Firefly

Whedon Space Saga ’Firefly’ Revived for Big Screen

Thu, Mar 04, 2004, 10:03 AM PT

LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) - Joss Whedon, the man behind the cult hit series "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and its spin-off "Angel," will make his feature film debut adapting another one of his signature television series. The 39-year-old writer-director-producer will base his Universal film "Serenity" on his short-lived sci-fi/western series "Firefly."

"Serenity" will continue the adventures of a crew of outcasts on the spaceship Serenity as they have intergalactic adventures 500 years from now. The film centers on Captain Malcolm Reynolds (Nathan Fillion), a jaded rebel in a galactic civil war who struggles to finance his ship with small crimes and transporting cargo. He leads a small, eclectic crew who are the closest thing he has left to family — squabbling, insubordinate and undyingly loyal.

Conflict arises when Mal takes on two new passengers — a young doctor (Sean Maher) and his unstable, telepathic sister (Summer Glau) —who happen to be fugitives from the coalition dominating the universe, who will stop at nothing to reclaim the girl. The crew that was once used to skimming the outskirts of the galaxy unnoticed find themselves pursued by vastly different and dangerous enemies.

Also reprising their roles from the series are Gina Torres as Zoe Warren, Morena Baccarin as Companion Inara Serra, Jewel Staite as mechanic Kaylee Frye, Adam Baldwin as the incorrigible Jayne Cobb. New characters created expressly for the motion picture adaptation will also join the current cast.

"Joss is a true creator, whose talent crosses all mediums," say Mary Parent and Scott Stuber, vice chairmen, production, Universal Pictures. "His mythic worlds are inhabited with rich, detailed and very human characters. ’Serenity’ will provide him with a great opportunity to paint another larger-than-life canvas with very identifiable, real characters at the heart of the story."

Whedon will act as screenwriter and director, with "The Sixth Sense’s" Barry Mendel and Chris Buchanan serving as executive producers. Whedon wrote the screenplays for the original motion picture "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," "Alien: Resurrection" and "Toy Story," for which he received an Oscar nomination in 1996.

FOX ran 12 of the 15 available episodes of "Firefly," which are now enjoying new life on DVD.