If given the choice, Serenity television series, or 2 more films? by OPPYH

GENERAL DISCUSSIONS

If given the choice, Serenity television series, or 2 more films?

POSTED BY: OPPYH
UPDATED: Thursday, May 19, 2005 10:00
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Wednesday, May 18, 2005 4:37 PM

Having only seen the trailer, I would opt far two more movies. The movies allow for an epic approach, which was where the series was heading anyway. We have great character development from the series already. In addition, the special effects budget makes a movie much more visually appealing, of course the series was good, but a movie is better. I'm not sure what the budget was for Serenity but I'm sure it was a heck of a lot more than a series episode, perhaps all of them combined. A miniseries with a big budget would be a great option as well. In any case, a DVD release is a must.

http://www.constitutionparty.com

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Wednesday, May 18, 2005 5:04 PM

BRUISERSMOM

More series! You can spend more time with the characters than you can with two more movies.

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Wednesday, May 18, 2005 6:30 PM

MACBAKER

Quote:
Originally posted by OPPYH:
Where is everybody getting this false information about Fox owning the rights for Serenity???? After the series was cancelled Fox gave Joss free reign to find another network to pick up the series. This is why he shopped it around for 4 months before he decided on a film. Calling the series Firefly was the only stipulation. Serenity sounds as good a name as any to me. Fox owns the rights to the Fireflyseries that aired on their network. That is as far as it goes.

You don't seem to understand how the industry works. I'll try to keep this as simple as possible. Yes, Fox Network cancelled the series, and yes, Joss then tried shopping Firefly around to other networks. That is all true.

The Fox network, doesn't own the TV production rights to Firefly. Fox Television studios has an exclusive contract with Mutant Enemy for all television produtions. If Firefly became a series again, it would have to be a Fox Television production. They can sell it to any network willing to pay the fees, but the Fox Studio (seperate from the network) has the production rights until it's contract with Mutant Enemy expires.

FOX NETWORK: Where the series was aired and cancelled.
FOX TELEVISION STUDIOS: Where the series was produced.
Two different entities. Fox Studio's had no control over the Fox Network's decision to cancel the series, but they do own the TV rights. If Fox Studios and Mutant Enemy could have found another network to carry Firefly, it would have.

You are confusing Fox Network, with Fox Studios. When the network casnelled the series, Fox Studios and Mutant Enemy had the right to shop it elsewhere.

Just like UPN and Paramount. Enterprise was produced and shot at Paramount. The series was aired on Paramount's network UPN. Paramount Studios didn't cancel Star Trek, UPN did!

The contract Universal has with Joss, is only for feature film productions, not TV. Fox Studios still owns all TV rights as long as they have a contract with Mutant Enemy. Fox sold their rights to a movie though, and Joss was able to get Universal back it.

Simple truth here, if Firefly became a series again, it would be a Fox Televison Prodution not Universal.

Let's face it, movies are the only thing we're going to get, at least until the contract between Fox Studios and Mutant Enemy expires (which I heard won't be for another 8 years or so). I doubt that Unversal will have any interest in letting Fox Studio's benefit from their movie's success. Because Universal can't make a TV show based on the movie (which would conflict with Mutant Enemy's exclusive TV rights contract with Fox), they will be better served making more movies.

I'd given some thought to movin' off the edge -- not an ideal location -- thinkin' a place in the middle.

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Wednesday, May 18, 2005 6:46 PM

SERGEANTX

The one thing that seems missing from your overview there, is that Joss officially closed the doors on Mutant Enemy a while back. Many have speculated it was to make it clear he wouldn't be doing TV anymore... While others have suggested it was to formally end the contract with Fox television.(leaving Joss the option of working under a different company name).... but that's all speculation as far as I know.

SergeantX

"Dream a little dream or you can live a little dream. I'd rather live it, cause dreamers always chase but never get it." Aesop Rock

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Wednesday, May 18, 2005 7:01 PM

MACBAKER

Quote:
Originally posted by SergeantX:
The one thing that seems missing from your overview there, is that Joss officially closed the doors on Mutant Enemy a while back. Many have speculated it was to make it clear he wouldn't be doing TV anymore... While others have suggested it was to formally end the contract with Fox television.(leaving Joss the option of working under a different company name).... but that's all speculation as far as I know.

