful.

3 (edited by RussianCabbie_Lotteryfan 2016-03-23 18:47:52)

Re: Jerry O'Connell talks Sliders History and a Possible Reboot

Wow. I mean, it's pretty obvious he wants to do it. It's really amazing.  I feel like someone just needs to take the bull by the horn now, figure out who is in and who is not, move forward with that team, and start trying to find a network. Frankly, I don't think they should wait on anyone, the show premise is the most important thing. 

It's too bad John is on that MTV series.  Maybe he could still do it anyway though. I think he would if his ego was stroked enough.

Interesting John and Jerry would club together back in the day and Jerry still keeps in touch via instagram.

4 (edited by Grizzlor 2016-03-23 23:34:17)

Re: Jerry O'Connell talks Sliders History and a Possible Reboot

Wow, stunned at the number of little observations and anecdotes he revealed there!  I suppose he's finally feeling free to talk about it openly.

Re: Jerry O'Connell talks Sliders History and a Possible Reboot

Holy crap that was a great interview and very insightful. It's nice to know that the cast really weren't onboard with the changes and felt pretty much like we did. It's such a shame, as everyone feels that the show could have gone on to be something incredible. So sad. And yeah, I don't blame him for not seeing season 5 - I've not watched it outside of its original airing.

Tracy Tormé recently called me and said, “We’re thinking about rebooting Sliders,” and I was like, “I’m in, buddy, make it happen.” So who knows what will happen.

Woah, Tracy called him? That bodes well that this was some serious thinking about rebooting the show.

However, with JRD on Shannara Chronicles, and everyone scattered, I can't see it happening with the original cast outside of cameos. It's got to be a new cast.

Re: Jerry O'Connell talks Sliders History and a Possible Reboot

FANTASTIC interview! Not only is it a great interview, but I love that it's all Sliders. I wonder if Torme's call is truly recent or if it's those rumored calls we've heard about from the past few years.

Webmaster of the old-school Sliders fan page at Geocities/TimesSquare/1473 (Archive.org copy here: https://web.archive.org/web/20091027062 … quare/1473)

7 (edited by RussianCabbie_Lotteryfan 2016-03-24 10:01:13)

Re: Jerry O'Connell talks Sliders History and a Possible Reboot

Slide Override wrote:

Holy crap that was a great interview and very insightful. It's nice to know that the cast really weren't onboard with the changes and felt pretty much like we did. It's such a shame, as everyone feels that the show could have gone on to be something incredible. So sad. And yeah, I don't blame him for not seeing season 5 - I've not watched it outside of its original airing.

Tracy Tormé recently called me and said, “We’re thinking about rebooting Sliders,” and I was like, “I’m in, buddy, make it happen.” So who knows what will happen.

Woah, Tracy called him? That bodes well that this was some serious thinking about rebooting the show.

However, with JRD on Shannara Chronicles, and everyone scattered, I can't see it happening with the original cast outside of cameos. It's got to be a new cast.


I really believe Jerry is the guy that is totally "in" right now and was the one who started the discussion. I also wonder if Torme put out some feelers and didnt like what he was hearing back.  I also think that Jerry has occasionally tried to used such public comments to create interest among Sliders fans to try to push for this revival (and maybe get Torme to go all in).  Hopefully enthusiasm from the fans can help make a difference, I think it has certainly encouraged Jerry.

Re: Jerry O'Connell talks Sliders History and a Possible Reboot

Jerry O' Connell is 42,...
John Rhys-Davies was 51 when he took the role of the Professor

Quinn Mallory is nearing his ability to play the new Professor.

Re: Jerry O'Connell talks Sliders History and a Possible Reboot

Slide Override wrote:

Tracy Tormé recently called me and said, “We’re thinking about rebooting Sliders,” and I was like, “I’m in, buddy, make it happen.” So who knows what will happen.

Woah, Tracy called him? That bodes well that this was some serious thinking about rebooting the show.

Not to be a Debbie Downer, but this kind of conversation is extremely cyclical - Torme's been calling people for 16 years about reboots and movies. When I spoke to him in 2009, he admitted he doesn't have a say because he doesn't own the intellectual property. He reiterated that when I met him at the MUFON event a few years ago.

Now, in this climate of rebootquels, who's to say? But a phone doesn't necessitate serious thinking.

Earth Prime | The Definitive Source for Sliders™

Re: Jerry O'Connell talks Sliders History and a Possible Reboot

Well, that, and I don't have any idea who (if anyone) from the original show would even be involved if we ever got a reboot.  I bet it would be a complete re-imagining in the same way Battlestar Galactica was rebooted.  It'd certainly be cleaner than dealing with any of the continuity mess.

An odd thought I had.  Season one takes place in 1995?  Quinn was born in 1973?  So Quinn would've been 21/22 when he started sliding, and it's been 21 years since he slid.  If we're to assume that season 3 wouldn't be canon for any sequel series, we have to think that the sliders either quit sliding and stayed on an earth or kept randomly sliding.  If they decided to stay somewhere shortly after season 2, Quinn would've spent 22 years on Earth, a year or two sliding, and almost 20 years on the new Earth.  He would've, essentially, lived on "Earth Double Prime" as long as "Earth Prime"

Re: Jerry O'Connell talks Sliders History and a Possible Reboot

Transmodiar wrote:
Slide Override wrote:

Tracy Tormé recently called me and said, “We’re thinking about rebooting Sliders,” and I was like, “I’m in, buddy, make it happen.” So who knows what will happen.

Woah, Tracy called him? That bodes well that this was some serious thinking about rebooting the show.

Not to be a Debbie Downer, but this kind of conversation is extremely cyclical - Torme's been calling people for 16 years about reboots and movies. When I spoke to him in 2009, he admitted he doesn't have a say because he doesn't own the intellectual property. He reiterated that when I met him at the MUFON event a few years ago.

Now, in this climate of rebootquels, who's to say? But a phone doesn't necessitate serious thinking.

Good to know. Trust me, I'm way beyond getting my hopes up, I just thought it was a neat thing to have occurred.

Re: Jerry O'Connell talks Sliders History and a Possible Reboot

Slider_Quinn21 wrote:

Well, that, and I don't have any idea who (if anyone) from the original show would even be involved if we ever got a reboot.  I bet it would be a complete re-imagining in the same way Battlestar Galactica was rebooted.  It'd certainly be cleaner than dealing with any of the continuity mess.

