Serenity News at Dark Horizons by spikeandjezebel

GENERAL DISCUSSIONS

Serenity News at Dark Horizons

POSTED BY: SPIKEANDJEZEBEL
UPDATED: Tuesday, May 4, 2004 19:01
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Monday, May 3, 2004 8:24 AM

This is posted at www.darkhorizons.com today:

Conventions seemed rife this weekend that C-Grade actresses must've been in short supply for talkshows. The "Starfury: Fusion" convention in Blackpool had one insider there named 'Pixel' who got a couple of minutes chat with Nathan Fillion, best known for the lead role in "Firefly" and a guest stint as an evil Preacher at the end of "Buffy". Fillion spoke a bit about the "Firefly" film spin-off "Serenity" which Universal is currently developing:

"When the set was struck, at the end of the show, nothing was kept except one door, so everything had to be built from scratch. The characters of Badger and Saffron will not be in the film, however ALL nine main cast members will appear.
Filming starts early June for ten weeks for a projected release "early next year". The budget, previously listed as $35m, is actually about $50m. The deal they have with Universal precludes another TV show - so a revival ain't gonna happen. The plan is, if the film does well enough, to have a trilogy of films".

"I like smackin' 'em!" - Jayne Cobb

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Monday, May 3, 2004 8:31 AM

XION47

Too bad about the tv news, but we should all be thankful that we're getting a film as well as the possibility of two more after that.

Harken: "Seems odd that you would name your ship after a battle you were on the wrong side of."
Mal: "May have been the losing side. Still not convinced it was the wrong one."
~ƒireƒly

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Monday, May 3, 2004 8:44 AM

BROWNCOAT1

May have been the losing side. Still not convinced it was the wrong one.

This is kind of contradictory to what Wren said Nathan said at the convention. Nathan was reported saying that a return to tv would not happen anytime soon due to some sort of contract or another w/ FUX....opps, I meant Fox. He was not reported saying it would never happen.

Hmmmm....So two different people giving two different answers to the same question. The budget went from $35 million up to $50 million. Now the deal w/ Universal supposedly "precludes" another TV show, but that doesn't jive w/ Chris B's post at the official board that Universal had Joss rewrite the movie script to specifically act as a "springboard" into a tv series.

Very odd.....

Of course Joss is due in Chicago for Wizard World Con in Aug:

http://www.wizarduniverse.com/conventions/chicago/WW20040430-joss.cfm

Seems like a good shot at getting straight answers from the man himself.

"May have been the losing side. Still not convinced it was the wrong one."

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Monday, May 3, 2004 10:23 AM

CARDIE

My understanding was that the rewrite was simply to preclude all possible future storylines from being wrapped up, which would have been necessary whether Universal wanted to do a new series or movie sequels.

I'm pretty sure now that Universal bought only the movie rights to Joss's services, so they cannot produce anything of his for television, since he's still contracted to 20th Century Fox (not necessarily FOX network) to produce any Whedon tv shows. It could well be that Fox allowed Universal to make one of the Whedon movies Serenity because they did not plan to produce any more episodes of the series, but on condition that Universal would not be allowed to put Serenity and any follow-ups on tv.

Cardie

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Monday, May 3, 2004 1:36 PM

DAVCO92

While I'm elated

that TBDM is going to happen, I'm simultaneously quite dissapointed

at the possibility that FF will not return as a TV show. Just being greedy I guess, but maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised.

Burn the land, boil the sea...

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Monday, May 3, 2004 1:42 PM

FIREFLYFANUK

ok dont ask me how i found my way to this post cos hello, this is the most confusing forum on the planet :) butim here now so i`ll post. yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay for the firefly movie. i know we all new that it was happening, but now nathan has spoken. i dont know how to feel about a trilogy tho, its great news and all, but what about after the 3rd film. will that be it??

Daz :)

fieldrebel@aol.com

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Monday, May 3, 2004 1:57 PM

ARDEN

I'd say this should be taken with a very large grain of salt. Info from places like Dark Horizons is often very wrong when all is said and done. They post almost everything they hear, and we find out later if it was right. It's a gossip/rumor site- no shame in it, that's just how they work.