SergeantX

"Dream a little dream or you can live a little dream. I'd rather live it, cause dreamers always chase but never get it." Aesop Rock

Mutant Enemy may be closed, but any productions made under that banner are still part of that exclusive contact with Fox. If Joss want's to make an entirely new series, under a different production company name, he can, but if he want's to do a Buffy, Angel, or Firefly series, Mini series, or TV movie, he has to go though Fox Studios first. They have the exclusive TV rights to those series (at least until that contract expires).

This has nothing to do with networks, Buffy was on both the WB and UPN networks, Angel was on the WB, and Firefly on FOX. It's a production studio contract, and Fox Television Studios still owns exclusive production rights to those series. I'm not even sure Joss could do a Fray series without approval from Fox Television, because it's part of the Buffyverse, and they may have some intellectual rights to that. It depends on how the contract is written.

Contracts can be broken, but it would be very costly to Joss, and depending on the courts, he could lose. Look what happened to Jim Cameron. Everyone thought he'd win his case against Carlico, and yet, some judge decided the original investors (like Fox Studio) owned the rights to the Terminator movies, and made the third turd without him.

I'd given some thought to movin' off the edge -- not an ideal location -- thinkin' a place in the middle.

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Wednesday, May 18, 2005 7:30 PM

SERGEANTX

By the way,thanks for the info, MacBaker. :)

SergeantX

"Dream a little dream or you can live a little dream. I'd rather live it, cause dreamers always chase but never get it." Aesop Rock

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Thursday, May 19, 2005 4:16 AM

WHOISRIVER

There's a piece on Sci-fi today about Serenity, where Joss says if the movie bombs then comics will likely be the way to tell the remaining bits of the story.

I know that will bum people off, and a lot of people will just ignore what Joss has said... But, you know, take a reality check.

To clear even more points up raised here, 20th Century Fox indeed had Joss under TV writing contract. That contract is suspended now, under the condition if he returns to TV production, it has to be with them. Mutant Enemy, for those who know know, is now closed.

Fox (the TV station) ALSO have Firefly under exclusive TV contract to 2012, from 20th Century Fox. This contract can be bought, however, for large sums of dollar.

The problems bringing Firefly back to TV are too huge to list. There's so many. Aside from anything, did anybody notice the original Firefly series was incredibly expensive to produce -- far too much for the likes of Sci-Fi. Also, note how the actors are likely going to be Fairly Big Stars after the movie opens. (and on and on).

But: nearly all those involved in Firefly loved it. Truely.

Now it's time for Serenity, and comics, and books, and games, and such.

TheInside.org - Firefly Producers NEW TV series

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Thursday, May 19, 2005 5:09 AM

FANTASTICLAUGHINGFAIRY

Ooh.

Hard decision.

I suppose I'd have to go for the series 44hrs/4hrs, you know, I'd just have to, although it seems unlikely that they'll get the contract for it if the movie isn't a success, and if it is, that the cast would go back to the series - let's face it - two more movies would be better for their careers. And it just wouldn't be the same without even one of them.

That aside, I actually think series are better because character development is always much better than in films. And we gotta develop our BDH's haven't we?

...and we will call it...this land...

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Thursday, May 19, 2005 5:25 AM

WHOISRIVER

Aye, TV series give a far greater scope for character development and story arcs. TV is a brilliant medium, and as somebody who has played with the concept of developing a TV series I can testify that it can be incredibly rewarding (rip the heart out of the viewer and stomp on a few times... a perverse pleasure).

TheInside.org - Firefly Producers NEW TV series

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Thursday, May 19, 2005 5:46 AM

JAA

Movies. Three epic movies. Serenity deserves to be huge, and the Big Screen is the right medium. Our heroes are Big Damn Heroes, and they fit on the big screen, not the small.

Sincerly can't wait till the Big Damn Movie's released.

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Thursday, May 19, 2005 7:24 AM

SYMON

The choice is an obvious one. A Firefly movie is just like two episodes put together with a bigger budget. I am willing to sacrifice the amazing special effects for 44-100 more episodes, which is equivilent to 15-40 more movies. Keep making more shows, because this show is the best of all sci-fi television series ever.

--Captain of Gratitude
-Symon Silver

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Thursday, May 19, 2005 10:00 AM

EMERALDEAD

Plus what people are forgetting is that by not having it be a series it prevents Joss from bringing a new younger character into the show from out of nowhere as the focus of an entire season and who then totally ruins the balance from then on.

Go movies!

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