PLEASE DIGG: Alan Tudyk Hints at Serenity Sequel
POSTED BY: Shiny
UPDATED: Sunday, October 21, 2007 16:44
VIEWED: 40616
PAGE 9 of 13
I've been away from the 'Verse for a few days, so when I came back and saw this thread, I clicked on it expecting a rumor, two posts supporting it, a bunch squashing it, and all the rest the sort of "wish it was true, wouldn't that be cool" posts that we've seen here before. I read every post, butterflies growing in my stomach over the thought that the next post I scrolled down to would be the one to kill the hope. But it never came. So, I am hugely excited. You can't imagine. Especially since I am a latecomer Browncoat, only joining you fine folks after so many of you DID THE IMPOSSIBLE, if the show/film did continue I would be absolutely thrilled to be here with you all when it happened this time around.
Nevertheless, I feel I have to be the person to curb the enthusiasm here just a little bit.
1) I don't think anybody here with a soul would acuse Alan of lying to us, but just because he is being honest does not mean that the fact itself is true. He could have received bad information himself, or misunderstood something an insider at Universal told him.
2) We don't know WHO at Universal is "talking."
3) Even if they are "talking" and the people who are talking wield at least a modicum of decision-making power, there is a HUGE gulf between "talking" and "doing." After all, various studios "talked" about doing a Lord of the Rings Movies for three decades before it actually happened, and in that case the fan base was so established that making a profit was almost a guarantee, even if the movie was bad! (Every person who says your movie sucks is a person who had to buy a ticket to figure that out.) To imagine that we could be in pre-production already, as was posted somewhere above, is too much to be hoped for, unless I misunderstand the Hollywood meaning of "pre-production." Unlike with Lord of the Rings, we don't have 30 years to wait; if somebody doesn't start doing something more than just talking in the next 6-12 months, then I think we'll have to resign ourselves to be happy with what we have.
4) We would all like to believe that Universal went ahead and produced the CE partially as a barometer for whether or not any version FF/Serenity REBORN could be profitable, but given general Hollywood corporate "morality," I fear the conversation within Universal was probably more like this:
"Sir, we ended the production run of Serenity DVDs, and it looks like we won't be able to meet demand."
"Really? How short will we be, do you think?"
"Hard to say. Maybe a few thousand units. Could be more, maybe a lot more. Probably not less."
"What about the sales figures so far; what do the marketing analysts say?"
"Popularity growing a bit, but still dominated by a small but loyal fan base. Cult fandom, you might say."
"You mean, the kind of people who would spend more money on a movie they already own with only minor changes just to support this cause they love?"
"More or less, sir."
"And we could claim that profit without bearing the production costs of any new footage to speak of."
"Yessir."
"So, we are thinking some kind of 'Special Edition' release, then?"
"Correct as usual, sir."
"Too bad. My brother in law is a dedicated sci-fi geek. I almost feel bad about building up his hopes just to take his money. Oh well, I'll just go smoke a few rolled up $1000 bills to make me feel better."
O.K., obviously that is an exaggeration, but I do have a fear that our Browncoat love and loyalty is being used to nefarious ends.
5) Joss not killing the rumor isn't exactly proof. He could be on vacation, or locked away working on a script with a tight deadline, or a million other things. Or, he may see no reason to kill it, since it could be true as far as it goes, but for all the reasons above still never happen for us.
So, am I excited? YES! Is this the best news we've had since the BDM? ABSOLUTELY! Should we give up hope? NEVER! I just don't want it to be a crushing shock to any of my fellow Browncoats if it just doesn't happen this time. I hope my cynicism doesn't spoil the pa
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@ SCHOOLBOYSWINK:
As another Captain (Sheridan) once said: "I've never know Hope when it wasn't on a diet." So I guess we'll just have to do with a little hope. :)
I'm fair sure Joss would have dispelled the rumors by now... had he cause to do so. He is known to shoot someone we like. And their puppy. But yanking people's chain about the 'Verse (or sit idly by, and allow others to yank it), not so much. Besides, the powers that be, or those close to that power, would have spoken out on Whedonesque by now, I reckon.
And Alan, as stated here, is a professional. He don't make mistakes like that; nor suddenly becomes tragically 'misinformed' on such matters. Going on a few years now, and our BDHs have been most consistent in not being the bearers of false hope. Even Jewel Staite (bless her heart), in her myspace blog, has an FAQ in which she kindly asks peeps not to inquire about whether or not there will be more Firefly. So, it's not like these people just "blab". They are, one by one, professionals, and each of them keenly aware how sensitive these issues are.
Alan spoke out. Some would say that's not much; I say it's enough. And now I'll turn to my dear and fluffy Lord, and pray to make it so. :)
--
"Mei-mei, everything I have is right here." -- Simon Tam
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Quote:
O.K., obviously that is an exaggeration, but I do have a fear that our Browncoat love and loyalty is being used to nefarious ends.
This has also crossed my mind.
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Quote:
Originally posted by Romanceguru:Quote:
O.K., obviously that is an exaggeration, but I do have a fear that our Browncoat love and loyalty is being used to nefarious ends.
