Firefly

Nothing new "for now."

October 9, 2006 - When TV producer and filmmaker Joss Whedon suggested smothering rumors of a Serenity sequel with a pillow, he was caught off guard by the reaction of fans and news websites. As a result, he posted some follow-up comments at Whedonesque explaining just what he meant and his feelings now that the Firefly franchise has ground to a halt.

"There are two very separate worlds: the marketplace, and the bustling bazaar that is my brain. The brain place is crowded with goods, ideas, sequels, spinoffs, animated versions, miniseries, radio dramas... Once I create a ’verse, I never let go of it.

"I’ll be very, very clear. There is no news. Not never, just [not] now." (Emphasis added.)

Whedon’s desires are at odds with the realities of the film and TV industries. When Fox cancelled Firefly - arguably due to poor marketing and mismanagement - Whedon’s heart "got broke," as he puts it. Serenity didn’t make up for it, and its lackluster showing at theaters is undoubtedly a major reason for the lack of interest by the studio in continuing the franchise.

Maybe Firefly isn’t quite dead yet. Whedon has ideas and a willingness to go forward with more stories in the Firefly universe. But if anything does happen one day - and that’s a big "if" - it won’t resemble the Firefly series we remember. Events in the movie have seen to that.

What possibilities remain? Perhaps a spin-off series one day - like Angel was to Buffy the Vampire Slayer. On the other hand, Whedon’s busy with new projects, projects which will lead to new franchises if successful. His attention is currently focused on Wonder Woman. That’s out in 2007, and expect Whedon to make more of them if audiences like the first one.