Firefly continues to chart its comeback.
Firefly is a space Western series that was created by Joss Whedon (The Avengers, Buffy the Vampire Slayer) and debuted in 2002. The show ended up being canceled after a single season, with 14 episodes in total. Despite it being short-lived, Firefly ended up developing a cult status over the years. That eventually led to the sci-fi franchise coming back in a major way a few years after its cancellation. Written and directed by Whedon, Serenity, the Firefly sequel movie, was released in theaters on September 30, 2005. It brought back the show’s main cast. Now, another project aims the same.
At MCM Comic-Con, Nathan Fillion and Alan Tudyk explained where the Firefly animated sequel series stands right now.
According to the actors, who played Captain Mal Reynolds and Hoban “Wash” Washburne in Firefly and Serenity, respectively, the revival remains in development. However, they made it clear that it has not yet found a home, be it on a TV network or a streaming service, and that they will let fans know when the new sci-fi series has moved to the next step in its journey. Fillion said, “It’s not easy work,” but they remain committed to the development process. Check out the full exchange below:
Nathan Fillion: So, you saw a video, not announcing a series, but announcing the development of the series. Boy, it takes a lot longer than one would hope. The development to get a show onto a a television network or streaming platform. It’s not easy work, Alan, or else everyone would do it, right?
Alan Tudyk: I agree. I know. Especially since previously I mentioned the business is in a bit of a… going through some things. So, it’s in process much like developing photos when we were young. You go to a little box, guy who lives in a little house in a parking lot. That’s how they would do it in the states, the Kodak part, and you drop them off to some guy who was certainly stoned and you’d pick them up a little while later after he’s done rifling through all of your personal images. So, we’re in the rifling through the personal images part. We’re not ready to pick them up, but when we do, you will hear.
Fans have long campaigned for Firefly to come back in some form. That started to get traction earlier this year when Fillion began to share videos on Instagram of him visiting Firefly cast members and telling them it was time. This went on for around a month, from late February to mid-March, when the announcement everyone was waiting for finally came.
On March 15, at Awesome Con, Fillion and other Firefly actors announced that instead of doing a live-action revival, which was difficult due to the actors’ busy schedules — Fillion himself leads The Rookie and is in James Gunn’s DCU as the Green Lantern Guy Gardner — a Firefly animated sequel series was in the works. The project will not see Whedon return, though Fillion revealed that the space Western’s creator gave it his blessing. Taking over as showrunners will be Marc Guggenheim, one of the co-creators of DC Arrowverse, and his wife, Tara Butters (Agent Carter, Gen V).
Given how the Firefly sequel movie, Serenity, plays out — multiple characters die — some have had questions about how the new animated series will work. That will have a simple explanation, as the Firefly sequel series will be set between the events of the original show and the 2005 movie. As such, fans do not have to worry about changing certain characters’ fates or messing with the sci-fi franchise’s canon. As such, the characters’ animated designs will resemble those of the actors’ younger versions, allowing the experience to feel seamless for franchise fans.
While it might have only run for one season, Firefly is a universally beloved show. The space Western series holds a solid 77% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes, earning the Certified Fresh label. The genre show boasts an even better, near-perfect 96% audience score. Interest remains high in more Firefly.
- Release Date
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2002 – 2003-00-00
- Network
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FOX
- Directors
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Allan Kroeker, David Solomon, James A. Contner, Marita Grabiak, Michael Grossman, Tim Minear, Vern Gillum
- Writers
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Cheryl Cain, Drew Z. Greenberg, Jane Espenson
