Classic British sci-fi ‘Blake’s 7’ looks set for a potential return, with a reboot now in development from Peter Hoar, the Emmy-nominated director behind ‘The Last of Us’, and executive producer Matthew Bouch.
The project is one of the first out of Multitude Productions, a newly launched indie set up by Hoar, Bouch and theatre producer Jason Haigh-Ellery. The company is focused squarely on genre storytelling, and they have secured the rights to revive ‘Blake’s 7’, the cult sci-fi series that originally aired on the BBC from 1978 to 1981.
Hoar is attached to direct the reboot, which is expected to be taken out to buyers in the near future. Bouch has said he would love the series to return to the BBC, although the plan is likely to involve international co-production funding, potentially from US streamers and European broadcasters.
Created by Terry Nation, the mind behind the Daleks, ‘Blake’s 7’ followed political dissident Roj Blake and a small band of rebels fighting the authoritarian Terran Federation. Despite its famously limited budget and occasionally wobbly sets, the show became a defining piece of British sci-fi, remembered for its ambition, moral ambiguity and willingness to take big narrative swings.
Speaking about the appeal of the series, Hoar described ‘Blake’s 7’ as a show that mattered in its time, arguing that its impact came from storytelling integrity rather than scale. He drew comparisons to ‘Andor’, pointing out that strong writing and thematic confidence can outweigh massive budgets, something he believes modern genre television has sometimes forgotten.
The new company is launching at a moment of upheaval for big genre drama, with Hoar and Bouch openly referencing the challenges facing ‘Doctor Who’ and the shrinking budgets for high-end scripted TV. Their argument is that there is space again for smart, character-driven British genre series with international appeal, made more economically but without creative compromise.
Alongside ‘Blake’s 7’, Multitude Productions is developing several other projects, including a TV adaptation of The Search for the Dice Man, a thriller series based on Patrick Carman’s Skeleton Creek, and further sci-fi and video game adaptations currently under wraps. The company is also championing a more collaborative, multi-writer approach, pushing back against the traditional UK showrunner model.
For ‘Blake’s 7’ fans, this is not the first time a reboot has been attempted, but the involvement of Hoar, fresh off some of the most acclaimed TV of recent years, gives this version a different kind of credibility. Whether it lands at the BBC or elsewhere, it is clearly being pitched as a modern reimagining that respects the original’s rebellious DNA rather than simply polishing its aesthetics.
‘Blake’s 7’ is currently classed as ‘in development’ so may, or may not, make it to series. We’ll let you know when we hear more!
Login to Geektown