Posts Tagged ‘ Firefly/Serenity ’

Deadline is reporting that Joss Whedon is in final negotiations to direct Marvel’s The Avengers movie.

Given that Cap (Chris Evans), Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr), Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and Nick Fury (Samuel L Jackson) are already cast, and it seems likely that Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and Bruce Banner (Ed Norton) may turn up in some capacity – not to mention the possibility of the Abomination (Tim Roth) and General Ross (William Hurt) putting in an appearance, can we just go ahead and cast some of Whedon’s regular gang as the other Avengers?

I mean, it should keep costs down a bit…

Like…Alan Tudyk?

Summer Glau?

Enver Gjokaj?

Please?

Updated with another suggestion that I particularly liked…Dichen Lachman.

You know if there’s a way to get Fran Kranz in there…

…kind of.

Blog@Newsarama notes that Chuck producer Scott Rosenbaum has landed a sci-fi western at Fox, and quotes from THR:

“What I’m really interested in is the revamping of the Western genre where you still have all of the iconic Western themes and iconic Western tropes but the idea is that it will feel incredibly contemporary and will introduce the Western to a whole new generation,” Rosenbaum said.

Blog@ then cheekily says this sounds familiar…

But I’d say it sounds even more familiar than BraveStarr. After all, we’ve seen an old west gunslinger in the sci-fi future…

…we’ve seen sci-fi elements in the old West…

…and oh yes, I seem to recall that Fox butchered the run order of, and prematurely canceled, the last sci-fi western they had.

I for one am thrilled by the news that they get to do it again.

Okay, there’ll be a real post later but for now, today only you can get the Firefly series on Blu Ray for $39.99 over at Amazon.

I shouldn’t have to tell you how awesome the show is but I will: very awesome.

And thanks to a couple of codes you can also pick up the Ghostbusters Blu Ray for $9.99 – pre-order at $19.99 below:

- then at checkout use these codes: SONYPIC5 and GHOSTBLU – each give you $5 off.

The SONYPIC5 code can apparently be used for a bunch of other Sony Blu Rays, such as Dr Strangelove.

So there you go!

I wasn’t too impressed with the idea of rebooting V (although I guess Battlestar Galactica worked out okay), and I the casting of Scott Wolf as a reporter-type didn’t win me round – although I suppose he does have a certain Marc Singer-ness about him.

But Firefly‘s Morena Baccarin as leader of the Visitors?

I’m sold (because, you know, Morena Baccarin), but the real question is can she pull of a mean Diana-face?

Yes. Yes she can!

…so…it’s, er, not very good is it?

Look, I’m a fan of Whedon’s stuff. I love Buffy. I love Angel. I love Firefly and Serenity (even though on my first attempt to watch the pilot I bailed after ten minutes) and Dr Horrible.

But Dollhouse…

I saw Whedon talking about the show at NYCC. He seemed to know that the show was going to be controversial, that it was going to get people talking. He seemed to know that he was going to be facing an uphill battle.

And you know what, the show is controversial. The Dollhouse itself is basically renting out sex slaves and wiping their memories – and let’s face it for a creator who talks a lot about women’s rights and the mistreatment of women (even though he’s also managed to piss off some feminists), it’s a tough stance to make.

But that’s not the problem with the show. The problem is that it doesn’t engage. It’s difficult to root for a character that’s virtually non-existent. Dushku’s Echo is clearly beginning to remember some of her past, but that doesn’t make up for the fact that she as a character doesn’t have much going for her. Sure, she looks good in a tank top but so what?

Of the rest of the cast, only two are actually close to being likeable – Harry Lennix’s conflicted handler and Tahmoh Penikett’s FBI agent. The problem with these two is that Lennix’s Boyd Langton is so obviously conflicted that you wonder why he signed up in the first place (although I suspect he’s a Doll himself), and that Penikett’s Paul Ballard is on the periphery of the show. I understand that’s going to change but right now, it’s distracting.

The show’s ratings didn’t start well then dropped off for the second episode; Whedon has said that Dollhouse is probably the last TV show he’ll work on and that in the future he’ll concentrate on online work (and I suspect movies).

Honestly, that may be for the best – because Dr Horrible is a hell of a lot more enjoyable than Dollhouse.

