Lets face it people: Sci fi is certainly less mainstream than it was many years ago. Thanks to money-hungry trek producers and B-grade sci-fi channel-produced projects (Tripping the Rift comes to mind instantly), Whedon's feature version of our beloved "FireFly" will probably barely break even.
This is my prediction. God knows I hope I'm wrong.
Posted by Epoch (Member # 136) on :
I wasn't even aware that FireFly was getting a Feature film. I have heard rumor but nothing else, and even the rumor wasn't all that positive.
Posted by MinutiaeMan (Member # 444) on :
Nope, it's been greenlighted now, thank goodness.
Personally, I've got mixed feelings about it. I don't care whether or not the movie is wildly popular -- we all know it won't be a blockbuster, but I seriously doubt there's any chance of a franchise being developed here. The most we can hope for is a revived television series after the movie comes out.
But personally, I'm not sure a movie is the way to go with Firefly. After all, one of the show's greatest strengths was (IMO) its intertwined character arcs and subtle, slow development over time. That can't be accomplished in a single two-hour movie.
In addition, Firefly was always about small-time action, about the "little people" getting crushed by the big machines of the Alliance and real life. Remember the simple goal in the opening voiceover? "Keep flying..." That hardly seems like feature film material to me. And in that case, making the series a whole lot bigger would possibly constitute a betrayal of the original premise(s) of the series.
I guess we'll just have to trust in Joss Whedon's writing talent. Which, given his performances to date, isn't that hard. Posted by Mark Nguyen (Member # 469) on :
"Titan A.E." "Alien Resurrection"
Interestingly enough, both movies that center around a ragtag crew aboard a non-combat spaceship who're just trying to survive. Hm.
Mark
Posted by TheWoozle (Member # 929) on :
He was on an interview with NPR yesterday and when asked about FIREFLY, he basically said that Fox did everything in their power to kill it. He sees the movie as a second chance and a chance to say "I Told You So"
Posted by Epoch (Member # 136) on :
I'll agree with that. Fox did nothing to support the show. I mean honestly 8pm on a Friday, that is the worst timeslot out there. And with the corporate need for instant ratings the axe gets dropped. FireFly didn't get a full season which was just stupid. Not only that but it had 3 unaired shows, again how stupid is that. I hope it does well in the theater and another group picks it up.
Posted by TSN (Member # 31) on :
Didn't "The X-Files" start out in the Friday 8p.m. slot on FOX? Or was it 7p.m.?
Posted by Antagonist (Member # 484) on :
I think that the X-Files' initial popularity came from the reruns later in the week (Sunday, I believe).
I don't think that a movie is betraying the premise at all, especially if done correctly (which I have faith that it shall). The concerns for this movie is:
Alan Tudyk will be absent from the cast, as well as Ron Glass.
Whedon will be going back to the beginning of the story and retelling it differently (i.e. re-introducing Simon and River in a different manner).
And I also echo your concern for the 2-hour time limit. I hope that instead of just simply developing any of the characters we will instead be shown more of this strange universe that Whedon has created. It is fine to introduce a character (or even 9 characters) in 2 hours, but don't try to polymorph them at the same time.
Posted by Antagonist (Member # 484) on :
Scratch that. I just heard via a fansite that it is likely Alan Tudyk and Ron Glass haven't been mentioned yet due to contract stipulations... or some such stupid legal crap. Anyhow it is most definately a possibility that the entire original cast will be returning for Serenity.
Posted by Malnurtured Snay (Member # 411) on :
I mailed out my bills today and had some surplus cash, so I splurged on "Firefly" on DVD. I've just started "Bushwhacked" and am very much enjoying the show so far, although why can't Mal budget $20 and a stop at Boat Depot for some rust remover and paint ... ?
Posted by Mark Nguyen (Member # 469) on :
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