'Is Serenity II a good idea?' - (article via whedonesque)

POSTED BY: wytchcroft
UPDATED: Thursday, October 18, 2007 05:08
VIEWED: 6739
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WYTCHCROFT

Saturday, October 13, 2007 7:43 AM

http://www.film.com/movies/story/isaserenitysequelagoodidea/11597472/1
6858115

interesting proof that the internet is aWASH with speculation...
but - a little negative... pretty much saying 'let it go'.

on the dvd front - fails to mention the high sales of the FF set, fails to realise 'straight to dvd' - could mean movieS plural - not just one. fails to note recent non-cinema 'movies' such as stargate spin-offs or even BSG!

but hey = check it out...

ROCKETJOCK

Saturday, October 13, 2007 8:20 AM

He makes some valid points. But, while I agree with his assessment of what Direct-To-Video-Movie has come to mean in the western market, IE--

--

Quote:
DVD sequels are generally the province of trashy horror films and soft-core porn.

--

--I don't agree with his unstated assumption that this is the only way it could possibly be! It reminds me of the old assumption that "If it's animated, it must be kid stuff."

Anime proved that assumption wrong, and it also provides a proven business model for high-quality direct-to-video product. OAV's (Original Animation Video, sometimes rendered as OVA) are a decades-old tradition in Japan, as any otaku could tell you.

Finances needn't block quality, either. After all, if Joss could produce the original 14 episodes on a TV budget, there's no real reason it couldn't be done again.

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

DARKFLY

Saturday, October 13, 2007 8:30 AM

I didn't find anything he said particularly discouraging, apart from the last paragraph he wrote. plus he's a fan too.

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Want pics, vids, ringtones,ect releated to Serenity and Firefly
http://www.fireflyfans.net/thread.asp?b=2&t=26986

SHAMELESS

Saturday, October 13, 2007 9:14 AM

Well, considering how many people post, it's understandable how he could have come up with that list. It could be seen as negative... but it's more of a, "Calm down, guys. Let it be. We've got some good quality stuff, let's not sacrifice it for quantity here." But quite frankly, from what I've seen and heard and read, Joss isn't the type to sacrifice quality for quantity. Besides - he had six or seven seasons worth of Firefly in his head. He's got good material for a sequel.

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Landmines - $50 per
Attack/track dogs bred 1st class - $250-500 per
Highpowered assault rifles - $600 per
The look on your face when I show up on your doorstep with a bigfoot - ... Priceless

"You gotta love that the first pirated HD DVD is the one about space pirates who broadcast a video that the government wants to keep secret.

Can't stop the signal."
-reavers_ate_my_dvd

ASARIAN

Saturday, October 13, 2007 1:02 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by wytchcroft (quoting an article):

"But maybe it's best to just enjoy what we have rather than trying to recapture old glory. Let us re-watch the 15 episodes and one movie over and over again, and memorize the lines, and make hats just like the one Jayne's mom sent him in "The Message" (episode 12), and let that suffice."

Scary as it may be, I largely agree.

Oh, I'd love a sequel, but primarily, if I'm really honest to myself, because it will blow new life into the 'Verse. And to this site. To see her spinning again, like a well-oiled engine; and, for a moment, at least, make me forget the painful memories of watching her gradually, but steadily, grind down to a near halt. To watch old friends return -- you know, folks like me, who never really left, but were gone all the same. The opportunity to make new Firefly art. Oh, I'm fair excited about these matters.

But as for the sequel itself, Serenity, the movie, was grand. Epic, I'm guessing. But, let's face it, it was written to end a chapter, not to start a new one. Mal had his shown-down with the Alliance; Inara came back; Kaylee got her "you mean to say" thingy; River could finally start her ascent from the black (thus also freeing up Simon, as it were). So, where does that put us? In harm's way, most like. There's always more story to tell, of course. But question is, can it be done in a way that leaves Firefly's dignity intact? Now, I'm sitting in front of this shiny jewel case. And when I open it, 14 precious episodes and a BDM await me; and fond remembrance, like a sweet vapor, emanates from the box. And when I close it, I have the reassurance that when I open it again, all will be the same; something to have, and to hold on to when darkness has come and day seems so far away.

Done the Impossible. Now, that was dignified. Browncoats all over the 'Verse rallying to get a major studio to put Firefly on the big screen. Wow. Hard not to get emotional 'bout that. But, in a way, I've always almost resented this "Please Sir, Can I Have Some More?" mentality. Not that I don't understand the need for more. But I'm saying there's dignity in realizing that the need for more essentially just means you appreciate what you have; and that thus the very cry for more actually detracts a bit from said appreciation. Because it is, after all, just another way of saying you're not satisfied. Does that make sense?

Where dignity is present not so much, I think, is in overextending the "Doing the Impossible" thingy. In getting a sequel like to the Matrix, or the Star Wars prequels: stories that were a near insult to the original, and thus really brought down the phenomena as a whole. Do we really want to see Firefly marred in the same manner? Now, Joss conducting the whole show, it wouldn't be bad, of course. But even Joss cannot get past the fact that he really wrote Serenity to be a conclusion of things; and it will be hard, even for him, to re-open the story -- and do it in a way that will not take away from it.

