Fans have finally learned what Nathan Fillion had been hinting at for weeks. During a panel at Washington, D.C.’s Awesome Con, the actor revealed that an animated Firefly series was already deep in development.
The announcement happened during a live taping of Fillion and Alan Tudyk’s Once We Were Spacemen podcast. Several former cast members joined them onstage for the podcast recording.
Starting on Feb 23, the podcast had been teasing something to do with the space cowboy show, with Fillion knocking on former costars' doors and telling them that "it's time." The posts garnered much speculation as more videos came out, culminating in the Awesome Con announcement on March 15.
What the new Firefly project involves
Fillion explained at the convention that the animated revival was being produced through his company, Collision33. The studio partnered with 20th Television Animation, which holds the Firefly franchise rights.
Meanwhile, most of the original crew planned to return as voice actors. Fillion, Tudyk, Gina Torres, Jewel Staite, Morena Baccarin, Sean Maher, Summer Glau, and Adam Baldwin are all expected to return to the crew. Sadly, Ron Glass passed away in 2016. Fillion revealed that the animated series would take place between the events of the original 2002 show and the Serenity movie.
Importantly to many, given the lengthy allegations against him, Joss Whedon has no creative stake in the show, although Fillion noted he approved of the project. Instead, Marc Guggenheim and Tara Butters are the showrunners and have already finished a script, though how much has not been revealed.
Fillion framed the revival as a long-overdue return. He told Deadline, "The dedication of Firefly fans has kept this 25-year-old show relevant. Clearly, the return of Firefly is something the fans want. More importantly, it’s something they deserve."
Online reactions ranged from excitement to skepticism
Soon after the reveal spread online, reactions split across several camps. Some viewers welcomed the animated format because it allowed the original cast to return without a live-action time jump.
"I just love how much passion they all have for this!" @KhellanKnight tweeted. They added that animation could continue storylines "instead of having to do a 'Twenty(+) years into the life…" Gilmore Girls-esque live action sequel."
Others pointed out the practical side of that choice. "People saying this should be live action seem to be ignoring it’s been 20 years for these actors," @ogorangebird wrote.
Still, some viewers remained skeptical about new installments tied to older franchises. "I have ZERO faith after what happened to [the reboot of] Buffy," @DarkwingProdigy posted.
Yet many fans seemed cautiously hopeful. "Hey, this is cool and the best case scenario for what they were teasing as far as actually giving us new Firefly content," @TheEricGoldman wrote.
Some also focused on the writers attached to the series. @ViewerAnon posted, "Tara Butters at least wrote on Dollhouse so she gets the Whedon-y voice."
"Cautiously optimistic, just really hoping the writing is there," @DT2ComicsChat added.
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