J. Michael Straczynski had previously tweeted his interest in taking over from Chris Chibnall.
Last month, Babylon 5 creator J. Michael Straczynski threw his hat into the ring to become the new Doctor Who showrunner, tweeting his interest in replacing Chris Chibnall when the latter steps down in 2022.
And now Straczynski has issued an update on the situation, revealing that contact has been made with the BBC about the soon-to-be vacancy for Doctor Who showrunner.
Replying to a fan who asked what the situation was on Twitter, he wrote, “Contact with the BBC has been made. They’re going through their own process, which began before my tweet, and that has to run its course, but if those don’t pan out and there’s a discussion to be had, they will reach out.”
He added, “Very courteous, so we’ll see where their process leads.”
Contact with the BBC has been made. They’re going through their own process, which began before my tweet, and that has to run its course, but if those don’t pan out and there’s a discussion to be had, they will reach out. Very courteous, so we’ll see where their process leads. https://t.co/CnxqGF59ny
— J. Michael Straczynski (@straczynski) August 18, 2021
Straczynski has impressive pedigree when it comes to sci-fi television, with his other work also including Jeremiah and Sense8, the latter of which he created alongside The Matrix filmmakers Lily and Lana Wachowski.
And it seems that he would be a popular choice among Whovians, with one fan recently tweeting, “JMS created my all-time favorite show, and he’d be a perfect fit for Doctor Who.”
“If BBC Studios hasn’t hired a new showrunner, they should seriously consider Straczynski.”
Of course, given the BBC process Straczynski referred to in his Tweet, it seems unlikely the BBC would hand the reigns over to someone not already on their radar, but at this stage it’s impossible to rule him out.
Straczynski’s original tweet, which was posted just a couple of days after it became official that Chibnall would be stepping down, read, “I don’t know if the BBC would ever consider an American to show-run #DoctorWho, but if so, I would be there in a heartbeat. (Well, technically two heartbeats, since two hearts….)”
Meanwhile, Chibnall recently confirmed that he would have no role in choosing his Doctor Who successor, revealing that the decision was “way above the pay grade of an incumbent showrunner”.