Granted, Universal wanting to stick to film projects seems to make sense financially. They stand to return a lot more profit for slightly more investment, as sci-fi show budgets tend to be high, what with effects and all, and movies can make a whole lot more than even a succesful TV series is likely to.

Ultimately, we won't get any more Firefly at all if the movie does not do well, so it's up to us to make sure it's a success.

You got a wife? All I got is that dumbass stick sounds like it's raining.

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Monday, May 3, 2004 3:01 PM

FORRESTWOLF

Me too :)

Yep, surprise, surprise, but I too am both gladdened that a trilogy is possible, and extremely distressed that a series seems less likely.

Joss, remember us fans, please - we love any Firefly we can get (BDM's are shiny!) but we want a series. We need a series. We'll sell our souls and firstborn children (okay, gotta think about that one at least :) for a series.

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Tuesday, May 4, 2004 5:21 AM

BROWNCOAT1

May have been the losing side. Still not convinced it was the wrong one.

Ok, yet another conflicting report on what was said by Nathan in relation to Firefly & a return to TV. The following was posted by nkb25 over at the official board:

Quote:
Now betraying myself as a big geek (with a friend who is an even bigger geek ;)) I took shorthand notes of parts of Nathan, Jewel and Summer's talks for my mate who couldn't make it. What he said was "Part of the deal was that Universal wouldn't make a TV show afterward for a while." (that's the direct quote) He said he didn't know how long it was but in the contract there was a specified time period.

So no mention of F*x at all (in other news from the con Emma Caulfield views on Fox were so rude that in the UK they would have been showing it after 9pm and for you guys it would be R rated!). Personally I don't think Fox would bring the show back because it's such a climbdown. I also don't think Joss would risk giving his baby back to them anyway.

This is from the Info from Dark Horizon website on BDM in the General discussion area.

Seems that people are all a might confused on what exactly was said. Where are Joss or Nathan when you need them?

"May have been the losing side. Still not convinced it was the wrong one."

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Tuesday, May 4, 2004 5:32 AM

SHINY

F*x execs probably insisted on the delay to avoid the humiliation of Firefly coming back as a hugely successful TV franchise so soon after they short-sightedly cancelled it in favor of giving women with image problems plastic surgery and then putting them in a beauty contest so they can have their psyche totally crushed when they are told they still aren't pretty enough.

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Tuesday, May 4, 2004 5:35 AM

LISSA

Quote:
Originally posted by fireflyfanUK:
ok dont ask me how i found my way to this post cos hello, this is the most confusing forum on the planet :)

ever been to the bronze beta? Haken does an amazing job w/ this site and i find it quite easy to navigate. (nothing against the bronze, it's just confusing!)

oh ya, and welcome!

~lissa, spwhore

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Tuesday, May 4, 2004 5:41 AM

JUMPY

Yeh i dunno maybe its best to wait until its verified a little more clearly about what was said before we jump to conclusions?

Anywayz the fan base is getting stronger and stronger by the day so who knows where the future will take firefly.

Mercy is the mark of a great man…*stab*…I guess I'm just a good man…*stab*…Well, I'm alright.

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Tuesday, May 4, 2004 11:29 AM

DEBBIEBUK1

I think Nathan said something like that the contracts had been set up to do a trilogy if the first film was successful, and then he said something else which I interpreted as that there was some clause which meant a tv show wouldn't happen within a limited time until the options expired. So I would agree with both what Wren wrote and the other post - no one's saying a tv series won't happen again, but not while there are successful movies.
But wouldn't that be standard industry practice these days anyway? Not that I know about this stuff, but the "trilogy contract" seems to be normal for genre films.