I’m going to keep watching, though. Partly because I’m a glutton for punishment and partly because I want to see Alpha Doll in action…

You know, Alpha. He’s like a leaf on the wind, you know.

Joss Whedon’s Dollhouse has shut down production for a few weeks. According to Zap2It, the hiatus is to help Whedon get ahead on scripts:

…because Joss directed two of the three episodes already shot, he has not had sufficient time to be in the writers room and tailor the upcoming scripts to his liking. A rep from 20th Century Fox — the studio behind Dollhouse — said Joss came to them asking for a couple weeks to regroup and they were happy to give it to him…

And…

Said the rep, “We have every confidence that will allow Joss to make the show the best it can possibly be. It’s very rare that you have a head writer who is also directing two episodes in a row. But we are happy that Joss is directing, because this is his vision.”

Sounds good right?

However, according to TV Week, there may be more to it.

However, some executives at the Fox network are worried that Mr. Whedon may not have his “Dollhouse” in order.

A person familiar with the thinking of some Fox executives told TelevisionWeek that there have been concerns raised inside the network about the fundamental underpinnings of the show.

Specifically, because the heroine of the show, played by Eliza Dushku, has no free will or ability to do much beyond what she’s told to do, viewers might find it hard to root for her. In addition, some executives have expressed concerns that early episodes of the series have been confusing and hard to follow.

The report goes on to say that Fox has denied that there are worries over the show.

But then, Fox are the same network that screwed over Firefly years ago by showing the episodes out of order, starting with the weakest of the series and ending with the pilot that explained who everyone was.

And this is the same Fox that gave the promising-if-not-amazing Drive three episodes before announcing cancellation.

And this is the same Fox that continues to churn out enjoyable-but-unchallenging fluff like 24 and Prison Break. I like both shows, but neither of them suffers from an over-abundance of complexity.

So…I’m cautiously worried.

Then again, I’m surprised that Fox showed something like Fringe, which appears to be heading towards Lost-like complexity, given the ARG over at Massive Dynamic (I’ll be damned if its not related to the Hanso Foundation), so what do I know?

Really you should spend 10 minutes watching Neil Patrick Harris, Nathan Fillion and Felicia Day in Joss Whedon’s Dr Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, which has the first act up now.

Joss Whedon.

Nathan Fillion.

Neil Patrick Harris.

Low budgets.

Awesome.

Teaser from Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog on Vimeo.

Er, when exactly did Neil Patrick Harris become a legend? (That’s rhetorical, really, because I suspect it was just around the first time he suited up).

More to the point, when did Old Spice get a sense of humor? First Bruce Campbell now this…

Fox (watch and be damned for all eternity) have released four promo posters for the upcoming Terminator: The Sarah Chronicles.

Didn’t little River Tam grow up?

The title got your attention, eh?

Whedon and cohort Tim Minear have signed to new show Dollhouse, starring Eliza Dushku.

Bad news is that it’s on Fox and there’s a seven episode commitment. But its better than nothing.

Sounds like the show will be an actioner with a sci-fi bent, with Dushku playing Echo (Joss, that’s Marvel on the phone…), an agent sent on missions where she’s imprinted with personalities and abilities which are wiped – along with her memory – when she returns to base. Naturally enough, Echo starts to become aware.

This sounds good – very good – and my only worry is that it’s on Fox.

Because that worked out so well for Firefly, Drive and New Amsterdam. But it’s better than nothing!

Read TV Week’s article here and EOnline’s interview with both here. And I totally stole the image at the top from EOnline. Just so you know.

…while you pretend to work!

Play on the Hellboy II movie site.

Read the terrible reviews for Viva Laughlin.

Marvel at the new John Rambo – sorry, Rambo: To Hell and Back – no, okay John Rambo it is, okay maybe just plain Rambo poster on IGN.

Drink in the fantastic art of Steve Epting.

Read Drew Melbourne’s great Secret Origins of Archenemies articles at Scryptic.

Read about the Wolverine movie at Variety but take the rumors about Gambit with a pinch of salt.

Follow me on Twitter.

Listen to Warren Ellis‘ The 4AM.

Spend too much time reading Todd Klein’s fantastic logo studies series.

Flick through some of Jerry Ordway’s posts.

Visit Zhinxy’s ‘Every Issue Ever’ blog.