An odd thought I had.  Season one takes place in 1995?  Quinn was born in 1973?  So Quinn would've been 21/22 when he started sliding, and it's been 21 years since he slid.  If we're to assume that season 3 wouldn't be canon for any sequel series, we have to think that the sliders either quit sliding and stayed on an earth or kept randomly sliding.  If they decided to stay somewhere shortly after season 2, Quinn would've spent 22 years on Earth, a year or two sliding, and almost 20 years on the new Earth.  He would've, essentially, lived on "Earth Double Prime" as long as "Earth Prime"

http://sliders.tv/bboard/viewtopic.php?pid=1567#p1567
This is my solution to the issue of doing a new SLIDERS as both a reboot AND a sequel to the original series but using the original cast. It would let us catch up with Quinn, Wade, Rembrandt and Arturo today, but it would appear to new viewers as a continuity restart while old fans would see it as happening after "The Seer."

13 (edited by RussianCabbie_Lotteryfan 2016-03-24 13:02:32)

Re: Jerry O'Connell talks Sliders History and a Possible Reboot

Transmodiar wrote:
Slide Override wrote:

Tracy Tormé recently called me and said, “We’re thinking about rebooting Sliders,” and I was like, “I’m in, buddy, make it happen.” So who knows what will happen.

Woah, Tracy called him? That bodes well that this was some serious thinking about rebooting the show.

but this kind of conversation is extremely cyclical - Torme's been calling people for 16 years about reboots and movies.

I don't think Torme's ever made any effort for a Sliders reboot other than looking at it over the last couple of years (a period of time he's been preoccupied with his movie and documentary project). The 2000 Sliders "movie" was Weiss. And yes, Torme has been candid that he doesn't have ownership or power over the property.

That said, he has a better chance of getting it anywhere than you or I pitching it.

Getting Sliders remade is a huge uphill battle due to cynical networks and some of the tainted aspects of the brand, but it's not out of the realm of possibility that with enough will, the right pitch and the right people, something can happen.  Jerry's clearly the guy who wants this to happen most, so I hope he's willing to give it a shot with or without Tracy, but I get the sense that he's very loyal and doesn't want to step on any toes with it.

Re: Jerry O'Connell talks Sliders History and a Possible Reboot

There's no reason that Tracy couldn't persuade the rights holders to at least order a pilot, should be offer them something interesting pitch wise.  Or they may well decide it makes sense to investigate, and they go to him.  I think the latter is what Jerry was suggesting.  I would concur that having Tracy write the show again probably wouldn't happen.

15 (edited by RussianCabbie_Lotteryfan 2016-03-24 14:06:05)

Re: Jerry O'Connell talks Sliders History and a Possible Reboot

The rights holder would license the name / characters but that wouldn't be expensive and an easy obstacle.  The harder part is convincing a network to order a pilot which would be a commitment of at least a mill and probably more.  That's the more difficult part. Because its money but they also have to believe a modern day version of the series could work... Particularly with whomever is on the production side and who the talent is that's attached.

Re: Jerry O'Connell talks Sliders History and a Possible Reboot

WHo does have the rights to Sliders these days?

Re: Jerry O'Connell talks Sliders History and a Possible Reboot

pilight wrote:

WHo does have the rights to Sliders these days?

NBCUniversal.

Earth Prime | The Definitive Source for Sliders™

Re: Jerry O'Connell talks Sliders History and a Possible Reboot

Like SliderTen suggested how recent is recent with his talk with Tracy. If its been within the past month or so that would seem quite interesting but Jerry told me last year he would be in if Tracy was on board. So I'm wondering if he's referring to that same time period over a year ago. This past December he told me he talked Cleavant 'recently' over the phone, so who knows.

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Re: Jerry O'Connell talks Sliders History and a Possible Reboot

I don't think we're dealing with any new developments here.

Re: Jerry O'Connell talks Sliders History and a Possible Reboot

http://s22.postimg.org/j4miskdb5/joc_2016face_1994hair.jpg

Jerry's 1994 hair would look great today.

21 (edited by omnimercurial 2016-03-27 04:10:49)

Re: Jerry O'Connell talks Sliders History and a Possible Reboot

If JRD is too committed to Shannara then what about something I remember reading here about the idea of Arturo being a Father of Sliding in a Fic or Working idea a while back which would be great for JRD as a Guest Appearance where he has impacted a Parallel Universe greatly. It could also allow additional appearances and even Full Cast Status.....

Good place for Fresh to Sliding but Mature to Life Quinn to discover and interact with too.

"It's only a matter of time. Were I in your shoes, I would spend my last earthly hours enjoying the world. Of course, if you wish, you can spend them fighting for a lost cause.... But you know that you've lost." -Kane-

Re: Jerry O'Connell talks Sliders History and a Possible Reboot

Jerry is asked about whether Quinn ever got home, comments on reboot:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2IdEHw … &t=158

It's obvious he wants this franchise to bring back, and I think he's hoping a groundswell of support from fans can help encourage it.

Re: Jerry O'Connell talks Sliders History and a Possible Reboot

Oh right. That means that he doesn't know about the Mallory issue, lol.

Yeah, definitely agree on the sentiment that he wants this back.

Re: Jerry O'Connell talks Sliders History and a Possible Reboot

It is pretty cool - he does seem jazzed about it.  He has some buddies in Hollywood, and it really doesn't have to be an expensive project.  Either get Torme to write something cool or pay for something ireactions did.  You'd give a discount, right Ib?

Re: Jerry O'Connell talks Sliders History and a Possible Reboot

If we're talking about SLIDERS REBORN, I will call in every favour and exert every ounce of influence I have to prevent it from ever being made. (This is where Matt would remark that I have already done that by writing a series that's incomprehensible to anyone other than SLIDERS fans.)

I estimate it would cost $18 million to film; why spend that on a series finale story? SLIDERS REBORN is really my way of acting out my psychodrama. Any new SLIDERS should open the door as opposed to closing it.

So, the best option is the SLIDERS REDUX. Wade Welles is a tech journalist who failed to build a literary career beyond reviewing gadgets. Rembrandt Brown is a jazz bar owner who failed to hang onto his musical stardom. Professor Arturo is a study guide writer who failed to gain recognition for his scientific brilliance. And Quinn Mallory is a tax accountant who failed to create anti-gravity -- but two decades after losing his passion for science, he realizes he discovered something else instead...

But I also wouldn't be able to offer a discount or set a price on this because it's Temporal Flux's idea (although I updated the professions for 2016 for him). And Matt Hutaff suggested a way in which this reboot with older doubles discovering sliding for the first time could be in continuity with the original SLIDERS.

In addition to the REDUX film or TV series, a set of webisodes would reveal -- only for the diehard fans -- that Quinn, between "The Seer" and REDUX, commandeered a Kromagg reality warping weapon to rip the concept of sliding out of existence, giving himself and his friends the lives they would have had if the vortex had never been opened.

