Whedon definitively says 'We'll never make Firefly again'

POSTED BY: BookOfVerse
UPDATED: Sunday, January 29, 2006 08:28
VIEWED: 13591
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SHAVENYAK

Friday, January 27, 2006 6:16 AM

Joss announced on Jan. 9th that he's looking to make the TV show again:

"A sequel's unlikely," Whedon told Empire with a note of clear regret, "but it's amazing what permutations of something can happen." But if not a theatrical encore, that leaves... yes, you guessed it, a possible return to the smaller screen. "As long as I was able to service the characters with integrity and had enough money so that I wasn't hampered, then I would love to return Serenity to TV. I love that universe; it continues and those characters live on. There could be a series, there could be a miniseries, there could be all sorts of things. I'm not ruling anything out. I'll let it simmer for a while and see if anyone calls."

Link: http://www.empireonline.com/news/story.asp?NID=17800

Hope is far from lost. I'd prefer to see a series and hope that it happens. The DVDs are selling far too well to ignore.

--Roman

BOOKOFVERSE

Friday, January 27, 2006 7:38 AM

Yak,

Thanks for this note, I had missed that article. Damn Whedon sure does a sudden about face in 6 days. First he's saying the TV series is gone never to return, hoping for a sequel. Then he says the sequel is unlikely and hopes to return to TV? Is this guy toying with our emotions?

If and when the Verse returns, in whatever format, they will probably need to bring in a new character...perhaps a little bit of ethnic diversity? With Book dead and The Operative out of the picture, Zoe is the only character that isn't cracker white (I am cracker white, for the record). Mal, Jayne, and Kaylee bring some comic relief to compensate for the death of Wash, but maybe a hotshot pilot of undisclosed race could add a little spice to the mix.

This is key to selling the show to an audience that might not otherwise tune in, and the bigger the audience the greater the likelyhood of the Verse continuing. Matrix had Lawrence Fishburne. Star Wars had Samuel L Jackson. Serenity needs some soul - Taye Diggs, Larenz Tate, Mekhi Phifer, Cuba Gooding, Omar Epps, think along those lines, a little name recognition is not a bad thing, if you can coax them onto the ship that is.

Quote:
Originally posted by Shavenyak:
Joss announced on Jan. 9th that he's looking to make the TV show again:

"A sequel's unlikely," Whedon told Empire with a note of clear regret, "but it's amazing what permutations of something can happen." But if not a theatrical encore, that leaves... yes, you guessed it, a possible return to the smaller screen. "As long as I was able to service the characters with integrity and had enough money so that I wasn't hampered, then I would love to return Serenity to TV. I love that universe; it continues and those characters live on. There could be a series, there could be a miniseries, there could be all sorts of things. I'm not ruling anything out. I'll let it simmer for a while and see if anyone calls."

Link: http://www.empireonline.com/news/story.asp?NID=17800

Hope is far from lost. I'd prefer to see a series and hope that it happens. The DVDs are selling far too well to ignore.

--Roman

RIVER6213

Friday, January 27, 2006 7:52 AM

Well put!!!!

THEONETRUEBIX

Friday, January 27, 2006 7:55 AM

The absolutely maddening part of this is that nothing Joss has ever actually said (rather than what other people have said about what he has said) has ever said anything other than some variation on, "I'll tell these stories in whatever form I'm allowed to do so."

What he told Entertainment Weekly was a version or outgrowth of that, what he told USA Today was a version or outgrowth of that, and what he told everybody else has been a version or outgrowth of that.

Time after time after time, Joss has said one thing: That he will tell these stories in whatever forms are made available to him, when the time is right to do so.

Everything else is a combination of non-journalism, rumor-mongering, and a stunning lack of reading comprehension.

ANIMALM0THER

Friday, January 27, 2006 8:33 AM

Who says the 'verse (if put back on TV) has to continue from where Serenity (BDM) left off? The new show could easily be called "Serenity: the Early Years" or something in which it would pick up where Firefly ended but before the movie took place. There's still a good chunk of space in between those two timeline events. Hell, the movie showed us an event before the original series, of how Simon freed River, then basically jumped right to where Simon wanted off the ship. By having the new show stay in that middle timespace where the crew is still flying around day-to-day, all of the cast can return without any problems. This is the most logical thing to do: pick up where the original show left off. Having the new show pickup where the movie left off just wouldnt be as interesting. I'd say leave that territory for the sequal, if that happens.

