A lost Gerry Anderson sci-fi movie will finally see the light of day as new novel
5 Star 5 is based on a feature film screenplay from the late 1970s.
A previously unmade feature film script co-written by Thunderbirds creator Gerry Anderson will finally see the light of day after more than 40 years – in the form of a novel.
Five Star Five was planned to be Anderson's answer to Star Wars and was described as "The Magnificent Seven in Space" – developed by Anderson and frequent collaborator Tony Barwick, the film had entered pre-production in 1979 but collapsed when funding fell through.
Now, fans will finally be able to experience the adventure, with writer/actor Richard James novelising the original screenplay under the title, 5 Star 5 – John Lovell and the Zargon Threat.
The official synopsis reads: "The time: the future. The place: the universe. The peaceful planet of Kestra is under threat. The evil Zargon forces are preparing to launch a devastating attack from an asteroid fortress. With the whole Kestran system in the Zargons’ sights, Colonel Zana looks to one man to save them. Except one man isn’t enough. Gathering a crack team around him including a talking chimpanzee, a marauding robot and a mystic monk, John Lovell must infiltrate the enemy base and save Kestra from the Zargons!"
The novel will be available as a hardback or on CD as an audiobook read by Terrahawks and New Captain Scarlet voice artist Robbie Stevens, with release planned for June 2021.
Richard James – who appeared in Anderson's 1990s series Space Precinct and also hosts the weekly Gerry Anderson Podcast – said: "I had previously read an excerpt [from the Five Star Five screenplay] via the Gerry Anderson website and was immediately struck by the pace and excitement of the opening scenes. It was something I was determined to retain in the novelisation.
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"I regarded Five Star Five as something of an historical record, and I felt duty-bound to preserve it as best I could. As I read through the script, I was surprised to see it full of humour as well as the expected thrills; the result, no doubt, of the involvement of regular Anderson collaborator, Tony Barwick.
"The action sequences seemed to lift off the page and it’s easy to imagine effects supremo Derek Meddings turning his hand to the explosive finale. Who knows how Five Star Five would have been remembered had it been released as a film? As a classic or as a mild curiosity from the late 1970s? Well, with this novelisation, you finally get to make up your own mind."
Film and TV producer Gerry Anderson passed away on 26th December 2012, but his work on series including Thunderbirds, Stingray, Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons, UFO and Space: 1999 remains hugely popular with fans.
5 Star 5 is available to order now in both hardback and audiobook formats from the Gerry Anderson Store – and a new series of Thunderbirds audiobooks are also in the works.
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Authors
Morgan Jeffery is the Digital Editor for Radio Times, overseeing all editorial output across the brand's digital platforms. He was previously TV Editor at Digital Spy and has featured as a TV expert on BBC Breakfast, BBC Radio 5 Live and Sky Atlantic.
