Sci-Fi, owned by Universal, bring this exclusive interview about Serenity with writer/director Joss Whedon.
http://video.scifi.com/v/?linkid=21988.
Neat interview and thanks Gossi, but I didnt much like the "Its doubtfull"statement!
I, for one, refuse to give up hope. It sounds like maybe Joss is on the verge of giving up, and we need to do something about that!
My suggestion (which I've made ad mauseum in other threads) is to get as many NEW viewers to come to the Serenity Screenings in June as we can. Get LOTS of media attention, locally and nationally if possible. Make converts, gain Allies, and we might manage to pull it off. Gotta have faith!
TD/Tim
I can't give up either.. Joss doesn't say it's over, just that "right now, it's doubtful". Right now doesn't last forever.
When Joss says it's over and there will be no more..then I'll give up hope, until then I think we can keep attempting to show them that there is an audience out here for more. A PAYING audience out here wanting more.
I think the screenings are an excellent idea... good works coupled with getting the BDM noticed and us noticed.
I want more... never was much good at quitting.
Good: I think he's still a big Serenity fan, regardless of what the studios want.
I thought it was interesting that he thinks the lack of canon on Wonder Woman is a GOOD thing. Tells me he's not enamored of having to follow the leader, and will be able to make a heroine after his ideals.
Bad: Serenity II: Doubtful.
All those snippets of Wonder Woman comics look like Lucy Lawless, if not the wrestler Chyna.
Hopeful: Joss will take the WW franchise in a more cosmic hooker friendly direction.
Anyone know how to download this video to ones hard drive? I'm starting an archive on my HD of all these videos.
I too am very discouraged from this interview. It will be years before a new movie if ever. They should just franchise the story to comics or books, in a larger way than current, and let the verse live in those venues.
I have mixed emotions about this interview...I don't think that Joss has given up on a BDSequel but he is being a realist and in the volitale, unpredictible world of Hollywood he has to be, its not his money being spent and he can't rail on his benefactors. Remember as Gossi has on more than one occasion reminded us...Serenity did not make enough money from its theactrical release to kick a sequel or new series into high gear at Universal, it basically broke even and is only now probably starting to make some of the investment back.
As stated before I believe that dvd sales have got to reach the same volume as FF did to recapture Universal's attention, and that took what, two-three years. In the meantime we have to take it one step at a time and keep building/expanding the fanbase one recruit at a time and finding ways to influence Universal in some way. The June 23 Equality Now is just one of those steps. So find your own way to participate.
I too, like all of you want more from this story and these actors, and I ain't good at losing either.
ChynaDoll...she uh wow... scares me, quite a lot really.
*now hiding under my bed*
I think that they should stop focusing on the movies and look to get back into TV as much as possible. A movie just seems like too large an investment and it really didn't pack any punch in the box office. Sure it's making profit on DVD and anymore studios follow DVD sales more closely than they do the box office because they make more profit there... but you know that nothing it going to green light a sequel more than those massive box office numbers and Serenity just didn't bring it. I think in some ways the movie does more harm than good... outside of the new recruits it brought in. But seeing as it's not brought in all the new browncoats I think it's time to leave the idea of a big damn sequel behind.
That said, on TV the ratings on Sci-Fi seem to be doing brilliantly. The DVD set of the show is still in the higher ranks of sales (atleast on Amazon.com, it's currently 35th in DVD sales - 19th in TV on DVD ) while other Sci-Fi shows quickly drop out of even the top 100. BSG is currently ranked at 181 and 140 for Seasons 1 and 2 respectively. And Firefly has been out for two years LONGER! How is it still on top of these shows? And call me crazy, I don't have the figures on it... but it looks to me like BSG is far more expensive to produce than Firefly. You'd think that everyone involved in BSG would get off their butts and grab Firefly right now! It's a certain thing to be more profitable than BSG at the very least. I just don't get it... it's one of those situations where everyone could win. It's such a sure bet.
Ah well, I guess I'm preaching to the choir here. Anyone know what the sales for Firefly are like on iTunes?
I know that Joss is brillant at multi-tasking but Wonder Woman must take up a pretty large part of his view right now. And maybe he wants to just do something new for a change. He pushed the Spike movie everywhere he could. He put his life and heart into the first Serenity movie (Notice I said first?
) now maybe he just wants to look ahead. Wonder Woman seems to have been a difficult write. Who knows how hard the re-write is going to be.
Most of my favorite firefly episodes were neither written nor directed by Joss ... I wouldn't mind it at all if he did like Sam Ramie did with his various TV projects and let mutant Enemy serve like Renaissance or RoseBud... whichever was his... and while exercising creative control for quality assurance let other talents he trusts to take the reigns most of the time ... from the looks of the actors latest projects they should have ample free time in the very near future.
