Firefly' Gets Its Feature Wings

POSTED BY: SlayerFaith
UPDATED: Sunday, March 7, 2004 04:26
VIEWED: 7053
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SLAYERFAITH

Thursday, March 4, 2004 2:58 PM

News article about Serenity Movie
http://www.thefutoncritic.com/cgi/gofuton.cgi?action=home

"Wednesday, March 3, 2004 - 12:32 PM
'Firefly' Gets Its Feature Wings
By Brian Ford Sullivan

CHICAGO (thefutoncritic.com) -- Universal Pictures has greenlighted "Serenity," a feature film based on the short-lived FOX series "Firefly." The studio snagged the feature rights to "Firefly" from 20th Century Fox Television back in September (read the story).

Production on the project, budgeted in the mid-eight figures, is set to begin in June for a 2005 release date. Joss Whedon, the show's creator and executive producer, is on board to write and direct the project, which will see all nine original cast members - Nathan Fillion, Gina Torres, Morena Baccarin, Jewel Staite, Adam Baldwin, Sean Maher, Summer Glau, Ron Glass and Alan Tudyk - reprising their roles.

Whedon told Daily Variety the title shift is designed to give the franchise some distance from the TV version. "It was important that people understand that the movie isn't the series," he said. "The movie is bigger, more epic than anything you can do in a series." He also added he went out of his way to make sure the script was accessible to audiences who never tuned into "Firefly." "You're not going to bring people into a movie if you're explaining all the time what happened before," Whedon added.

Details about "Serenity" weren't released however Whedon specified the feature is set about six months after the TV show left off.

Barry Mendel ("Unbreakable," "The Sixth Sense"), Alissa Tager and Mutant Enemy's Chris Buchanan are executive producing the project in addition to Whedon."

~~looks like ALL the actors will be back despite the posting in the Variety article~~

RAPTORX

Thursday, March 4, 2004 3:01 PM

If this article is true, then that calls for a big sigh of relief!!

But if your hand touches metal, I swear by my pretty floral bonnet, I will end you.

SAMURAIX47

Thursday, March 4, 2004 3:09 PM

Quote:
budgeted in the mid-eight figures

~$50 million... is that a mid-8 figure? Wow that's a huge budget compared to a television episode. What was the total cost for the series?

Jaymes

JAHZARA

Thursday, March 4, 2004 3:20 PM

Quote:
$50 million... is that a mid-8 figure? Wow that's a huge budget compared to a television episode. What was the total cost for the series?

Jaymes

I read in another thread ranting about the cancellation that is was around $25 million. I know they'll do a wonderful job, I just wonder if $50 million is enough for a sci-fi movie. I know Firefly isn't about the special effects, but still...

KOZURE

Thursday, March 4, 2004 4:03 PM

Wow, did I ever not expect to see a day when people would be worried that $50 million dollars might not be enough to make a good science fiction movie.

Independence Day: $71 million
Battlefield Earth: $80 million
Star Wars: Attack of the Clones: $115 million
Terminator 3: $170 million

Terminator 3, in particular, (for me) tanked both as a good movie and in North American sales.

Proof positive that over-inflated Hollywood budgets don't guarantee a good movie.

Conversely, low budgets don't rule out good movies. Star Wars was made on a budget of $11,000,000, which adjusted from 1976 to 2004 dollars is around $45,000,000 dollars.

...and not to rain on anyone's parade, but there have been many a movie further down the productuction line than "Serenity" which have come to untimely ends. Even a movie by an critically-acclaimed director with a all-star cast and a huge budget have foundered after principal photography was started. Witness "Lost in La Mancha", the story of a great movie that never was.

Kozure the Kamikaze Highlander

Proud Citizen of Canada-That-Was

KALATHENA

Thursday, March 4, 2004 4:42 PM

Too true, Kozure. Look at what's *still* happening the the next Exorcist movie. They've had death of original director, abandonment by lead actor, firing of second director, a re-write of over 85% of the original script, three separate shootings, a budget that has tirpled and they STILL don't know when it will hit the screen.

Yay! Glad to hear about the rest of the cast. Very very cool.

--Kala

SNIPER

Thursday, March 4, 2004 4:50 PM

If it is true, it's good to see that EVERY one is coming back.

BROWNCOAT1

Thursday, March 4, 2004 5:55 PM

I am thinking that a "mid eight figure budget" will be sufficient to get a good quality movie. The beauty of Firefly is that they don't have all those lasers, blasters, light sabers, and other high tech sci fi gadgets to spend money on for special effects.

I think Kozure is right in that big budgets do not guarantee a good movie, and his example of T3 was an excellent example.

"May have been the losing side. Still not convinced it was the wrong one."

ZENOPHITE

Thursday, March 4, 2004 6:08 PM

i think the series itself showed plenty of quality at whatever it cost, which most certainly was less than the eight figures they will be getting for 2 hours worth of serenity, so i have no doubts they will do a great job.
Keep in mind that many big budget sci-fi movies blow money on the actors which usually have alot of name recognition and thus high pricetag. this won't be the case with our beloved crew.
also alot of the budget is indeed because of all the excesses in costuming set building and the rest ala lucas' dismal prequels.
All in all the entire sci-western setting for firefly makes it a far more economic proposition in my opinion

UGAUSNUSC

Thursday, March 4, 2004 6:11 PM

I dont know if anyone has noticed but in all the different articles on the new FF movie, when it lists the returning cast members, Ron Glass 'Book" is not amoung them. It is this way on the news on the universal studios website. Do you think he will not be returning?

nick

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