'Firefly' Animated Series In Development
Reviving old TV shows from the past has long been popular with producers. Recently, there has been a surge in revivals of series from the 90's and early noughties. Series such as Scrubs, King Of The Hill, Baywatch, Malcom In The Middle and Futurama. This week the surprising news broke that the proposed revival of the cult classic Buffy the Vampire Slayer has been cancelled by Hulu. But another beloved series from the same creator is going to get another shot- Firefly.
Fans have been calling for a Firefly revival ever since the show was first cancelled after only 11 episodes back in 2002. They got what they wanted in 2005 with the big screen spin-off Serenity. Unfortunately, the film was not commercially successful, although it was well received by fans, so that was as far as it went. Until now, when a continuation has been finally announced- this time in animated form.
The news was announced at AwesomeCon by original star Nathan Fillion, who led a cast reunion panel at the convention. The announcement was teased beforehand by social media posts on the profiles of the original cast. Fillion will return to voice his character, Malcolm Reynolds and will be joined by original cast members Alan Tudyk, Gina Torres, Jewel Staite, Morena Baccarin, Sean Maher, Adam Baldwin and Summer Glau.
The continuation is being developed through Fillion's production company Collision33 in association with 20th Televsion Animation. ShadowMachine is on board to provide the animation. Marc Guggenheim and Tara Butters have been tapped to serve as showrunners and a script has apparently been completed. Original creator Joss Whedon (who has subsequently himself been cancelled) is not involved with the new series, but has apparently given it his blessing.
The series follows roguish captain Reynolds and the crew of the Serenity and their adventures at the fringes of the law in war-torn outer space circa 2517. Generally described as a space western, the series developed a dedicated fan-base through box-sets and streaming. The animated series is set to take place between the original 2002 television run and the movie Serenity. It will expand the universe, while preserving continuity with established lore.
Producing an animated series allows the story to continue, while ignoring the 25 years that has passed since Firefly finished. It will also allow for some spectacular sci-fi visuals, where imagination is the only limitation.
The series has not yet found a home, and the producers will be looking for a streamer or broadcast partner before they can bring it to audiences. We would have thought that there will be quite a bit of interest in this, so it shouldn't be too hard to find one. With that said, Fillion has asked that if fans want to see this come to fruition, they should spread the word, and help provide some 'quantifiable analytics' that there is an audience out there for this series. So if you want to see it... let somebody know!
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