There’ve been rumblings of a big-screen version of Doctor Who for years now, but the man currently pulling the strings behind the BBC sci-fi hit has a thing or two to say about those prospects.

Steven Moffat chatted with Entertainment Weekly about the constant rumblings of a Doctor Who movie and said he doesn’t really see the concept as viable, at least while the show is still on the air. Why? Mostly because it could dilute the product (two parallel Doctors?), or they’d have to try and find time to do a movie while also juggling the television production schedule. Not to mention the challenge of getting a workable budget to tell a Doctor Who story worthy of the big screen:

“I don’t think there is one. No one has ever squared the circle on that. How do we do this? How do we do it without leaching from the television series—which we’re not allowed to do, because Doctor Who is public funded? If it’s going to be a different Doctor, are we going to try and sell two Doctors at the same time? I know there’s been loads of Doctors, but there’s only been one at a time. You don’t have a James Bond on television and one in the cinema. If he’s the same guy, then when are we going to make that? We’re talking one of the biggest TV shows in the world. It can’t just be a medium-size movie—it’s gotta be a colossal movie. I’ve sat with people, saying—and in the end it’s not my decision or my choice, I don’t own Doctor Who—‘Okay, explain to me how it’s going to work.’ And nobody has an answer.”

Moffat certainly makes some fair points, and no fan would want to see a film project detract from the flagship series itself. But, c’mon, as big as this franchise is, it’s gotta make it to the big screen at some point (Paul McGann’s 1996 TV movie notwithstanding). Maybe do a film in between regenerations in the future, or just do a half-season and tie in a feature film that year? Or even launch a parallel, big-screen version of Doctor Who?

What form would you like to see a potential Doctor Who movie take?

(Via Entertainment Weekly)