Having said all that, I still want a sequel. It's like a blood transfusion: it may make the 'Verse a bit ill, perhaps, but I'd rather see it unwell than watch it die. Or do I?

--
"Mei-mei, everything I have is right here." -- Simon Tam

REGINAROADIE

Saturday, October 13, 2007 1:52 PM

If a sequel is made, and it is a Direct-to-DVD feature, I'm sure Joss would be able to make it look and feel big while working within a somewhat small budget. I read somewhere that before LOST, the pilot for FIREFLY was the most expensive pilot in TV history, and that it was around the ten million range. I think Joss would be able to pull of a fantastic vision of the future with that kind of budget. He did it before, I'm sure he can do it again. It's all about efficiency. The TREK film series were actually incredibly fiscal, and they still managed to convey an entire universe.

I do have one concern, though, in terms of plot and character. Right now, Simon and Kaylee are the only Joss couple to be in a successful relationship. They're perfectly frozen in time. But if a sequel gets made, you know that Joss is going to bump off one of them. There's no dispute about that. Heck, maybe to same money, he'll take out the majority of the crew in the first reel, leaving Mal, Jayne and River.

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Loudon Wainwright III - "Strange Weirdos" off the "Knocked Up" soundtrack

CORNCOBB

Saturday, October 13, 2007 3:29 PM

Umm... doesn't seem likely. Joss is a writer with principles. He may often kill off characters for the sake of a good story but I can't imagine him killing off most of the crew to save money. Is this Wash/Book-related sour grapes?
Simon and Kaylee are probably wearing red shirts right now, but I think they'll just have a bumpy ride. I don't think Joss would kill off either of them without milking some drama from the relationship first.
I for one am hungry for more. And I trust Joss to deliver a quality story. And not kill off characters for no reason.

"Gorramit Mal... I've forgotten my line."

DERANGEDMILK

Saturday, October 13, 2007 3:57 PM

If all he is trying to say if calm down, lets not make fools of ourselves then fine, but a straight to DVD movie isn't the worse thing that ever happened and like wytchcroft one of my first reactions was, "YOU CAN HAVE MORE THAN ONE DVD SEQUEL!" While his possible scenarios cover the opposite ends of the spectrum, they leave a lot of wiggle room in the middle.

The only thing that really bugs me about this is that it was posted on whedonesque. I'm not sure exactly how that site is run, but I've been anxiously waiting word from Joss ever since the story broke from Tudyk, be it to squash the rumors or confirm them. I'm a little worried that this is Joss' indirect way of saying, 'I'm not sure this is such a good idea guys?'
-e

"Storms getting worse."
"We'll pass through it soon enough."

Vote for Firefly at http://richlabonte.net/tvvote/index.html

ZZETTA13

Saturday, October 13, 2007 4:52 PM

I think strait to dvd is a good thing (not a great thing) and I agreed with the order of his list. The only part I don’t like is F*>< having anything to do with it. I think those ppl are evil, greedy, bast**ds that do nothing unless there’s a golden egg in it for them. I know you can’t be in business and not make money, but the series dvds are making money hand over fist and they are well aware of this and that it has potential to make tons more.

Joss being burned out on making more “ Firefly” tv I don’t believe. The man has tons of story telling about the verse left in him. If not a new tv series than a BDM or 2. I think that he knows if a Sequel is green lighted by Universal (whether for the big screen or strait to dvd) he needs to pull all the stops and make it the best gorram movie or show that can be made. If it is as great as I know he can make them I’m sure there will be others to follow and he’ll become a very wealthy(er) man.

I view Joss as an artist ( like a painter) and an artist doesn’t approach his next painting and say “ I’m only going to paint this picture half a$$”. An artist doesn’t do that. He paints his next picture like it’s going to be the one that knocks folks on their ass. One, that they won’t be able to get outta their mind. FF was such a show. If it weren’t there wouldn’t be tons of fan sites that tout the show.

The cast are all in and I think Joss could get most of the original production crew back. The fans have kept this show alive and I don’t care if we’re seen as rabid or nutcases. Hell my wife already knows that. As browncoats we don’t turn our back on what we like/want. I don’t know if there will ever be more FF/Serenity but if Joss is given the go he should do his best. That’s all we ask of him. We’ll do our best as fans to promote and move the popularity forward, which isn’t hard once you get folks to watch the show.

Anyway whatever they come up with I’m there to enjoy and help push it along. I’m in for the long haul. I think lots of us are. Whether any new production or sequel would be equal to, not as good, or better by heaps than the original is unknown. One thing I do know is if there isn’t more we will never find out.

Z

XRAFTERMANX

Saturday, October 13, 2007 7:32 PM

Straight to DVD is alright but here's an idea. How about a 3 Night Scifi Channel Miniseries which would give us much more character development than a sequel would. Then when it's released on DVD Joss could include a 30 minute episode on Books background to ensure DVD sales.

What do you all think? Could work right.

Keep Flying.

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