Nathan Fillion has just revealed at Awesome Con that an animated Firefly series is in advanced development based on the beloved cult sci-fi franchise.
Fillion spoke on a panel at the Washington, D.C. event and live taping of his “Once We Were Spacemen” podcast alongside co-stars Alan Tudyk, Gina Torres, Jewel Staite, Morena Baccarin, Sean Maher, and Summer Glau, all of whom are expected to reprise their roles. Adam Baldwin, who played Jayne Cobb, will also lend his voice to the project.
The proposed series is set in the timeline between the original 2002 television run and its 2005 feature film continuation, Serenity, expanding the universe while preserving continuity with the established lore. Early concept art has been developed in collaboration with the Oscar and Emmy-award-winning animation studio ShadowMachine, which can be found below. The fully assembled package is expected to be taken out to buyers shortly.
Married writing-producing team Marc Guggenheim (DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, Arrow) and Tara Butters (Agent Carter, Reaper) will serve as showrunners, and a pilot script has been completed. Joss Whedon, though not involved in the animated series, has given the series his blessing.
“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,” Fillion said in an interview.
The announcement comes after a week-long viral social media campaign teasing that news was on the horizon, causing speculation about what Fillion, who played Malcolm “Mal” Reynolds in the TV show and film, was up to. These days a production gets a green light based on how much buzz it gets in social media, and apparently Fillion has the attention of the fans. The teaser videos got millions of views.
It also follows the confirmation that the Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot would not be picked up to series at Hulu. The original series was also created by Whedon.
Originally produced by 20th Century Fox Television and created by Whedon, Firefly aired for a single season before developing a long afterlife through DVD sales, streaming platforms, and its theatrical continuation in Serenity. The popularity of the show was staggering, especially in light of the fact that it was not originally broadcast in production order. It followed a renegade crew aboard the transport ship Serenity, living on the fringes of society in the year 2517.
Through their love of Firefly, Fillion and Tudyk were inspired to launch their “Once We Were Spacemen” podcast in November, and has become a popular title on various platforms. Across 18 episodes so far, “Once We Were Spacemen” features Fillion and Tudyk catching up with former cast members, other notable creatives, and each other. The title is a nod to their time as spacemen on Firefly and Serenity.
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