So, it would really be up to TF to set his price and Matt would receive an all expense paid trip to Robert Floyd's COCKTAIL THEATRE and some Olive Garden coupons by way of recompense.

The upshot of this is that REBORN is by design a dead end for SLIDERS (because it is The End). A new SLIDERS should be a new beginning. The REDUX is the way to go.

(I actually think the REDUX was probably the plan for the perpetually teased SLIDERS feature film that Weiss wanted to do.)

26 (edited by Slider_Quinn21 2016-04-05 18:04:32)

Re: Jerry O'Connell talks Sliders History and a Possible Reboot

Ha, well whatever it is, you could write it.  You understand the characters better than most, and you've shown (with various TV shows/movies) an understanding for how character and story should work.

For me, I think the idea doesn't need to be complicated or even directly connect to anything from the original run.  The only thing we have to include is Jerry.  So I think you have a Quinn (not necessarily *the* Quinn) who slid for a while and ended up staying on some world that was "close enough."  He's a professor at a college, and one of his students is starting to get pretty close to replicating his work.  Quinn tries to divert him, but he's also curious.  Maybe he's married to Wade and she comes along.  Maybe none of the other Sliders are on the trip.  You'd probably have to go with a younger cast with Jerry as the mentor character with the occasional guest spot by Rembrandt, Wade, or Arturo.

And that's what I'd do.  Like with the original, you'd need to find a time in history that's currently relevant.  In the mid-90s, it was the end of the Cold War.  Now?  Terrorism?  A world where a seemingly-oppresive empire in the Middle East keeps interfering with the developing religious states in North America because of the oil located on the continent.  Quinn is the leader of a militia trying to drive out the infidels.  Something like that?

Point is.....maybe it's the same Quinn from any of the seasons.  Maybe it isn't.  It doesn't really matter - we know there were endless groups of our sliders out there who could've had any number of adventures.  Quinn can mention going to a world where dinosaurs were alive, and it could be referencing "Dino Veritas" or it could be some adventure his group had.  As long as it's vague enough, it can be a fun line for old fans while still adding value to new fans.

Re: Jerry O'Connell talks Sliders History and a Possible Reboot

Hey, what's this nonsense Jerry's spouting about being "booted" off the fifth season? Is the truth really that bad? His contract expired. He said he'd return if he received a promotion. He certainly wouldn't have been a worse showrunner than the ones we'd already endured. He was refused a promotion and he in turn refused to return. That's fair. "Contractual dispute." But production wanted him back; the claim that he was "booted" is an outright lie.

**

Strictly within Planet ireactions -- if I had to do a SLIDERS reboot/revival but could only get Jerry O'Connell, I wouldn't have him play Quinn Mallory. To me, SLIDERS is Quinn, Wade, Rembrandt and Arturo. SLIDERS is about the sliders -- these sliders. These people. The geekboy adventurer. The shy firebrand. The out of date showbiz icon. And the wise professor.

Temporal Flux advocates the NEXT GENERATION approach. I think to do THE NEXT GENERATION, you need a solid FIRST GENERATION. What you're proposing is what THE FLASH did with Jay Garrick, the original Flash, being replaced with Barry Allen, a new Flash. But Barry was simply a new character with the same name and powers; he wasn't presented as an extension of Jay's legacy, and if he had been, it wouldn't have worked because Jay left no real legacy at all. SLIDERS left no foundation for the second generation of sliders -- so I would want to build that first generation.

So, if I'm rebooting SLIDERS and I can't get Sabrina, Cleavant and John, then I see no point to bringing Jerry back to play Quinn. Quinn would be a fragment of the quartet. That would just make me sad. Instead, I would cast early twenties actors to play a teenaged Quinn and Wade, hire mid-forties and fifties actors to play Rembrandt and Arturo -- and I would have Jerry play a recurring role as Michael Mallory. If and when I could get Sabrina, Clevant or John, I would have them play the parents of the recast Wade, Rembrandt and Arturo, the way John Wesley Shipp plays Henry Allen. I would build a new first generation of sliders before thinking of the second.

And if I could get all the original actors back for a few 13-episode runs -- I'd do the Redux. Quinn and Wade are in their 40s, Rembrandt is in his 60s, Arturo is in his 70s -- they discover sliding in 2016 instead of 1994, some bonus content assures long-time fans that these are not doubles; these are the original sliders. Admittedly, due to John Rhys-Davies' age, I think we could only do 1 - 2 seasons of random sliding before getting the gang home and putting together a new group of sliders -- but once you have a good run of the original characters, you can reinvent the show now that it has a strong and solid core.

Just my view, of course. :-)

28 (edited by RussianCabbie_Lotteryfan 2016-04-05 18:54:16)

Re: Jerry O'Connell talks Sliders History and a Possible Reboot

How about the kid who played Quinn in the guardian as the new "young" Quinn character?

http://ia.media-imdb.com/images/M/MV5BMTgwNzQwMzcxMV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwNTU1MzIzMQ@@._V1__SX1303_SY591_.jpg

I love Temporal/ireactions idea. The beautiful part about that is you can always link them up with the foursome from the original series... they're just doubles from another world.

And, if you went with a next generation cast, you could always have our original sliders make appearances and/or be regularly involved.  The premise of the show makes the franchise extremely flexible for revival or reboot, and helps deal with the aging factor better.

Re: Jerry O'Connell talks Sliders History and a Possible Reboot

ireactions wrote:

Strictly within Planet ireactions -- if I had to do a SLIDERS reboot/revival but could only get Jerry O'Connell, I wouldn't have him play Quinn Mallory. To me, SLIDERS is Quinn, Wade, Rembrandt and Arturo. SLIDERS is about the sliders -- these sliders. These people. The geekboy adventurer. The shy firebrand. The out of date showbiz icon. And the wise professor.

Would you be okay with Jerry as Arturo?  That's how I saw him in my pitch.

I guess the question is what form this series takes.  Is it a reboot or a next generation?  If it's a straight reboot, I don't have any issue with four new stars and putting Jerry in some other role.  I'd even be okay with Jerry playing the "Michael Mallory" role but still playing Quinn (with "Quinn Jr" as the new lead) so that Jerry could still play Quinn in the multiverse.

If it's Next Generation, make Jerry the mentor.  Either Quinn is the REDUX version or a previous slider guiding a new team.  Because, yeah, Sliders didn't leave much of a legacy.  But Quinn is still a potentially great character, and if it's' going to exist in the same canon (and it's a multiverse show, it sorta has to - like how the Shipp Flash is still canon on the CW Flash) and Jerry is going to be on there, make him Quinn.  A different Quinn possibly.  But still Quinn.

