Vancouver, Canada-based prodco Rainmaker is redeveloping ’90s CGI series ReBoot as a trilogy of feature-length films. And tapping into the Web 2.0 zeitgeist, social networking site Zeros 2 Heroes is coming along for the ride.

Paul Gertz, EVP of Rainmaker Animation, says the time is right to bring back the sci-fi series, which became the first full-length animated CGI show on television in 1994, airing on Canada’s YTV and Cartoon Network in the US. ReBoot 1.0 was produced by Mainframe Entertainment, acquired by Rainmaker in 2006.

To bring the franchise into this century, Rainmaker is collaborating with Vancouver’s Zeros 2 Heroes, a social community of comic book, film and genre enthusiasts. So this time around, fans of the first series will get a chance to influence the development of the films. The site will post pitches from five undiscovered writers, and starting tomorrow visitors to www.zeros2heroes.com will be able to work with the Rainmaker production team to refine storylines and select the winning pitch later this month by vote.

‘The whole idea is to put it out to the fans and let them tell us whether we should take the property in a whole other direction, or whether they want to see where the cliffhanger left off,’ Gertz explains.

Rainmaker has not determined whether the films will be produced for theatrical or direct-to-DVD release. Other details such as budget, production start date and casting also remain to be worked out.

‘It depends on the level of interest,’ Gertz says, noting that the company’s looking at new distribution platforms for the launch of the ReBoot films, including satellite, cable, web and select theatrical releases. ‘We’re aiming to have something out next year,’ he adds.

From sister publication Playback Daily.