Well, the deal -- honestly -- is this; nobody (from a business) wants to make another TV series or movie, at least for the moment. Which sucks, but it is what it is.
From a TV point of view, it's not returning. There's many reasons why, but primarily it's a money thing. The show was very expensive - at least twice that of a cable show like BSG, yet it only managed sub-4 million viewers in the ratings. Or, in other words, it didn't initially made money - it lost it. It got really bad ratings.
That's not to say the show isn't good - it is - but from day one it wasn't a "Lost" (which opened to over 20 million viewers).
20th Century Fox (or rather, Joss - really) tried to sell the show to Sci-Fi, ABC (etc), but nobody bit. Universal bought the motion picture rights -- at still has an option to make 2 more movies if it chooses.
Ultimately, going forward, either Universal exercise those rights, or nothing happens. There's always the option of ABC, NBC etc trying to get the TV licensing rights from 20th Century Fox, but the reality is they don't want to.
The movie was not the first option Joss (etc) explored.
Don't know about the rest of you, but I intend to hold til Mal gets back !
Me too, but our biggest enemy is Time. I was watching the Pilot episode yesterday and I watched the BDM right afterwards. You can see the difference that time makes in the appearance of the Actors. Joss can "freeze" the characters by putting them in comics or (my favorite choice) Novellas. To have a sequel, however, the Powers That Be need to move quickly. The only alternative would be to set the next Movie (or series, mini-series, whatever) a few years after the BDM's storyline. JMHO TD/Tim
This particular 'Verse has never followed the rules. It's broken boundaries of "the Biz" with some luck, granted, but that luck could never have happened without the people who have stood up for it. Our love of the ideas within the 'verse applies to our lives and sequel or not, series or not, money or not, we do NOT grant permission for anyone to take that away from us.
"You're fighting a war you've already lost."
"Yeah, well I'm known for that."
I think a mini-series picking up right after the BDM could prove very attractive to a network. Most likely NBC or Sci-Fi, both associated with Universal which in turn are ALL associated with GE (who I just happen to work for!
). Kind of like the miniseries of Farscape that was broadcast years after the original series. Only in this case, leave the ending open for another miniseries or series.
Now, as far as cost... Firefly was done on a shoestring budget, in order to afford all the cgi work that was added. I see no reason to assume Joss wouldn't be as cost-conscious a second time around. BSG probably costs a lot more, IMO. -And here's a thought: I for one would cheerfully donate the props I bought from PropStore to the Production, and I'm sure other BCs would as well. It's a drop in the bucket, but ANYthing to lower costs, right?
It's a thought...
If the profile of the cast increases too that could certainly help the chances of a sequal too surely? Especially Nathan Fillion. If he starts moving up the actor ranks with his films being popular would that increase the chances of a sequal.
Universal would get more interest from an audience unrelated to Browncoats that way, which is what they want and another movie would need.
What's wrong with comics? And novellas? 'Cos I gotta tell ya, being a fan of shows like Farscape and Firefly has taught me to cherish each moment I can spend in these 'Verses. Sure, it'd be shiny to see more of the crew of Serenity on tv or at the cinema, but I can wait. I think that Joss has proven once already that when he wants something bad enough he can get it, and I also think he's wisely biding his time, waiting for his moment.
It would be daffy to push for more Serenifly at this point because it's too soon. Pursuing a it at this stage would lose him credibility, make it seem he was flogging a flagging mule. As much as I love this phenom, I can wait.
Our time will come again.
I'm with you, Wendy! TD/Tim
Me too, I ain't goin' nowhere.
When are you gonna come down
When are you going to land
I should have stayed on the farm
I should have listened to my old man
You know you can't hold me forever
I didn't sign up with you
I'm not a present for your friends to open
This boy's too young to be singing the blues
So goodbye yellow brick road
Where the dogs of society howl
You can't plant me in your penthouse
I'm going back to my plough
Back to the howling old owl in the woods
Hunting the horny back toad
Oh I've finally decided my future lies
Beyond the yellow brick road
What do you think you'll do then
I bet that'll shoot down your plane
It'll take you a couple of vodka and tonics
To set you on your feet again
Maybe you'll get a replacement
There's plenty like me to be found
Mongrels who ain't got a penny
Sniffing for tidbits like you on the ground
NICE!!
I've always preferred the TV format. I loved the film and all, but looking back on it, it just doesn't do the potential story justice. You can't cram 1 1/2 seasons into a 2 hour film. I mean, you're basically talking, what, 36 hours of footage being chopped down to 2? It just doesn't work as well. We lose one of the things Joss is best at (and known for): character development. This, in turn, makes some of his "emotional beat" moments come across as pure manipulation for manipulation's sake which frankly I don't like. However, I don't mind it when it's done for BOTH the sake of manipulation AND to then explore how a character reacts.
