Is it just another Hollywood rumor? Is it fannish wishful thinking, or is Blake’s Seven coming back?

Blake’s 7, often described as the Dirty Dozen in Space, ran on BBCOne from 1978 to 1981. It was widely syndicated in the USA in the mid-eighties. It was the story of a group if convicted criminals who become freedom fighters against the repressive Terran Federation.

B7 told the story of Roj Blake, a political dissident, who with a “borrowed” alien ship led a futuristic band of Merry Men in a fight against the authoritarian Federation. Allegedly a reboot is in the works from BAFTA-winning and Emmy nominated director Peter Hoar.

Award-winning director Peter Hoar has acquired the rights to Blake’s Seven and a reboot is in development, according to an article in Deadline. Hoar suggests that more money doesn’t necessarily make a better show, as evidenced by the final season of Blakes 7. He believes that the slow decline of Doctor Who is leaving room in the marketplace for more genre television,and Blakes 7 might just be what people want. He’s shopping the idea to various markets to see if he can get any traction.

Back in the 70s and 80s, Blakes 7 was noted for its morally ambiguous tone, excellent acting, superb writing, and a special effects budget of less than five pounds. CGI now exists, so the Liberator should look better than ever.

Half the original cast have passed on, and the other half have aged visibly since 1978. It’s not impossible some of the surviving cast members may be invited to appear in cameo roles. Michael Keating, who played cowardly thief Vila Restal, and actress/director Sally Knyvette, who played space smuggler Jenna Stanis, have both moved on to soap operas, she to the popular Emmerdale as Kate Hughes, and he to EastEnders as Rev. George Stevens.

Peter Hoar has substantial geek cred, having worked on Dr. Who, Daredevil, Iron Fist, The Defenders, and Cloak & Dagger, as well as The Last of Us, and Da Vinci’s Demons. Ambition, though, may not be enough to get this particular reboot going. Forty years is a long time for a property to lie fallow in today’s media market, and the memory of what the show was is dimming in the minds of the collective audience. Its time may have passed, but the show still does have its long-time adherents and fans, and stranger things have happened.

Who Are the Seven?

Roj Blake: an idealistic political dissident, falsely convicted on child molestation charges, so his followers would repudiate him in disgust.

Kerr Avon: computer genius, cynical and sardonic, with an IQ and ego the size of Sherlock Holmes’. Rightfully convicted of embezzlement.

Vila Restal: a lower class (Delta grade) thief, rightfully convicted. “I can open any lock if I’m scared enough.”

Oleg Gan: “the ‘brick’ of the group. killed the man who killed his lover and had a limiter implanted in his head to prevent him from committing future violent acts

Jenna Stanis: a bold, beautiful smuggler pilot, also lawfully convicted.

Cally: a telepath from the planet Auron; the only politically motivated member of the crew besides Blake, an alien freedom fighter

Zen: the AI running the ship Liberator

Actress/director Sally Knyvette has complained more than once that her role as Jenna on B7 “was under-written and not developed to its full potential in the rather sexist atmosphere of the BBC.” Maybe now that the BBC has had a female Doctor on Dr. Who and the U.K. has had two three female prime ministers, Jenna will be more than a pretty blonde who knows how to fly a spaceship.