Re: Jerry O'Connell talks Sliders History and a Possible Reboot

To me, SLIDERS is Quinn, Wade, Rembrandt and Arturo. SLIDERS is about the sliders -- these sliders. These people. The geekboy adventurer. The shy firebrand. The out of date showbiz icon. And the wise professor.

This, right here, is the heart of Sliders. Just like Stargate, the mythos and exploration of worlds is important, but not moreso than the characters and the group dynamics employed within it. They are what make that exploration intriguing. Their journey. Their friendship. How they handle adversity and a crisis. How far they will stretch their morals to tackle an issue. This is the heart of Sliders - THEY are the heart of Sliders - something that we shouldn't deny new viewers.

I know a lot of people want some form of direct continuation, but honestly, there is no point bringing back the property just to try and muddle through the confusing mess and bring it to an 'end'. Fan fiction has done that brilliantly. Seriously, go read some of them out there. There are lots of good stories. But unfortunately, most of them are just that - endings. Very few continuing the story after they have made all kinds of out there attempts to retcon or fix the show's problems.

To make the property commercially viable again, you need a complete reboot with fresh faced actors playing the fab 4. It is the only real way. The show had too many problems to handwave away and continue it as it was. And simply ignoring those issues is just as deadly.

But if The Powers That Be did allow Jerry to be a part of it, I can't see him taking on the Arturo role - he just doesn't have it in him. I agree with the Quinn Snr / Jnr thing that could be done - allowing him to still have his place within the multiverse. So Mr Mallory almost perfected sliding and got himself lost in the process. Years later, Quinn Jr completes his work and goes searching for his/her father. That allows Jerry to have a recurring role, still be a 'Quinn' and have a significant impact on the story and events - but allows the fab 4 to be seen and embraced by a new generation of viewers and fans.

Re: Jerry O'Connell talks Sliders History and a Possible Reboot

Slide Override wrote:

But if The Powers That Be did allow Jerry to be a part of it, I can't see him taking on the Arturo role - he just doesn't have it in him. I agree with the Quinn Snr / Jnr thing that could be done - allowing him to still have his place within the multiverse. So Mr Mallory almost perfected sliding and got himself lost in the process. Years later, Quinn Jr completes his work and goes searching for his/her father. That allows Jerry to have a recurring role, still be a 'Quinn' and have a significant impact on the story and events - but allows the fab 4 to be seen and embraced by a new generation of viewers and fans.

Well, the only reason I bring up Jerry in a lead role in each of my scenarios is the fact that I'm assuming Jerry would need to be a driving force behind the revival.  Jerry probably has the most clout out of anyone that has worked on Sliders in a while.  Torme has tried (and failed) to get anything done.  Weiss hasn't produced anything in a while.  JRD might be a more familiar face to some, but no one knows his name.

If anyone has the potential to get this off the ground, Jerry has the name-recognition and the connections in Hollywood to get it done. 

The next question would be "what capacity would Jerry want to work in?"  And my answer to that would be "probably star in it."  The only reason I say that is because he's only produced/directed/written for two things in his career - Sliders and a 2004 film "First Daughter".  All 10+ years ago.  So if Jerry can get it off the ground, I'm guessing he wants to do what he's been doing in the last 10 years - acting. 

So if Jerry is working to get this off the ground and wants to act in it (and, presumably, anyone helping him would want him to act in it), you have two options.  Either he's playing Quinn or he's throwing out all the continuity and you're recasting him as someone else.  If Sliders is Quinn/Wade/Rembrandt/Arturo, then Arturo seems the natural fit if Jerry wants to be a star of the show.  JRD would presumably help him work on the mentor role if Jerry called, and it wouldn't necessarily have to be the exact same Arturo that JRD played.

The issue with him playing Quinn is a) continuity baggage and b) the age of the rest of the original cast.  The problem with all of these reboots/rebootquels is that Sliders has much less nostalgia factor than "Boy Meets World" or "Full House" and that the original cast is in their 40s or older.  I don't know many people in the target demo of something like Netflix that would tune in to watch a cast of all 40+ actors with very little star power.  I just don't think you'd get much of that audience.  Like Girl Meets World and Fuller House, you'd have to work in younger stars to match the demographic.

That's why I think Jerry should be in the main cast for any idea, and that's why I think Jerry is probably the only returning original cast member.  I bet Cleavant, JRD, and Sabrina could/would return in some guest star capacity.  I just can't see any legitimate project getting off the ground with the four original sliders, reboot or not.

32 (edited by Slide Override 2016-04-06 13:11:09)

Re: Jerry O'Connell talks Sliders History and a Possible Reboot

That's why it would need to be a complete reboot with four new actors playing the characters the show needs.

Heck, in all probability, if the studios did see some kind of movement to getting Sliders rebooted due to anything that Jerry pushed, they'd probably just use that momentum and go for a complete reboot without him anyhow (just casting him in a cameo) - which again, as I've said before - is the best way for all.

Re: Jerry O'Connell talks Sliders History and a Possible Reboot

Yeah, but that's my point exactly.  Jerry would need to be the force behind any reboot.  Torme alone wasn't able to get it done.  Weiss tried and couldn't get it done, and he was a pretty big producer for a while.  Cable ratings, DVD sales, and Netflix views weren't enough to get any traction going.  It's been 16 years, and the only traction we've ever gotten on new Sliders is the Kickstarter or Die video that Jerry did.

So if this thing is gonna get done, Jerry is going to do it.  And I don't think Jerry would want to do it for the love of the property.  Doing a bunch of work to get the project off the ground and then doing a cameo doesn't seem like Jerry's style.  It's probably best for the property, but I think Jerry is going to want to be involved.  It's probably his best chance to star in something, and it's probably nostalgia-driven for him too.  He could be the star of Sliders again.

So if Jerry's going to be the force behind something, Jerry is going to need to be in it in a starring role.  And the rest has to be written around it.

Re: Jerry O'Connell talks Sliders History and a Possible Reboot

Jerry doesn't own the rights to the property. He doesn't have a real choice in the matter.

Re: Jerry O'Connell talks Sliders History and a Possible Reboot

I think you vastly overestimate Jerry's clout. If he had the power to bring SLIDERS back, he would have done it by now. He is downplaying this in interviews, but Jerry was the one who made the first call to Tracy.

He wanted to play Quinn Mallory again. But I don't think Jerry can get this project together. He is well off, but he certainly can't essentially give away the $20 million or so to put even a low-budget film together. I guestimate his net worth at about $12 million and his discretionary income at about $500,000 to 1 million annually. As a celebrity, he is known, but he's hardly Tom Cruise or even Tom Felton.

