At Awesome Con earlier today, after a week of speculation and intrigue thanks to a viral social media campaign involving the cast of Firefly, Nathan Fillion revealed that a revival series, of sorts, is in advanced production. He made the announcement as part of a live recording of the Once We Were Spacemen podcast that both he and co-star Alan Tudyk host. Joining them were all of the cast members of the show, save Adam Baldwin, who was unable to attend but will be lending his voice as Jayne Cobb, and the late Ron Glass, who played Book in the series.
As it’s been over twenty years since the theatrically released film Serenity, the show will actually be an animated series that will take place between the events of season one and Serenity. This means that Tudyk will be reprising his role as Wash! We also have first look concept art for the show, courtesy of ShadowMachine, who will handle the animation, and Deadline.
The show is being developed in part by Fillion’s own Collion33 production company, which will partner with 20th Century Animation to bring the show to life. Husband and wife duo Marc Guggenheim and Tara Butters (Arrow and Agent Carter, respectively) will serve as co-showrunners. The show is actively looking for buyers to distribute the series. Series creator Joss Whedon is not involved, but has given his blessing for the production to go ahead.
Set in the year 2517, the original show is a space-western and follows the exploits of the crew of the Serenity, which is a “Firefly” class spaceship. Both Captain Malcom “Mal” Reynolds (Fillion) and his second in command Zoe Washburne are veterans of the war against the Alliance, a conflict in which they lost. So they retreated into a world of smuggling and transport and built up an eclectic crew of misfits and drifters over the years who have become something of a family. One day, a brother and sister request Serenity’s services, which sets them on a wholly unexpected and dangerous path far beyond what any of them were expecting.
Firefly has something of a unique and frustrating history. The show is iconic and very beloved, despite the fact that it was cancelled after 11 of its 14 episodes were aired due to low ratings. Episodes were also aired out of order, creating frustration. Its cinematic conclusion, Serenity, was also praised but underperformed at the box office. But the show has a strong cult following and has amassed strong DVD/Blu-ray sales over the years for the first season, enough that the show hasn’t really left the zeitgeist of pop culture despite its smaller impact. Here’s hoping that this revival season can not only make older fans happy but also inspire a new generation to check out the awesome original series and film.
