Nathan Fillion

PARK CITY, Utah — Back in the driver’s seat, Nathan Fillion is revved about his next starring role.

"I’ll be with it for seven years even after it’s cancelled," he says of Drive, a Fox drama set to debut in April about an illegal cross-country road race.

Fillion’s cynicism is well-earned. The Edmonton-born actor has skirted fame twice — once on the small screen with the short-lived Firefly, then again on the big screen in the spinoff Serenity. Among non-nerds, though, he remains on the periphery of fame.

He was at Sundance for the premiere of the late Adrienne Shelly’s Waitress, in which he stars with Keri Russell.

Drive reunites him with Tim Minnear, who was a producer on Firefly."It’s The Amazing Race crossed with The Game, that Michael Douglas movie," Fillion says. "I’ve been very fortunate with the people who’ve I’ve made connections with. Surround yourself with smart people ... and take all the credit. That’s the secret of my success."

Fillion also expects to reprise his role on ABC’s Lost as Evangeline Lilly’s husband, who we last saw drugged and ditched by his fugitive bride.

"I don’t think he’s the kind of guy who will just let that go."