For those of us who are optimistic in this 'verse, which I'm sure is most, you can replace the "if"s with "when"s.

I'll be in my bunk.

FLETCH2

Friday, January 27, 2006 9:34 AM

I agree with Bix's comment. A lot of phoney "journalism" has been written that quote's Joss out of context. Truth is, it's not his decision how or when the 'Verse will return. I'm sure if you gave him the chance he'd want it all TV for the luxury of long stories and great character development, movies for punchy plot and specticle and comics to tell those stories too ambitious to film.

Unfortunately he doesn't get that choice, the money guys have to decide what they want to make. If it is the Dark Horse comics money guys it will be a comic book, the Fox TV guys may want a TV movie or a miniseries, Universals guys may want a movie or something for SciFi.

Joss will take whatever is available as long as it lets him tell his stories his way. We have to be patient and keep converting the masses to our cause.

MICHAELANGELO

Friday, January 27, 2006 2:53 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by BookOfVerse:
This is key to selling the show to an audience that might not otherwise tune in, and the bigger the audience the greater the likelyhood of the Verse continuing. Matrix had Lawrence Fishburne. Star Wars had Samuel L Jackson. Serenity needs some soul - Taye Diggs, Larenz Tate, Mekhi Phifer, Cuba Gooding, Omar Epps, think along those lines, a little name recognition is not a bad thing, if you can coax them onto the ship that is.

You have to be kidding me... Taye Diggs (just to pick one)as a pilot in Firefly? Firstly, the pilot role has been filled :-P If you want to add some ethnic diversity, add an asian actor. Asia did, after all, "co-found" the new solar system. The verse speaks chinese as a co-first language, everything has chineses (& asian) tones to it, so um, where are the chinese actors/crew members? I'd rather see a fresh new asian face brought in to the mix; a face we may not have seen before. Have him/her speak mostly chinese & only curse in english (mildly)... I really can't see Cuba doing a series like Firefly after a career like his.

~
You can't take the sky from me

PIRATENEWS

Friday, January 27, 2006 3:05 PM

That's why I made my own Little Damn Movie, or at least a FF music video. Serenity shall rise again!

http://radio.indymedia.org/news/2006/01/8310.php

"You can't stop the signal!"
-Mr Universe, STM, Pirate TV

ROCKETJOCK

Friday, January 27, 2006 3:18 PM

Oh, for pity's sake! Is this same out-of-context quote still floating about, causing panic?

Of course Firefly is gone; that show's major plot line (the search for River) is done with; any new movies or series will have to be different, with a new core plot.

So what? Joss isnt disowning the setting or the characters -- it just won't be a show called Firefly. It'll be something new, maybe something better.

I can live with that.

"She's tore up plenty. But she'll fly true." -- Zoë Washburn

GUTSC1

Friday, January 27, 2006 4:04 PM

Tallgrrl, I think you’re on the right line of thinking. I think everyone should sit back for a moment and take some time to read a few of Joss’s interviews over the last year. He’s not a robot, it’s no secret that he is emotionally vested in the “Firefly / Serenity” verse. So yeah, I think he’d probably love to do something with the verse again, but here’s the caveat. He not willing to do something again in a format that sets his baby up for failure.

Can’t you hear, he has a VERY bad taste in his mouth from his TV experiences, and the “what have you done for me lately” attitude that is so pervasive in the TV Executive end of business. How can you do a show where there is very little in the way of front office support, and very real fear of getting the plug pulled each week. I don’t think he wants to put his cast and crew through that again either.

BUT having said all that, if a way was available for Joss to do it “on his terms,” I pretty sure he’d be very open to doing it. Every one just be patient and see what develops over the next few months. In my mind even more important than just buying even more DVD’s is to actively expand our fan base. That is what really has the greatest chance of breathing life back into the verse. And of course, keep the faith!

Mal: Jayne, just how many weapons you plan on taking? You only got the two arms.
Jayne: I just get excitable as to choice. Like to keep my options open.
Mal: I don’t plan on any shooting taking place during this job.
Jayne: Yeah, well what you plan and what takes place ain’t ever exactly been similar.
Mal: No grenades.

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