Posted on 01/31/2006 6:59:00 PM PST by KevinDavis
A spokesman for Joss Whedon, creator of Firefly and its spinoff movie, Serenity, told SCI FI Wire that Whedon hasn't heard of Ace Underhill, an entrepreneur who said he is trying to acquire the rights to the SF TV franchise for purposes of mounting a second season to be distributed in alternative media. "Joss doesn't really know anything about that guy, and I don't really think he has a comment," Whedon's spokesman said in response to questions about Underhill's efforts.
For his part, Underhill told SCI FI Wire that he has contacted Whedon's representatives about starting up a new season of Firefly, which the Fox broadcast network canceled after a single season in 2003, but hadn't spoken with Whedon directly. Whedon previously told USA Today that he still hopes to tell more stories set in Serenity's futuristic universe, though Firefly as it was is dead. He later told Empire Online that he remains open to doing another TV series.
In response, Underhill said in an interview: "If he contacts me and says, 'Hey, we're not interested in Firefly anymore' or 'I'm not interested in Firefly anymore,' then I will abandon the project, and essentially it's over at that point. I'm not looking to create a cheap knockoff of the series without Joss' input. So that's not going to happen. ... If he's not going to be involved, then there is no project. There's no point."
Underhill said that he wants to acquire the rights to produce a second season of Firefly and has gone on the Web to solicit fans' support, though not their money. "We're looking at actually doing a direct pay-per- ... view model for this series, where the consumer could choose, if they wanted to, [to] view it on their computer, on their iPod, on direct-to-DVD sent to their house or on demand through their cable or satellite operator," Underhill said in a telephone interview. "That would be the first run of the series. And then the second run, obviously, you would go to the off-net cable channels. ... We're looking at giving choices to the audience."
Underhill said that he is also speaking with Jamie McCabe, senior vice president of worldwide pay-per-view and video-on-demand services for 20th Century Fox Television, which holds the TV rights to Firefly. SCI FI Wire calls to McCabe's office and Fox public relations representatives were not returned by press time.
Underhill added that he has contacted members of the Firefly/Serenity cast and had received a few rate quotes from agents, but he declined to say who. He acknowledged that he had not yet heard from Firefly/Serenity star Nathan Fillion.
Underhill said that he works with Brilliant Screen Entertainment, an Arizona-based company that, according to its Web site, provides TV and film production services, studio recording and DVD and CD project design. Underhill also said that he works with Cine Support International, which provides logistics and planning for film and television productions, and is on the film advisory board for the government of Costa Rica.
Firefly/Serenity fans, who call themselves Browncoats, are suspicious of Underhill's motives and methods, and the entrepreneur has gone on a Browncoat fan forum to answer questions.
Underhill admitted that his effort is a long shot: He even revealed that a bookmaker had contacted him to gauge the odds of his success for purposes of wagering. (He had no idea.) "Anything can be a long shot, and projects can be shut down at any time," he said. "But I'm hopeful and I'm keeping on it, and I'll put my perseverance on it and try to stay with it for the long haul. I understand it's not an overnight process, and I don't expect it to be, and I'm prepared for the long haul. ... At this point, I would say it's a long shot, but the chance exists."
I think that Joss Whedon is really doing that on purpose. He does a great job of making the characters real, and in real life, sometimes we never really know someone. I still like to think that Book is a retired Operative. Just a thought.
What they need is a cool robot character... And you'd forget all about that Jayne guy!
Yeah, Bender... How'd that cool robot character keep us from getting cancelled?
Ya know, conservatrice, I kinda like Jayne, too...
Gad! I'm glad I'm drunk... Otherwise, I throw up!
lol
"It bugs the heck out of me that we never learned what Book's story was...."
Exactly! I sooo wanted to find out what the back story was with Preacher.
If such is the case, are we sure Book is even dead. That gut wound didn't look to bad, I doubt that Mal took Book's body with them to Marand (Planet) and there are ways to fake a person's death to the point where even the doctors are fooled.
"No, for me, well, I'm just in LOVE with Kaylee!"
http://img157.echo.cx/img157/9371/jewel8cn.jpg
I know....I would like to see Book still be alive, but I watched the deleted scenes/special features and at one point when Mal is telling everyone to get Serenity up and running like a reaver ship he actually tells them to tie Book's body to the front of the ship with the rest of the bodies as a place of honor.
I don't know if that was a goof type scene or too deep to put in the movie.
hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.... I like that line of thought. I wouldn't put it past Joss to do something like that. Look at how many times Buffy and Angel died and came back...
No kidding, although since Inara left... I'll be in my bunk!
Mark
Yeah, the film kinda put a stop to that.
No problem! When Inara awakes in the 2nd season premier episode, she finds Shepherd Book taking a shower...
Whoa! Didn't see that coming...
To this day, I remember the very first time I saw him in a movie... "My Bodyguard." He was really good in it. And then there was Animal Mother in "Full Metal Jacket." And he had a part in "Independence Day" too.
Mark
You're a very nice person! :-)
Mark
(although I think Jewel's wearing too much... Makeup. Yeah, that's it. Too much makeup.)
What cast change was there...I didn't notice anything other than preacher being on a planet rather than on the ship...I loved the preacher role BTW. My favorite line in this series has always been when preacher tells Mal that he is "going to a special place in hell reserved for child molesters and people who talk at the theatre.." That whole seen was hilarious and Ron Glass was an excellent choice for that role.
MarkL was referring to what happened to some cast members in the film... Thus they would not continue on in a series set right after the film.
That wasn't part of the plot. That was just Nathan Fillion being goofy.
Oh, okay. I'm in agreement then, I would like to see any revamp of the series be a continuation of the original series with Preacher and Wash and Inara back. But correct me if I'm wrong, but I got the sense that the movie was sort of a condensed version of the series rather than a follow-up to the series.
Maybe he wanted out of future efforts, or maybe they'll bring him back like Spock was brought back in Star Trek III.
No, the film began a short time after the end of the series and the film plot closed Rivers' story arc... Which was a major portion of the series premise.
Oh, God! I can't *know* that!
"Jayne is a girl's name"
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