While away the hours on Need Coffee.

Play around on Red 5 Comics’ site (Abyss #1 was great!)

That should keep you busy.

On another note, last night I left work at 7-ish and decided to be a lazy arse and get the subway one stop down to Midtown Comics.

Who was standing next to me on the platform waiting for the 1 train at 50th street, but Alan Tudyk, chatting away to a friend/colleague/whatever?

He’s taller and slimmer than I’d have thought and amused me by dropping in a ‘did you see 3.10 to Yuma?’ to his friend.

I resisted the temptation to lean in and whisper ‘I am a leaf on the wind’, which I consider a good thing.

Moviehole is reporting that during an interview with Alan Tudyk (Wash), he said – in reference to the new re-release of Serenity on a special edition DVD:

“They had to put out because they’ve been selling out of the other
one and so Universal’s like ‘So, let’s do another one’. And now… there’s now a
chance there’s going to be another movie”.

What?

I’ve got to believe that this was a case of the reporter misunderstanding what Tudyk was saying because – as much as I love Firefly and Serenity (and that’s a lot) – I don’t think the movie did well enough at the box office to warrant a sequel, did it? I could be wrong, I suppose.

But, er, isn’t Wash dead? I guess he could be in flashbacks…

Anyway, the whole interview is here.

Oh, you know it’s true.

First there was the Firefly fiasco.

This year there was the Drive fiasco.

And now New Amsterdam is off the schedule before it even airs.

Granted, it looked like a Highlander-meets-Angel (my wife’s words) hybrid and I probably wouldn’t have watched it but what really grates me is that they’re keeping Don’t Forget the Lyrics on the air.

As I understand it, this is a show which involves Jerry Springer rejects doing karaoke when – gasp! – the cunning show masters turn off the screen with the lyrics on it to see how long the witless contestant can sing along. Oh, the hilarity.

Meanwhile, 24 lumbers into its seventh season a bloated parody of its former self and Prison Break takes more and more steps into the absurd.

The Simpsons were right: watch Fox and be damned.

(And yes, I know the Simpsons airs on Fox too.)

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Star Wars today as it celebrates the 30th anniversary of its release.

Feel old yet?

I don’t think its unreasonable to say that Star Wars changed the way movies are made, marketed and distributed; I recently finished Easy Riders, Raging Bulls which touched on that. I’m not saying that all the changes that occurred were for the better, but there’s no denying that Star Wars was the catalyst.

Then, of course, there’s the cultural impact. Star Wars may have simply recycled a lot of old themes in a sci-fi context but the impact that the film and its sequels (and even the much-maligned prequels) have had on the cultural landscape of much of the world can’t be denied. You’ll be hard pushed to find a villain as iconic as Darth Vader, or a hero who measures up to Luke Skywalker or Han Solo (though you have to tip your hat to Nathan Fillion’s Mal Reynolds of Firefly and Serenity) – or even someone who doesn’t know how Yoda double speaks.

With Star Wars, George Lucas brought us to a galaxy far, far away and ignited nerd and geek culture like nothing before or since – can you honestly picture what the TV and movie landscape would be today without people that these films influenced? Not to mention the way that he revolutionized the use of technology in films, and showed us that (unfortunately) you don’t always need great dialogue to tell a great story.

I love Star Wars in all its forms (except maybe that Holiday Special…) and I have to say that I don’t think that I’d be the man I am today if not for Star Wars…I’d probably be much better off as I doubt I’d be spending a huge amount of time and money on comics, DVDs, magazines, books and the occasional toy.

But then I’d miss out on the amount of enjoyment that they all bring me.

So thanks, Star Wars. Here’s to the next thirty!

Just a very quick reminder – Drive premieres tonight. It stars Nathan Fillion under writer-director-producer Tim Minear. The last time they collaberated was a little show called Firefly…

Anyway – the two hour premier is on Fox at 8pm, followed by a third episode leading into 24 tomorrow. Ain’t it Cool has a glowing review and good reviews from a lot of other sites here and the show’s official site is here and find the cast’s Reasons2Drive here.