I was thinking of Jerry playing Michael Mallory in a reboot as a recurring guest-star, not a regular. He'd be in a couple episodes now and then as a double of Quinn's dead father. It'd be necessary to make Quinn in the reboot a bit younger than 20 in order for Jerry to be his father.

I don't see Jerry in the Arturo role. He's the hyperactive father, not the semi-retired Professor.

This is just my view, but Quinn is not designed to function without Wade, Rembrandt and the Professor. The show was not QUINN MALLORY; the show was SLIDERS; they were all essential to each other. Youth and age. Scientific experience and emotional experience. Activism and conservatism. Blue collar and academic. Jerry as Quinn without Sabrina, Cleavant and John would just depress me. Jerry as Michael Mallory would be a nice nod.

That said, I do not think the SLIDERS REDUX is in any way complicated or confusing to new viewers. 2016: Quinn Mallory and friends discover the gateway to parallel dimensions, but on their first adventure, they lose their way back home. A webisode reveals that these are not older doubles but amnesiac versions of the original sliders whose 1995-series adventures were rewound off camera through a cosmic reset button. The casual audience would never see the webisodes.

The only problem I see with the REDUX is that Sabrina Lloyd might be difficult to secure and John Rhys-Davies might be unwilling to resume running from security guards, bungee jumping, diving out of the vortex, etc.. But setting aside that along with Slider_Quinn21's hatred for old people*, Jerry and Sabrina look as attractive as ever and John and Cleavant having aged would add a lot. SLIDERS is meant for a cult audience in the end; do it on a lower budget for a streaming service and an audience inclined to the series will find it.

*Hahaahahhaahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah!

Re: Jerry O'Connell talks Sliders History and a Possible Reboot

Haha I don't hate old people!

Re: Jerry O'Connell talks Sliders History and a Possible Reboot

Slide Override wrote:

Jerry doesn't own the rights to the property. He doesn't have a real choice in the matter.

True.  But I'm saying Jerry is the best chance the series has of continuing.  All other avenues, so far, have failed.  The only new sliders we've gotten since 2/4/2000 is the Kickstarter or Die video (starring Jerry as Quinn and no one else).  Jerry doesn't have a ton of clout, but he's the best chance that the series has.  A Sliders: TNG with an all-new cast would be great, but who's making it?  Who's clamoring for it?  We've been talking about this every couple months for 16 years, and nothing has gotten done.

Jerry talking about Sliders is the biggest pub this property has had in years.  And maybe there's a guy out there who'd do it without any help, but I'm guessing the best way to get Universal (who does own the rights) is a script written by Torme and a commitment from Jerry O'Connell to star in it.  If there's a better way, none of us have thought of it in 16 years.

Re: Jerry O'Connell talks Sliders History and a Possible Reboot

Jerry talked about starting a petition, so I did. He's retweeted my links to it twice, so I think its safe to say he wants the show to return pretty bad. As I talked about in the petition it's really NOW or NEVER to see John Rhys-Davies in Sliders again. He's 71. And who knows he might not want to participle in anything again after everything he went through on the show. But if we want Sliders to return in some form I don't see many alternatives other than to continue to prod Tracy, Jerry, etc., signs petitions, and spread the word. I've been talking to a fan on Twitter who's been in contact with people at Comic Con NY about trying to start something for Sliders in October. Who knows. All we can do is try, because without the fans the show wouldn't exist to begin with.

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Re: Jerry O'Connell talks Sliders History and a Possible Reboot

I'm on Team Reboot because I want something that will last a while.

Getting the band back together would be fun for a one off movie or maybe a mini-series if the interest is there, but if we want something that will run for several years then a reboot with a younger cast is the only way to go.

Re: Jerry O'Connell talks Sliders History and a Possible Reboot

Jim_Hall wrote:

I've been talking to a fan on Twitter who's been in contact with people at Comic Con NY about trying to start something for Sliders in October. Who knows. All we can do is try, because without the fans the show wouldn't exist to begin with.

The most NYCC would do is offer a Sliders reunion panel, although one would have assumed 2015 was the time to do it since JRD was in attendance and Jerry is always in NYC.  One of the issues you have is that SyFy, while they have "rebooted" properties recently, have done fairly well with their slate of original programming lately without needing to reboot something.  Then again, MacGuyver is coming back! 

Look Jerry is not a writer, which is why he went to Tracy to see if he had anything to brainstorm up.  I've said this for years, you need someone fresh to enter the picture with a new concept.  It has to be attached to someone with actual recent clout, like a Carlton Cuse for example, as backup.  That will prove to execs this isn't fan fiction (no offense).  Torme does not appear to be that guy.  He is way out of the picture in Hollyweird these days, and seems far more wrapped up in UFO's.

Re: Jerry O'Connell talks Sliders History and a Possible Reboot

Grizzlor wrote:

Torme does not appear to be that guy.  He is way out of the picture in Hollyweird these days, and seems far more wrapped up in UFO's.

And that's basically my ultimate point re: Jerry.  If Sliders is ever going to return, in any form, it needs a champion.  Someone who will go into the important offices with a pitch and make things happen.  That's how this stuff works.

You're right: Torme isn't that guy anymore.  If he was, it would've been done already.  And my point has been, Jerry might not be that guy, but he's the best chance the show has as far as we know.  He's the only one talking about it. 

Example: Battlestar Galactica.  It's another small sci-fi show with a cult following.  Its star, Richard Hatch, spent years and years and years trying to get a continuation produced.  Made comics, made novels, made a teaser trailer for a continuation called "The Second Coming".  He got really close a few times.  And while he never got his version on screen, he knocked down enough doors that Universal decided to make the reboot.  And it got a new champion in Ronald D. Moore.

So if Jerry goes around Hollywood and shops Sliders enough, anything can happen.  But that's where it has to start.  Petitions might work, but the one I found has 70 signatures.  I signed it, but 70 isn't going to get anything moving.  Kickstarter could work, but you have to have people attached for people to be willing to pay money for it.  For these things, you still need a champion.

Now it's true that Jerry might not be the best champion for Sliders.  If a Carlton Cuse or a JJ Abrams or Vince Gilligan or Chris Carter or Shawn Ryan or any number of TV producers wanted to get a Sliders reboot off the ground, they probably could.  But usually, those things take something smaller to get them off the ground.  Richard Hatch had to pitch BSG so many times before Moore found out they were doing it and thought, "Yeah, I could do something cool there."