IE: Oz sleeps with another werewolf on Buffy and says "I have to leave." Big tearjerker moment. Ok, clearly emotional manipulation, BUT we then see the after-effects on Willow and how it propels her into another relationship AND leaves her conflicted when Oz returns AND how Oz's decision to leave and Willow's response then affects Oz himself.
That ain't just manipulation there, that's deep exploration of characters. And I dig that. And you just can't do that in a 2 hour movie format.
The problem is, Firefly/Serenity doesn't have the history behind it to justify a network taking a chance on it. For that matter, none of the Firefly/Serenity properties (with the exception of the comics maybe) seem to justify (in the studios minds) spending more money and taking a risk. They're hard to advertise. They don't immediately appeal to people who just want a slam-bang action or sci-fi flick. The show just doesn't fit neatly into a niche. And while shows like Buffy and Angel were far more than just teeny-bopper WB/UPN dramas, they could still be MARKETED that way, and that's I think what the studios care about.
Hollywood and TV-land are extremely risk-averse. They don't like taking chances and most of the time when they do, they end up regretting the decision. Partially that's their own fault for not knowing how to present the show, but I'd say with a show like Firefly, it's pretty darn tough to explain to someone outside of saying "Look, just watch a few episodes, ok?" You can call it a "space western" but that doesn't do it justice. And even if you do, westerns are the red-headed stepchildren of film and TV these days.
Solo4114
True except that when I watched the show Firefly broadcast on FOX and it got shafted I and many other fans got vocal and stayed that way ... and we got Serenity... why would this not work again?
A failed TV series. Now a Movie !!! "We have done the impossiable & that makes us mighty."
Hold !! Gorramit HOLD !!! There will be more TV or Movies. Stand fast Browncoats. We will prvail. I watched as the Enterprise burned in the atmo. I will not leave Serenity to the same fate. Not on my watch.
OK. Done. How can the PTB overlook all the most excellent acting from the Series & the Movie. How can they?
Nutters. I'm not giving up on Joss or Serenity.
Just my 2 platinums.
Well said, Sera!
TD/Tim
DVD would be a great move! And you know sales would be very good. Hmm let’s do the math. $30.00 for a season series times 4 million viewers willing to buy the product minus Universals office supply needs of over 10 million per year not including miscellaneous overhead that comes out to some profit… not great! But Good! It’s a step into the right direction.
I think the last thing Joss needs to do is to sicken the money men by constantly going at them with Firefly/Serenity pitches - let him make a few more flicks that get killer reviews and more importantly make massive profits THEN let him say "Hey remember Firefly, check this script out ...?" and see what happens.
Does anyone have any idea what it would cost to have a life-size replica of Serenity made? If fans could find a respectable and trustworthy savings account, and donate to it until the money was raised, I think that would speak far louder to anyone in charge than anything. Think about it, im sure it would cost in excess of $1,000,000, but gorram, if each single fan donated $1 a week to the fund that money would be raised in no time. Once it was built, it would be pretty damn hard to deny fans the reward of new filmage. Not to mention, it would utterly prove that people were more than willing to pay for more. Could even be used as a tourist attraction to make money for charity (that is, when it wasnt in use for the current filming, gorrammit).
Am I the only person so obsessed?
I can't be...
The fan donation thing has been tried before, about 6 months ago. One of the producers got it closed down as legally, they couldn't take the money even if they wanted to (there's all sorts of rights issues and such).
Not sure about the cost of building the set, though. It really depends how fast you'd want it built - they built the Serenity set in a matter of weeks, but I know it cost an absolute fortune - plus it used Universal's biggest sound stage to house it.
How could anyone, rights or no, prevent people from donating money to a bank account? Perhaps the donations weren't being sent to a bank account? I see how the Serenity Logo could very well be considered copyrighted, but if a private developer chooses to build his own Titanic or life size Enterprise, noone could stop them unless they profited from it and they used copyrighted symbols and such.
The only problem I forsee is having a person who everyone trusts keep honest tabs on the money (I mean, the obvious perfect person to oversee such an account would be Joss, but thats even further delusional wishing).
I have no delusions about how long it would take, as creating a lifelike replica would probably take the better part of a year to complete, if not longer. Dont matter, it would be worth it a million times over.
If I ever get a million dollars, im gonna build that gorram ship, and Ill be very happy. And Ill invite the planet. Ha. Of course, if I was the sole person doing it, id live in the ship from then on, put a very functional electric generator in the engine room, hahaha, boy am I a dork.
I'm gonna HOLD but if buying serenity stuff will help I will do that also!
Powered by Invision Power Board (http://www.invisionboard.com)
© Invision Power Services (http://www.invisionpower.com)