Couple of links and some recommended reading:

Figuratively Speaking

Ed Johnson’s Figuratively Speaking - Ed’s got a series of stop-motion-style films using Marvel Minimates and music with captions for dialogue. Good stuff and some pretty good music there as well. Worth a few minutes of your time. Here’s the first ep of his series:

The Devil You Know

Mike Carey’s site has had a redesign lately – Mike posts pretty frequently and its always worth checking out; there’s also a complete list of Mike’s work in the archives. I heartily recommend checking out the Felix Castor novels if you like anything he’s ever done – especially Hellblazer.

Fifteen Years Later…

Speaking of books if you’re a fan of Buffy I recommend taking a look at Carpe Demon, the first in a series of books from author Julie Kenner. Don’t be put off by the suspiciously chick-lit’ish cover and the author’s chick-lit pedigree; this is a book you’ll enjoy (even if you’ll feel sheepish about the cover while you read it on the train).

Think of what would happen if Buffy – retired,fifteen years older with a couple of kids and a husband with political aspirations who don’t know about her past as a demon hunter – was dragged back into the fold. It’s a fun, easygoing read and a book that I’m actually glad I borrowed from my better half.

Captain Tightpants

It was Nathan Fillion’s birthday last week, and I feel obliged to point you in the direction of his MySpace page. He posts surprisingly regularly and is a funny and observant writer – and don’t forget to check out his new show (from showrunner Tim Minear) Drive on Fox Sunday April 15th. Fellow Whedonverse alumni Amy Acker plays Fillion’s wife. Small world eh?

Speaking of MySpace

There’s a few other TV and Movie related MySpace pages worth checking out (always with the caveat that due to the wonder of the internet they could be imposters) – Buffy‘s Emma Caulfield (Anya) has MySpace page here.

Firefly‘s Jewel Staite (Kaylee) has her page here (also updated often). She’s vouched for by that Fillion fella so I’m inclined to believe its the real thing…

Ditto for Ryan Reynold’s page. And he appears to be as barking as you might expect.

Writer/Director James Gunn (Slither) is here.

Jon Favreau’s page is here – not updated too much as he’s shooting that Iron Man movie, but worth a look.

Upcoming horror/slasher director/writer Eli Roth is here (personally I loved Cabin Fever but haven’t been able to sit down to Hostel yet. He’s taking on Stephen King’s Cell next).

So the weekend blogging didn’t quite work out…

Anyway, you can catch all the announcements and stuff over on Newsarama and CBR – there’s no sense in rehashing every word, plus I didn’t go to the Cup of Joe panel as I was con’d out by that point Saturday, and I got there too late – ie past 6am – to get Stephen King panel tickets dammit…

Photos – blurry and indistinct though they may be – will be added tonight!

Buffy panel
No Nick Brendan – apparently he was running late. I’m not sure if he turned up for the autographing later, either. Kind of sucks – if someone makes a commitment like that they really should honor it. Ah well.

These things always creep me out a bit. The actors either are kind of quiet and look that they don’t want to be there or throw themselves into it a bit aggresively. There’s often a quiet desperation to these kind of things, I find. A sense of ‘if my career was doing better, I wouldn’t have to be sitting here taking questions on something I did eight years ago’, or ‘You don’t see Gellar, Boreanaz or Hannigan doing this anymore, do you?’

But I digress – this wasn’t quite that bad, although Bianca Lawson (Kendra) was kind of quiet. Jonathan Woodward (Angel‘s Knox, Firefly‘s Tracey in The Message and Buffy‘s talky vampire Webs in the excellent Conversations with Dead People) and James Leary (Clem) were both on great form and had the crowd eating out of their hand – literally in Jonathan’s case. Jonathan’s story about ‘winking’ at Lawrence Fishburne’s wife whilst being straddled by a tall Canadian man in very tight pants was priceless – and if you’re not geek enough to get what that means, man you’re really in the wrong place.

Juliet Landau (the incomparable Drusilla) was also entertaining, relating how she and James Marsters came up with a lot of their physical interactions early on and doing a frankly kind of creepy little Dru bit into the microphone.

Leland Crooke (Angel‘s Archduke Sebassis) related how much fun it was to kill Wesley knowing that he was going to stay dead. Only Bianca Lawson (Kendra) – who is absolutely tiny – looked pretty shy at the mike, and didn’t have too much to say.

Even without Nick Brendan though, this was a fun hour and a pretty good way to start the day!