And maybe Jerry has to go into a room and say "here's my idea.  I'm Arturo with a bunch of great young actors."  And he has this glossy cool-looking promo art, but the Universal exec brushes him off.  But then the next meeting is Cuse for Colony Season 2, and he sees the promo art sticking out of a folder on the exec's desk.  "You're doing SLIDERS?  That's awesome, I loved that show!"  "Well, not really.  But is that something you'd like to work on?" "Absolutely!"

And that's how you get Sliders: TNG.

42 (edited by RussianCabbie_Lotteryfan 2016-04-07 15:05:03)

Re: Jerry O'Connell talks Sliders History and a Possible Reboot

Slider_Quinn21 wrote:
Grizzlor wrote:

Torme does not appear to be that guy.  He is way out of the picture in Hollyweird these days, and seems far more wrapped up in UFO's.

And that's basically my ultimate point re: Jerry.  If Sliders is ever going to return, in any form, it needs a champion.  Someone who will go into the important offices with a pitch and make things happen.  That's how this stuff works.

You're right: Torme isn't that guy anymore.  If he was, it would've been done already.  And my point has been, Jerry might not be that guy, but he's the best chance the show has as far as we know.  He's the only one talking about it. 

Example: Battlestar Galactica.  It's another small sci-fi show with a cult following.  Its star, Richard Hatch, spent years and years and years trying to get a continuation produced.  Made comics, made novels, made a teaser trailer for a continuation called "The Second Coming".  He got really close a few times.  And while he never got his version on screen, he knocked down enough doors that Universal decided to make the reboot.  And it got a new champion in Ronald D. Moore.

So if Jerry goes around Hollywood and shops Sliders enough, anything can happen.  But that's where it has to start.  Petitions might work, but the one I found has 70 signatures.  I signed it, but 70 isn't going to get anything moving.  Kickstarter could work, but you have to have people attached for people to be willing to pay money for it.  For these things, you still need a champion.

Now it's true that Jerry might not be the best champion for Sliders.  If a Carlton Cuse or a JJ Abrams or Vince Gilligan or Chris Carter or Shawn Ryan or any number of TV producers wanted to get a Sliders reboot off the ground, they probably could.  But usually, those things take something smaller to get them off the ground.  Richard Hatch had to pitch BSG so many times before Moore found out they were doing it and thought, "Yeah, I could do something cool there."

And maybe Jerry has to go into a room and say "here's my idea.  I'm Arturo with a bunch of great young actors."  And he has this glossy cool-looking promo art, but the Universal exec brushes him off.  But then the next meeting is Cuse for Colony Season 2, and he sees the promo art sticking out of a folder on the exec's desk.  "You're doing SLIDERS?  That's awesome, I loved that show!"  "Well, not really.  But is that something you'd like to work on?" "Absolutely!"

And that's how you get Sliders: TNG.

I really like what Slider_Quinn has been saying. At the end of the day, Sliders needs a a champion - Jerry is the only guy who appears willing to push for it, even if as Ib correctly states, he doesn't have a lot of pull to get a project made in hollywood. But I don't think he wants to step on the creator's toes, so he is sort of taking a backseat to actually getting involved with it as a pitch (except only to fans). What he is willing to do is to nudge fans a little about his interest, and hope they can help nudge other folks, to try to get the ball rolling.

I was the one who reached out to the ComicCon folks about a panel - a Sliders reunion panel as Grizzlor put it.  I got in touch, heard back, gave them my pitch and am hoping they follow up with interest. I think it's our best chance at getting the ball rolling, the same way that frankly I am not sure X Files would have ever returned if there wasn't a podcast about it from a semi-famous actor and Gillian didn't go on nerdist. These things are incredibly stupid in terms of how they work but it basically took that for a renuion to happen.

I hope if you got all 3 or 4 or even 5 or 6 principles in the same place, same room for the first time, they could talk again, and not only that, feel the love from fans, making them use that positivity energy to give somethign of an effort. I honestly believe Tracy may have put out some feelers originally to industry peers and didn't get a great response about the prospects. That said, we are not trying to make 1 + 2 = 4 here. Getting Sliders back is not that impossible. It is just very hard. And that's why you need someone pitching hard, like the Battle Star Galectica guy.  Unfortunately, there's no 30-something year old exec who grew up in sliders now in hollywood willing to stick there neck out for this franchise.  We have Jerry, Tracy, us, and maybe if we are lucky a fan or not a fan in Kelsey Grammer, and who even knows what he thinks if he liked it originally.

It is possible for something to happen, however, with the right energy behind the effort from these principals, us doing what we can do, and creativity. Cleverness and creativity is what will allow the pitch and market strategy to be framed in a manner in which executives will be convinced "you;re right" and take some professional risk here.

Hopefully, they would be open to the possibility of younger cast members as well, if that's what it took. I'd say if they get a pilot that reunites the characters, makes the continuity of season 3 and beyond not affect our sliders, and then introduces a new generation of sliders, great.

Re: Jerry O'Connell talks Sliders History and a Possible Reboot

Kelsey Grammer is a Sliders fan?  Damn I saw him on Broadway, I could have asked him!

Re: Jerry O'Connell talks Sliders History and a Possible Reboot

Grizzlor wrote:

Kelsey Grammer is a Sliders fan?  Damn I saw him on Broadway, I could have asked him!

ugh, it would have been perfect to have found out. He has a production company and actually has some clout to get things done.

Re: Jerry O'Connell talks Sliders History and a Possible Reboot

Yeah I've thought about the Grammer thing too.  But he's had 20 years to get something done if he really wanted.  There's "being a fan of something" and "willing to pour my heart and soul into something."  I mean, honestly, this stuff has to be viral in a lot of ways.  I absolutely agree that Grammer could get the ball rolling, but unless he's producing it himself and doing all the legwork, it takes him being a superfan, rallying troops, and then convincing X number of people to join his cause.  It would eat up a ton of his time and energy, and he probably has bigger fish to fry.

I mean think about all the shows and movies you consider yourself a fan of.  Now how many are you willing to write fanfic for?  How many are you willing to talk about on a daily basis?  And how many would you be willing to say, "I'm putting my life on hold to devote to this?"

Now you guys are absolutely right - if a Sliders reunion panel was created at ComicCon, that's a place where the ball gets rolling.  Whether the cast gets together and starts talking and seeing when their schedules might be free.  If the panel is packed with super-high energy and tons of interest in a new movie or whatever, then you have the beginnings of something.  Because there's  a huge difference between Jerry O'Connell or Kelsey Grammer or whoever calling and saying "hey, you guys should do some new Sliders" and a studio exec finding out organically "Hey, there was a huge panel at ComicCon with all the original Sliders and people were really excited about it.  What if we decided to try and do something with the rights?"

