A new 'Lost In Space' television series is being made

Fifty years after the original premiered, a reboot has been announced. We list a few things we'd like to see (and hear) in the new show.

November 23, 2015, 12:07PM By MeTV Staff

Danger, Will Robinson! Everyone's favorite robot is about to be rebooted. Again. It should better than the 1998 movie, which turned B-9 into a broad-shouldered, four-arm tank.

Lost in Space

4/13 1:00AMTarget Earth
"The Space Pod lands on a planet that is inhabited by creatures who all look alike, and aspire to be different. They capture the Robinsons and make duplicates of them with the objective of using the duplicates to fly the Jupiter II back to Earth. Will is not duplicated, and he thwarts their plan."
4/20 1:00AMPrincess of Space
"A crew led by Captain Kraspo is searching for the missing Princess Alpha. They bring Will aboard their ship, and he makes them think the Penny might be the Princess."
4/27 1:00AMThe Time Merchant
"Will is conducting an experiment in a cave and captures a man who claims to be the man who controls time for the entire universe. This "Time Merchant" takes Will, Professor Robinson, Smith, and the Robot, to his secret lair. From there, Smith uses the Time Merchant's time machine to return himself to Earth on the day the Robinson's departed, with the objective of NOT sabotaging the Jupiter II mission and letting the Robinsons go on their way to Alpha Centauri. The Time Merchant then announces that if Smith does not get on the Jupiter II, the ship will not fly off course and will therefore be destroyed by a collision with an asteroid several months after liftoff. So Will is sent back to join Smith and try to convince him to get on the Jupiter II as he originally did."

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Irwin Allen's classic family sci-fi adventure will be remade for Netflix, after a reported bidding war. The new series will be executive produced by a team of veterans including writers Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless, director Neil Marshall (who steered arguably the most exciting, epic episodes of Game of Thrones) and producer Kevin Burns. For Burns, this is a passion project years in the making. The producer attempted a TV movie around the turn of the millennium, not to mention a reboot series a few years later that was filmed by Hong Kong director John Woo. Working with Allen's widow, Burns looks to revive the TV pioneer's projects from the 1960s.

Lost In Space recently celebrated its 50th birthday. There is no word on when the series will arrive on the streaming service. Perhaps around the time the new Star Trek sets off on its own streaming missions?

As we await further details, here are some things we'd like to see in the new series.

1) A cool robot that pays homage to the original

Designing a fresh B-9 is perhaps the greatest challenge for the new team. The look of the robot will immediately set the tone and either lure or turn off fans of the franchise. Sadly, Robert Kinoshita, the original designer and legend of onscreen robots, passed away last year. Finding the right balance between homage and modern will be crucial.

2) A conflicted Dr. Smith

Originally, the Smith character was a saboteur. As Lost In Space turned to a more lighthearted and (literally) colorful tone in its second season, Smith became less of a threat. Considering the darker moods of modern television, we expect Dr. Smith to be painted as villainous again. We just hope that he's not an outright bad guy. (Assuming, of course, they have a Dr. Smith character. But they have to, right?)

3) Some nods to the outlandish aliens

Season two turned the adventure show into something more akin to a live-action Saturday morning cartoon. Growing up, we savored both styles. As mentioned above, we expect a more serious take on the story. However, that doesn't mean the creators can't mine some of the wilder ideas. There can be an intelligent twist on the space Vikings, space pirates, android duplicates, dragons, miniature robots and Morbus.

4) A John Williams theme.

Certainly, the composer will be busy with the slew of Star Wars movies on the horizon, but surely he can take some time to revisit one of his great early works?

What do you think? What would you like to see in a new Lost In Space?

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