This has also crossed my mind.
Yes, but, again, it begs the question: Would Joss be party to that, or, stand idly by and watch it happen?
I sincerely doubt it.
JossWatch: Day 6.
The Truth is out there.
-Raycheetah =^[.]^=
The enjoyment of any good thing is only enhanced by sharing it with others.
http://www.fireflyfans.net/thread.asp?b=2&t=30176
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still holding - and digging
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Quote:
Originally posted by Raycheetah:Quote:
Originally posted by Romanceguru:Quote:
O.K., obviously that is an exaggeration, but I do have a fear that our Browncoat love and loyalty is being used to nefarious ends.
This has also crossed my mind.
Yes, but, again, it begs the question: Would Joss be party to that, or, stand idly by and watch it happen?
I sincerely doubt it.
JossWatch: Day 6.
The Truth is out there.
I don't claim to be an expert on the intricacies of Hollywood intellectual property ownership rules, laws, or procedures, but it isn't my understanding that Joss would have been included in any of the internal conversations leading up to Universal releasing the BDCE; if we are being screwed with, he might not know it. So, if that's truly the case, then his statements about this being our last, best hope could have been just the same as our hopes here: fervent, but with sadly little foundation. (Granted, yes, more now than ever since the events that began this thread.)
The one huge caveat I will throw into that is that Joss DOES understand the inner workings of the business, and he must not THINK that this is what is going on or he wouldn't have made so many comments that he knew would encourage flans into buying the CE. Moreover, he could have imagined that Universal's motivations weren't noble, but know full well that enough money would make them sit up and take notice, no matter what their original intent was. The mass sales of Serenity DVD after the poor box performance must have left Universal wondering what went wrong. If we can shock them again, who knows?
(As an off-topic aside, a lot of the poor box could have been caused by the word getting out too slowly. The initial marketing apparently wasn't there [other than the sci-fi channel, I only saw 1 or 2 commercials for the film], and theaters only have so many projectors; if a movie isn't doing well, they'll pull it. In fact, in the small-ish town where I grew up, the initial intent is for a movie only to hang around for a week; getting held longer if it's packing the house wasn't rare, but you didn't exactly count on it, either. So by the time word of mouth has a chance to spread from the first small crowd that saw and liked the film, in many areas, like smaller markets that don't have google-plexes in them, the film is already gone. That element could not have helped us.)
Still holding out hope. Babylon 5, another poorly marketed, under-rated, intelligent show, was "declared dead more times than Lazarus," (to quote the Captain JS), albeit not nearly as dramatically as FF, but JMS still got to tell his whole story in the end, more or less. If they can make another Superman movie after all these years, ANYTHING'S possible.
"When you can't do somethin' smart, do somethin' right!" -Jayne Cobb quotes Shepherd Book
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Just sayin'...
If Joss had any inkling that his baby (Firefly/Serenity) was bein' dangled in front of us Browncoats by the PTB as hostage to deliberate false hopes (based on Alan Tudyk's commentary, however you interpret it), well, I just can't imagine him standin' for it.
Think what you like, but, the man who created Malcolm Reynolds weren't born yesterday, and, he ain't no studio stooge.
JossWatch: Day 7.
Things are only impossible until they're not.
-Raycheetah =^[.]^=
The enjoyment of any good thing is only enhanced by sharing it with others.
http://www.fireflyfans.net/thread.asp?b=2&t=30176
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True enough, Ray. Like I said last post: unlike me, Joss does know the world in which he lives. I trust him, and I am as hopeful as the next Browncoat. I'm just a pessimist by nature, I guess; felt like somebody should throw in a counter-point to the excitement, for safety's sake.
"When you can't do somethin' smart, do somethin' right!" -Jayne Cobb quotes Shepherd Book
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*Grins!*
Well, 'Wink, that's the beauteous thing about livin' in a 'verse free of intellectual limitations: You and I can hold different positions on something, either radically different, or, as in this case, just a smidge variant, and, still be friends!
Me, I'm just gonna let myself smile, until I have reason not to. It's been pointed out (on another forum) that it may take us a while, a LONG while, to hear anything from Joss. That's okay, I figgered he might have a lotta doin' before he started any tellin.'
But, the fact he didn't start the tellin' as soon as this story broke is what keeps me tickled.
JossWatch: Day8.
Bueller? Bueller...?
-Raycheetah =^[.]^=
The enjoyment of any good thing is only enhanced by sharing it with others.
http://www.fireflyfans.net/thread.asp?b=2&t=30176
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Latest and greatest news from Armageddon Con, yesterday:
http://boards.nbcuni.com/universalHD/index.php?showtopic=472&st=120&p=
7095&#entry7095
Please see post #125 from BreakAtmo.
It's hard to take any news, good or bad, on anyone's say-so. Admittedly, personal bias makes it easier to believe a positive account, but, there you are.
Nice pic of BA and Alan!
-Raycheetah =^[.]^=
The enjoyment of any good thing is only enhanced by sharing it with others.
http://www.fireflyfans.net/thread.asp?b=2&t=30176
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