46 (edited by RussianCabbie_Lotteryfan 2016-04-07 16:58:52)

Re: Jerry O'Connell talks Sliders History and a Possible Reboot

I really wasn't meaning for the Kelsey Grammer thing as something all that serious as a strategy. My point was, besides Jerry, Tracy and us, the cupboard is pretty bare in terms of people who are serious about wanting sliders to come back.  The only famous, influential fan of the show we know of is a celebrity that we don't even know if he really did have interest. So I was trying to illustrate Sliders is not going to be resurrected by some outside force.

If they ever did get any momentum with a revivial, I am sure they could check with Kelsey to see if he really was a fan and wanted some involvement.  But it's not something to look at as how this thing is really going to get made. And we as fans can only try to provide gentle nudging to try to push people who actually can make an effort to really try bringing this to life.

Re: Jerry O'Connell talks Sliders History and a Possible Reboot

Exactly.

Re: Jerry O'Connell talks Sliders History and a Possible Reboot

Slider_Quinn21 wrote:

I mean think about all the shows and movies you consider yourself a fan of.  Now how many are you willing to write fanfic for?  How many are you willing to talk about on a daily basis?  And how many would you be willing to say, "I'm putting my life on hold to devote to this?"

This is very true. However, it leads to another question -- how much time, attention, thought, consideration and effort would SLIDERS require if the show had stayed in Vancouver, done 5 - 7 seasons with the original characters and then ended with a two hour finale presenting a final adventure and a happy ending?

One of the reasons SLIDERS REBORN is delayed -- I decided I had to find a way to work Mallory into the series (preferably without altering the story already in place). It was simply wrong to have an anniversary celebration without a role for Robert Floyd. If SLIDERS hadn't been run so clumsily and unprofessionally, would any of these extensive mental gymnastics and online story conferences be necessary?

(Hilariously, Rob personally assured me that he would not be offended by his exclusion from a piece of fan fiction for a television show he worked on for one year over a decade and a half ago -- and it STILL bothered me.)

But that's just the fans. From an unsentimental and economical standpoint, there is no real upside to remaking SLIDERS. You'd have to give up large amounts of profit and control to the rightsholders and creators, whereas if you made your own parallel universe series -- like PARALLELS -- you could do what you wanted. And if you don't bring back the original cast or if you're determined to do a NEXT GENERATION -- then aren't you basically doing PARALLELS? An new TV show with new characters that might not even benefit from having the SLIDERS legacy behind it?

Re: Jerry O'Connell talks Sliders History and a Possible Reboot

What I think the true issues are with Sliders is this: It never had enough traction when it WAS on TV to ever get a second thought as a reboot. We have to remember some key things about Sliders:

1. We fought tooth and nail to get season two made. If it wasn't for the email campaign that crashed FOX's servers, Sliders would've joined VR-5 for good.

2. Sliders still was on the bubble for a pickup on season three. That was never guaranteed.

3. Sliders was never a ratings hit to justify much attention. Hence why episodes were out of order for every FOX season and how much the network meddled in it. If Sliders was a hit out of the park, they'd be hands-off and let production handle itself like with X-Files.

4. Scifi made some good strides to get the show back on track but they too never gave the show enough budget or direction to take it to the next level.

Sliders was always the "little show that could" and I still am amazed that we got five seasons. We had to fight for every single one of them. If you look to a much more popular show like Quantum Leap, that STILL has no chance of coming back and that was way more popular than Sliders, IMO.

I want a reboot / reimagining more than anyone and the fact that Jerry is on board is a HUGE plus. However, it's a property that is a bit tarnished due to how it was handled and no major powerhouse to champion it.

At the end of the day, without someone who holds actual power either at NBC Universal open to the idea of bringing it back, Sliders has no chance. This makes me wonder if the efforts to do something need to be more focused on the business side such as trying to bring it to the attention of Netflix's brass or working to contact Universal and getting their attention. Once someone's eyes are on it, THEN we pounce with a Kickstarter / Jerry / petition / mass movement.

Webmaster of the old-school Sliders fan page at Geocities/TimesSquare/1473 (Archive.org copy here: https://web.archive.org/web/20091027062 … quare/1473)

Re: Jerry O'Connell talks Sliders History and a Possible Reboot

SliderTen wrote:

We fought tooth and nail to get season two made. If it wasn't for the email campaign that crashed FOX's servers, Sliders would've joined VR-5 for good.

The fan campaign for Season 3 was also completely insane in its focus and determination. It is a seminal achievement to be admired. I mean, you can't really evaluate a decision outside of the specific circumstances in which the decision was made; the fans had no way of knowing that they would resurrect a version of SLIDERS that was fundamentally diseased.

Personally, I think that it may be up to the fans to attempt to resurrect SLIDERS as a pilot project. PDF screenplays marketed to a general, entry-level audience. Like STAR WARS doing SHADOWS OF THE EMPIRE and releasing novels, comic books, a soundtrack, videogames -- all the tie-in merchandise without an actual movie for it. However, we tried that and... well, we hit the problem I described above; the people contributing to the project came to the gradual but inescapable conclusion that they would gain more profit from doing their own stuff. Hell, Matt is constantly advising me to drop the SLIDERS stuff and write my spunky teen girl detective series instead.

Re: Jerry O'Connell talks Sliders History and a Possible Reboot

ireactions wrote:

However, we tried that and... well, we hit the problem I described above; the people contributing to the project came to the gradual but inescapable conclusion that they would gain more profit from doing their own stuff. Hell, Matt is constantly advising me to drop the SLIDERS stuff and write my spunky teen girl detective series instead.

Has anyone actually approached Universal proposing books or comics? I know there's an entire publishing arm that has to go with it, but I've found that tie-in works to a property can sometimes be easier to achieve.

Webmaster of the old-school Sliders fan page at Geocities/TimesSquare/1473 (Archive.org copy here: https://web.archive.org/web/20091027062 … quare/1473)

52 (edited by RussianCabbie_Lotteryfan 2016-04-10 15:41:17)

Re: Jerry O'Connell talks Sliders History and a Possible Reboot

SliderTen wrote:
ireactions wrote:

However, we tried that and... well, we hit the problem I described above; the people contributing to the project came to the gradual but inescapable conclusion that they would gain more profit from doing their own stuff. Hell, Matt is constantly advising me to drop the SLIDERS stuff and write my spunky teen girl detective series instead.

Has anyone actually approached Universal proposing books or comics? I know there's an entire publishing arm that has to go with it, but I've found that tie-in works to a property can sometimes be easier to achieve.

I don't think Universal owns any comic book companies (not in that business), but maybe I am wrong?  Assuming I am not a licensing deal with another party would be the only way.

