Serenity Waits

By Stuart Wood: 2004-11-23 00:00:00

Share |

I've never seen Firefly, it holds no interest for me. However a lot of people (on our boards and in the world) seem to be like the fans of Farscape and feel offended that their beloved show was cancelled. Unlike Farscape which got a cheapo mini-series to round it off, Joss Whedon has been banging a drum about a big screen version ever since the show got pulled. Many people thought it was just Mr Buffy fishing for work, but eventually he got his wish and the project seemed to get a begrudging greenlight.

The begrudging nature of this greenlight has just become even more apparent - it's release date has just been pushed back FIVE MONTHS from the pre-summer build up of April 22nd to the graveyard slot of September 30th.

You gotta feel for Joss, as he's released a press statement to fans where he tries to sugar coat the news and apologise to fans, but it all rings false;

"So what happened? Well, nothing terribly original. April got crowded with a lot of titles aimed at a similar demographic, and the studio decided September was a clearer corridor for the film to make the kind of impact it should. This isn't about a lack of confidence in the film -- in fact, they told me this before they even saw it. And now they have seen it, and unless they're way better liars than I'm used to, they dug it. Actually, they dug it pretty large, which is a good sign since there's not a single finished effect in the film. There's no reworking the end, no reshoots, no "does it have to be in space?". It's just a marketing issue. Now you'll get to watch lots of trailers in the summer. And hopefully, by the time it comes out, other people, people who ain't us, will get a whiff of what we're up to, and come along too. I love this movie. I HATE waiting to show it too you. I felt pretty much the way I imagine you're feeling right now when they told me. But these guys know what they're doing, and they're trying to protect their investment, not bury it. So I gotta be a grown-up. The release date is September 30th. Hopefully it won't change again."

Truth is, aside from the undoubtedly crappy xXx sequel the end of April 2005 is deader than a doornail for anything remotely in Serenity's demograph. Unless they're THAT terrified by Hitchhiker's Guide which is released the following week. Add to that the fact that the new release date clashes with the second week of The Legend of Zorro the sad truth is this does ring of a studio trying to bury a project they never really wanted to greenlight from the start. If fans are lucky this release might get better treatment than Mindhunters but when the writer/director's sign-off doesn't even reek of confidence that there won't be more tampering ahead, looks like Firefly fans are in for a raw deal.

Blend News Network

Discuss why TV shows not called Star Trek:TOS don't work on the big screen at The CB Forum.
Are you an angry Firefly fan who thinks I'm lying and the movie is studio gold? and tell me why!
SUBMIT A SCOOP

More CB Headlines:

First Full Twilight: Eclipse Scene Puts Bella And Edward In Bed

SXSW: John C. Reilly Dates Jonah Hill's Mom In Cyrus

Weekend Box Office: Alice Still The Cash Queen

SXSW Interview: The Duplass Brothers Talk Cyrus

Stockwell Will Pen A Wrinkle In Time

This Rotten Week: Predicting Hot Tub And How To Train Your Dragon Reviews

Pixar's The Bear And The Bow Retitled As Brave

Zombieland Director Turns Down Mission: Impossible 4 For Danny McBride?

more...