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Tuesday, May 4, 2004 12:11 PM

GEORDIESTEVE2003

This seems closest to what was said. I was there also at Blackpool. Yes, a movie is coming, but no, not a TV series continuation due to clause not allowing them in set time frame, this was part of deal with the movie. Obviously if the movie is received well they may renegotiate, but going from TV to film back to TV? I kinda doubt and suspect more along lines of movies, also the strain of getting 9 actors together again, unless they have a deal they can't hang around, all need to work. Basically its good news for us, we get to see more of the characters we love and in new material, so we aint limited to the eps that would be worn out if my DVDs aged like my old VCR tapes.

Quote:
Originally posted by debbiebuk1:
I think Nathan said something like that the contracts had been set up to do a trilogy if the first film was successful, and then he said something else which I interpreted as that there was some clause which meant a tv show wouldn't happen within a limited time until the options expired. So I would agree with both what Wren wrote and the other post - no one's saying a tv series won't happen again, but not while there are successful movies.
But wouldn't that be standard industry practice these days anyway? Not that I know about this stuff, but the "trilogy contract" seems to be normal for genre films.

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Tuesday, May 4, 2004 2:40 PM

SHAUN

i dont mean to start another "i hope fox dies a horrible fiery death" thread, but i dont understand why joss cant put aside his resentment towards the station, and bring back the series. I cant possibly wait 5 years until the rights can be transferred. seems to me that fox can make a lot of money on it (if our BDM is a hit at the box office.....which ill personally ensure with the amount of times im going to see it) anyone with some insight??

::curse your sudden, but inevitable betrayal!::

midnight30

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Tuesday, May 4, 2004 6:10 PM

CARDIE

Quote:
Originally posted by shaun:
i dont mean to start another "i hope fox dies a horrible fiery death" thread, but i dont understand why joss cant put aside his resentment towards the station, and bring back the series. I cant possibly wait 5 years until the rights can be transferred. seems to me that fox can make a lot of money on it (if our BDM is a hit at the box office.....which ill personally ensure with the amount of times im going to see it) anyone with some insight??

Joss's feelings probably have very little to do with this. After reading the announcement of the movie in the trade paper Variety, here's what I think the variables are, and how they played out.

1. FOX the tv network cancelled the show. They would have had to license it from another branch of Newscorp, 20th Century Fox studios, and I assume that once they cancel the show, the license expires at some point. As far as I can tell FOX the network is not even involved in these negotiations any more.

2. 20th Century Fox studios has a contract with Joss Whedon that gives them the exclusive right to produce any tv series he wants to do. I don't know the terms of this deal and whether it has to do with a certain number of years or a certain number of shows. So far 20th has produced all three Whedon series, and they still own the exclusive television rights to Firefly, which was produced under the terms of this agreement and is, in fact, their property.

3. When no television network opted to pick up Firefly after FOX cancelled it, Joss hit upon the idea of doing a movie. 20th Century Fox did not want to do a movie version of Firefly, but they allowed Joss to pitch the idea to other studios. Universal opted to option the movie rights. Supposedly Universal had for a long time wanted to sign Joss to a multi-picture deal, and his price for agreeing was that the first film be Serenity.

4. Universal, thinking they might have a movie franchise on their hands if Serenity is successful, did not want it to compete against a revived television series. Universal does not have the rights to put Firefly on television and part of their agreement to do the Firefly movie(s) was contingent on 20th Century Fox agreeing not to return the television series to production within a certain time frame specified in the contract, presumably the time frame in which Universal would produce its Firefly triolgy.

Cardie

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Tuesday, May 4, 2004 6:50 PM

NOOCYTE

NICE, lucid summary, Cardie!!

Thanks for putting this in Shrink/Fan Dummy-Talk. makes sense.

Interestingly, there is nothing in this situation which either prescribes or precludes the return of Firefly to TV at some future time. It is thus a perfect optimism/pessimism diagnostic tool (like the proverbial glass...though there's always a wise-ass like George Carlin who says that the glass is twice as big as it needs to be!).

I'm coming down on the side of: "Possible. Buy many movie tickets and tweak the odds!"

Keep flyin'!!

Department of Redundancy Department

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Tuesday, May 4, 2004 7:01 PM

SHINY

Yup. Cardie bright. Don't know how bright, top 3%, but definitely bright. ;)

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