Lion Forge, that did a bunch of licensing of universal series, a couple of years ago, was the best bet for the comic book route, but I dont think they've been particularly successful.  They had licensed Airwolf, Punky Brewster, Saved By the Bell, and some others.  I'm just guessing they haven't necessarily done well enough to follow up and expand to more series (like sliders).

Some people, including I believe temporal flux, had looked into doing a comic.  The production costs are minimum like 15-20k... art, writing isn't cheap, and it would be difficult to make commercial viable unless you really know what you are doing and its not your lone property.

I don't think the orignal Sliders comic did even all that well either. I've gotten the sense that the sliders audience isn't necessarily the comic book audience either (which seems to be more super hero focused) but perhaps I am wrong about that.

53 (edited by RussianCabbie_Lotteryfan 2016-04-10 15:58:20)

Re: Jerry O'Connell talks Sliders History and a Possible Reboot

SliderTen wrote:

What I think the true issues are with Sliders is this: It never had enough traction when it WAS on TV to ever get a second thought as a reboot. We have to remember some key things about Sliders:

1. We fought tooth and nail to get season two made. If it wasn't for the email campaign that crashed FOX's servers, Sliders would've joined VR-5 for good.

2. Sliders still was on the bubble for a pickup on season three. That was never guaranteed.

3. Sliders was never a ratings hit to justify much attention. Hence why episodes were out of order for every FOX season and how much the network meddled in it. If Sliders was a hit out of the park, they'd be hands-off and let production handle itself like with X-Files.

4. Scifi made some good strides to get the show back on track but they too never gave the show enough budget or direction to take it to the next level.

Sliders was always the "little show that could" and I still am amazed that we got five seasons. We had to fight for every single one of them. If you look to a much more popular show like Quantum Leap, that STILL has no chance of coming back and that was way more popular than Sliders, IMO.

I want a reboot / reimagining more than anyone and the fact that Jerry is on board is a HUGE plus. However, it's a property that is a bit tarnished due to how it was handled and no major powerhouse to champion it.


All so, so true.

At the end of the day, without someone who holds actual power either at NBC Universal open to the idea of bringing it back, Sliders has no chance.

Eh, there are people with power.  Universal licensing division. They'll license the property to anyone willing to pay enough.  A license wouldn't be all that substantial with sliders (compared to other more top tier properties) because there's just not a lot of demand for the license.

This makes me wonder if the efforts to do something need to be more focused on the business side such as trying to bring it to the attention of Netflix's brass or working to contact Universal and getting their attention. Once someone's eyes are on it, THEN we pounce with a Kickstarter / Jerry / petition / mass movement.

And this is what we have to hope for and try to do.  We have to hope that someone wants to make a pilot or mini series or movie or series with the Sliders brand (a production company, network or studio).  We know basically the only folks who will really look to do that are the creators of the original series or anyone who jerry can convince to work with him on it (and he seems to be looking to the original show creators right now to "drive").

You posted a spectactuler press kit from Season 1.  This is substantial, and can be used as a weapon in our fight. If you watch those interviews here's what's clear:

- The cast loved each other
- The cast was enthusiastic about the project and were very happy with season 1
- They all had a lot of fun working on the show.

This footage can be used to be spliced together to put together highlights.  This is a perfect tool for taking the principals back to that place in their lives and remind them of how they felt and how others felt about them. John gave Jerry one of the greatest compliments a young actor can have.  I think we can use this to help motivate the gang.  If we get something together, I'll probably try to track down Bob Weiss' email and see if I can pass it along to him as well. He's involved with the X Prize Foundation, so this might be possible.

Re: Jerry O'Connell talks Sliders History and a Possible Reboot

The original SLIDERS comics did okay, but they were hit by across the board distribution problems. The publisher, Acclaim, had a terrible reputation for non-payment / non-delivery created by a previous regime and the new owners and management couldn't break through the wall. Ultimately, the SLIDERS comics sucked for the most part. They were written in a mad rush mostly by writers who marathoned Seasons 1 - 2 in a couple days and drawn by superhero artists who weren't adept at grounded human drama. Changes were made, but before the comics could benefit from them, the entire company shut down.

In terms of marketing -- it would be foolish to try to sell SLIDERS comics or ebooks based on nostalgia. Instead, they should be sold on a brilliant storytelling engine of infinite possibilities. What if it's 2016 and the war on women has been lost? What if it's 2016 and electricity is rationed to individuals? What if it's 2016 and all digital privacy has become non-existent? Aim for an audience interested in science fiction anthology -- albeit an anthology that would feature the same four characters in every story.

Re: Jerry O'Connell talks Sliders History and a Possible Reboot

Nice insights SliderTen. That just confirms my earlier sentiments. Heck, if the rabid Charmed fans can't get CBS to change their current stance on a fresh Charmed reboot without the originals (all 4 of which have repeatedly stated time and time again that they are onboard to continue the show if CBS were) then Sliders stands absolutely zero chance. And that's still ignoring the way Sliders ended, or the actors' ages, or countless other issues.

Of course, like Ireactions mentioned, any petition or push could just do the opposite and make them churn out some other property with a similar premise ... but there's nothing that could be done about that. The question is how best to get a fan push seen. Charmed fans have a constant media push on facebook and twitter, but they have a large fanbase. Sliders just doesn't.

Perhaps this is all just a wistful dream. It has such a low chance of happening.

Re: Jerry O'Connell talks Sliders History and a Possible Reboot

IDW would probably be the best comic book company to have do a Sliders comic. They are currently publishing the Back To the Future comic which, as a BTTF fan, is absolutely amazing.
The stories are excellent , the art is great, and it's published on time. BTTF is also owned by Universal.

IDW has done work with other licensed properties as well- Transformers and X - Files, for example. Sliders would be a perfect fit.

IDW also has a big reprint line- maybe they can acquire the rights to reprint the Acclaim books and then take it from there....

Re: Jerry O'Connell talks Sliders History and a Possible Reboot

RussianCabbie_Lotteryfan wrote:

I was the one who reached out to the ComicCon folks about a panel - a Sliders reunion panel as Grizzlor put it.  I got in touch, heard back, gave them my pitch and am hoping they follow up with interest. I think it's our best chance at getting the ball rolling, the same way that frankly I am not sure X Files would have ever returned if there wasn't a podcast about it from a semi-famous actor and Gillian didn't go on nerdist. These things are incredibly stupid in terms of how they work but it basically took that for a renuion to happen.

Sorry guys, wasn't able to get anywhere with this. I don't think ComicCon has interest. Perhaps the results could be different if it wasn't just a fan reaching out.