Doctor Who USAU - Part 6: Spielberg and The Doctor Reunite (1996 – 2001)

DISCLAIMER:

The following is part six of a multipart alternate history series about the history of Doctor Who if it was an American-made production rather than a British production. It's purely speculative and a work of fiction, although some real-world elements were included and presented for realistic situations and scenarios. Neither this series nor its author are connected to nor reflect the views and opinions of BBC Studios (the owner of the Doctor Who franchise) or any entity or persons mentioned and does not mean to infringe on the copyrights and trademarks of those parties. - JH

“There are fixed points throughout time where things must stay exactly the way they are. This is not one of them, this is an opportunity. Whatever happens here will create its own timeline, its own reality, a temporal tipping point. The future revolves around you, here, now, so do good!” - The Doctor

During the 30th anniversary special that aired on Sci-Fi Channel in 1993, Steven Spielberg made an appearance. Although most modern audiences knew of Spielberg’s legendary rise to become one of the most prolific film directors and producers in the history of the industry, many were unaware that his career largely began on Doctor Who. He was one of the most prolific directors of the Doctor Who series, especially during the First and Second Doctor eras joining the series in 1967 and directing the very first regeneration scene of the show’s history. Spielberg never forgot his roots on the series. He officially announced that Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment are currently developing a high-profile theatrical version of Doctor Who which would be released in the summer of 1996 and would continue where the series left off with a brand-new Doctor leading the story.

Separately, Spielberg and Amblin would now own 15% of the franchise and would serve as a producer and creative consultant for all things Doctor Who, including films, television projects, and global experiences, even as Spielberg co-founded a new studio, DreamWorks SKG, with Jeffrey Katzenberg and David Geffen (the Amblin properties would not be transferred into DreamWorks as it remained a stand-alone unit).

While longtime fans of the series were elated to see Doctor Who return as a big-budget Hollywood film, many were upset that neither Rick Springfield, who some felt was THE definitive Doctor, nor perennial fan-favorite-turned-Hollywood-superstar Robin Williams weren’t going to be the new theatrical Doctor. As a result, the role of The Doctor became one of the most coveted roles in all of Hollywood, and numerous actors all auditioned. The stand-out audition was that of Jeff Goldblum, who was officially cast in 1994. 

Jeff Goldblum as the Eighth Doctor (1996 - 2001)

Many had assumed that Spielberg would be the director of the film, but he chose to serve as an executive producer alongside Frank Marshall, Kathleen Kennedy, and, surprisingly, Verity Lambert, the original producer of the Doctor Who series who hadn't been involved with the franchise since she left in 1966. Other directors were possible candidates, including Leonard Nimoy, who was the Third Doctor on the series. Amblin and Universal picked Joe Dante to direct the film. 

Under Dante's guidance and a script co-written by Dante and Chris Columbus, a prolific screenwriter who not only worked with Spielberg on Gremlins and The Goonies but also previously co-developed the 1986 Doctor Who Adventures animated series and co-wrote the original series' finale), filming began in the summer of 1994 and continued well into May 1995 with the first official teaser airing during Super Bowl XXX on January 28, 1996, which aired on Doctor Who’s last broadcast network, NBC.

The previous seven Doctors appeared in the film, though Springfield was the only one to portray The Doctor on-screen, Goldblum’s Eighth Doctor was an immediate fan-favorite with audiences and fans of the original series alike. His personality was quirky, focused, and darkly comedic.

Initially, Universal wanted to release the film during Memorial Day weekend but ceded that to another popular television show-turned-film, Mission: Impossible and not interfere with the box office of another Amblin production, Twister, which Universal distributed internationally while Warner Bros distributed it domestically.  Universal then slated the film for the Fourth of July weekend. However, 20th Century Fox had their own sci-fi flick that weekend, Independence Day. Ironically, Jeff Goldblum also starred in that film, though his role was limited. In a rare truce in the film industry, Universal and Fox came to an agreement about the two high-profile films.

Fox got the Fourth of July weekend for Independence Day while Universal slated Doctor Who for July 28, 1996. Universal moved The Nutty Professor from its original July 28 slot to exactly a month earlier on June 28 and also got promotional spots and tie-ins on FOX, including a making-of special. FOX also got the broadcast premiere rights for the 2000-01 TV season, just in time to promote the third and final film of the trilogy, The Fall of the Time Lord. 

NBC, which still owned 15% of the franchise, initially balked at FOX getting the broadcast premiere of the film over them, but in the end, they more than did their share of tie-ins promoting the film, including airing fan-favorite episodes in the post-Late Night with Conan O’Brien slots on late-nights throughout the summer of 1996. In addition, Universal Television aired a month of the Seventh Doctor's TV movies on its syndicated Action Pack weekend block, including The Last Voyager, the Doctor Who Adventures finale movie, “Septem Valete (Seven Farewells)," which was the lone animated installment in the block's history, and the live-action finale, “Doctoris Vale (The Doctor’s Goodbye)."

Doctor Who opened to critical and commercial acclaim. While it didn’t match Independence Day’s opening numbers, its first-weekend numbers of $48 million (nearly making its initial $50 million budget back in one weekend) made it number one, a position it would stay for the remainder of the summer, earning $250 million during its theatrical run domestically and about an additional $200 million worldwide. The United Kingdom, which had a huge Doctor Who fanbase, was the film's biggest international market. Needless to say, the film’s success convinced Universal to make two more films. 

The Time War, directed and co-written by Chris Columbus, was released on July 10, 1998, just in time for the franchise’s 35th anniversary, and The Fall of the Time Lord directed by Brad Silberling with a script treatment co-written by Columbus, was released on May 4, 2001. All were critical and commercial successes and helped keep Doctor Who in the public eye for the remainder of the 1990s and early 2000s.

Oh, the reason why Columbus's involvement in the final Doctor Who film was minimal? He was working on another project at the time at Warner Bros. 

As the 21st century loomed, the television landscape was changing. Cable was becoming more of a premium outlet for entertainment all but eclipsing broadcast television. The popularity of Doctor Who was still strong thanks to the film trilogy which also gave new life to the classic series as a new generation was now discovering it. With a newfound look at the franchise, advances in computer graphics and practical makeup and costume design, and broader international appeal, Universal felt now was the right time to regenerate Doctor Who in the medium that birthed him: television.

And it's because of that international appeal, particularly in the United Kingdom, that Doctor Who would find its current and most revolutionary regeneration forever changing the franchise to this day.