K9 the movie: Doctor Who’s robot dog could star in his own big screen spin-off
K9 creator Bob Baker has written the new movie, which will feature the Doctor Who character Omega as its main villain
K9, the loveable robot dog from the BBC’s Doctor Who – first introduced alongside Tom Baker’s Doctor in the 1977 episode The Invisible Enemy – is starring in his very own film.
A press release, shared on the website Doctor Who News, reveals that the new film, written by K9 creator and screenwriter Bob Baker, will be titled K9 Timequake, and will feature the Doctor Who character Omega as its main antagonist. It also promises to introduce a new-look “high tech” incarnation of the famous robo-mutt.
“The new K9 will be appearing in a Multi-Million Dollar movie which promises to be a great action adventure set in deep Space,” it reads. “The film will be full of dashing heroes and heroines, androids, monstrous aliens and an ultimate foe who will also be familiar to Doctor Who fans everywhere; the megalomaniac Omega.”
Previous rumours of a new Doctor Who movie directed by David Yates never materialised – earlier this year, series showrunner Steven Moffat reiterated that the character is owned by the BBC and that a film isn't on the cards. But a K9-themed spin-off could stand a slightly better chance of actually making it to cinemas.
Rather than being the property of the BBC, the rights to the robot still belong to Baker – who also co-wrote the much-loved Wallace and Gromit “Claymation” films, along with Nick Park.
K9 appeared in the rebooted Doctor Who in 2006, and was also a regular part of the BBC spin-off The Sarah Jane Adventures. In his very first incarnation, he featured a laser weapon in his nose; later on, in The Sarah Jane Adventures, he came complete with inbuilt USB ports and the ability to hover .
The inclusion of Omega in the new film is also particularly intriguing. While the character has never appeared in the rebooted series, older episodes introduced him as one of the founders of the Timelords of Gallifrey, thereby arguably making him an integral part of the Doctor Who mythology.
Like K9, Omega was created by Baker (for the 1972-73 Doctor Who serial The Three Doctors) and it’s likely that the writer may also own some of the rights to the character. It’ll therefore be interesting to see whether or not the forthcoming spin-off will be allowed to overlap in any way with the current Doctor Who universe.
K9: Timequake, a UK co-production, is due to hit cinemas in 2017. Further details about the forthcoming film, including the director and cast, have not yet been released.
