Although the name change to Syfy signaled the erstwhile Sci-Fi Channel's move beyond mere science fiction, and enabled it to embrace a broader creative palette that can encompass shark attacks, shark attacks on Jersey Shore, and shark attacks by a shark that is also an octopus, it's never quite reached the pinnacle that was its Battlestar Galactica reboot. And so it's considering picking up the laser-riddled corpse of Terry Nation's influential cult British series Blake's 7 and giving it a similar remake, presumably turning the already plenty pessimistic and morally gray series about a group of space-faring prison escapees into another gritty, Battlestar-like modern drama, one that will also remind you of Firefly and how it's still canceled. (Or, maybe a lighthearted farce with puppets, given that Syfy seems to like reversing formulas on these things.)
Should the remake go forward, the pilot would be helmed by Casino Royale and Green Lantern director Martin Campbell from a script by Heroes writer Joe Pokaski—two people who know about rebooting classic British things and weathering fan scrutiny and disappointment. It would also mark Syfy's tentative return to shows set in space. "I'm just spitballing here, but is there any scientific evidence that says space can't support a sharktopus?" one network executive has already asked Pokaski at one of these development meetings, only to be reminded that science is stupid, so it's definitely worth considering.