TheMaster666
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- Aug 17, 2021
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Apparently there are rumors--though little more--of a Firefly reboot happening at Disney+, naturally the big Mouse wants nothing to do with Joss Whedon post-scandal.
So, as you might expect, this, if it happened, would be yet another old IP resurrected for sake of brand name with no soul. That's what happens in 99% of these cases.
But, how I would do it, would be one of two ways:
1) Bring it back with the original cast in animated or audiodrama form.
Why?
Too much time has passed, a whopping 20 years since its season aired. Sorry, Inara, but I just don't think business in the companion industry will be booming after a certain biological clock ticks, if you know what I mean. But really, all the actors are clearly too old to really still be playing the parts designed for people in their 20s and 30s. And the preacher would be in his 70s or 80s. You'd also have to explain away from the writers' point of view what these characters have been doing with their lives all this time, and it just doesn't seem likely that all of them would still be doing the same thing even 10, let alone 20 years later. It would seem very contrived and you'd lack a compelling reason for the gang to even be a gang.
Furthermore, there is the feasibility factor. All the original cast members moved on a long time ago and are all tied up with obligations to their current duties, so it would either be impossible or at best impractical to get them to work out some kind of common schedule to shoot things.
However, through the magic of voice acting, you can get around these problems. If the characters are animated, they can retain their youth and the show can pick up where it left off. It's also a lot easier to get the cast to lend their talent when they can be a recording studio anywhere in the world and still play the parts. It would be much easier to collaborate to make the project happen.
With modern CGI being as good as it is, you could even have some pretty great looking CGI-rendered versions of characters to retain that sense of live-action spectacle, although given the show's cult appeal, I think a regular 2D animation is more likely. In either case, it's the story that matters the most so I doubt fans would be picky with 2D animation.
Finally, this is also the safest option from a corporate investor mindset, since you don't need a budget for costumes and sets and special effects.
2) Reboot it with a completely new show in the same universe that is a sequel/spinoff, sort of like Firefly: The Next Generation.
I seem to be following the history of Star Trek in both these options, but, hey it's for a good reason!
For the same reasons outlined above, a true revival is somewhat out of the question. Even in the unlikely event it were possible, it still wouldn't be a great idea just because of how much time has passed.
So, logically, if you were going to bring it back, you would have to have some fresh blood to fall into the right age demographic. However, they absolutely should not recast the roles, and I imagine many if not most fans would agree with me here. These characters are their actors. I couldn't picture them as anybody else, and if they did recast the characters, inevitably comparisons would be made to the originals and people would be biased against the new cast before they even had a chance, dooming the new show from the start.
Instead, it would be a lot better to focus on a similar Firefly-class (or another class, the exact ship model is arbitrary) ship with a similar band of well-meaning, lovable, semi-ethical rogues on the run from Alliance and doing odd jobs. Or perhaps they could flip the script, and set it from the point of view of an Alliance cruiser tracking down the Firefly and ships like it. Perhaps it takes place 20 years in the future, leaving open the option to have original cast members cameo in from time to time, or not. Really doesn't matter since cameos are empty nostalgia anyway that don't add anything meaningful.
Point is, you do it like Star Trek: The Next Generation did it. Similar analogues to characters in the original series, but not exact clones; rather add some originality to it so it feels like its own show with its own identity, but clearly having a lot in common with its predecessor and taking place within the same universe.
That really is one of the tragedies of the loss of Firefly to me is that Joss had created such a unique show melding sci-fi with the western genre, and it all takes place in such an interesting universe with so much depth, so many questions burning to be answered, and all that limitless potential won't get explored. If they do revive the show, it's less important to have exactly the same characters as last time, but more important to have a similar overall style and really dive into all the potential Whedon's world would have offered.
So, as you might expect, this, if it happened, would be yet another old IP resurrected for sake of brand name with no soul. That's what happens in 99% of these cases.
But, how I would do it, would be one of two ways:
1) Bring it back with the original cast in animated or audiodrama form.
Why?
Too much time has passed, a whopping 20 years since its season aired. Sorry, Inara, but I just don't think business in the companion industry will be booming after a certain biological clock ticks, if you know what I mean. But really, all the actors are clearly too old to really still be playing the parts designed for people in their 20s and 30s. And the preacher would be in his 70s or 80s. You'd also have to explain away from the writers' point of view what these characters have been doing with their lives all this time, and it just doesn't seem likely that all of them would still be doing the same thing even 10, let alone 20 years later. It would seem very contrived and you'd lack a compelling reason for the gang to even be a gang.
Furthermore, there is the feasibility factor. All the original cast members moved on a long time ago and are all tied up with obligations to their current duties, so it would either be impossible or at best impractical to get them to work out some kind of common schedule to shoot things.
However, through the magic of voice acting, you can get around these problems. If the characters are animated, they can retain their youth and the show can pick up where it left off. It's also a lot easier to get the cast to lend their talent when they can be a recording studio anywhere in the world and still play the parts. It would be much easier to collaborate to make the project happen.
With modern CGI being as good as it is, you could even have some pretty great looking CGI-rendered versions of characters to retain that sense of live-action spectacle, although given the show's cult appeal, I think a regular 2D animation is more likely. In either case, it's the story that matters the most so I doubt fans would be picky with 2D animation.
Finally, this is also the safest option from a corporate investor mindset, since you don't need a budget for costumes and sets and special effects.
2) Reboot it with a completely new show in the same universe that is a sequel/spinoff, sort of like Firefly: The Next Generation.
I seem to be following the history of Star Trek in both these options, but, hey it's for a good reason!
For the same reasons outlined above, a true revival is somewhat out of the question. Even in the unlikely event it were possible, it still wouldn't be a great idea just because of how much time has passed.
So, logically, if you were going to bring it back, you would have to have some fresh blood to fall into the right age demographic. However, they absolutely should not recast the roles, and I imagine many if not most fans would agree with me here. These characters are their actors. I couldn't picture them as anybody else, and if they did recast the characters, inevitably comparisons would be made to the originals and people would be biased against the new cast before they even had a chance, dooming the new show from the start.
Instead, it would be a lot better to focus on a similar Firefly-class (or another class, the exact ship model is arbitrary) ship with a similar band of well-meaning, lovable, semi-ethical rogues on the run from Alliance and doing odd jobs. Or perhaps they could flip the script, and set it from the point of view of an Alliance cruiser tracking down the Firefly and ships like it. Perhaps it takes place 20 years in the future, leaving open the option to have original cast members cameo in from time to time, or not. Really doesn't matter since cameos are empty nostalgia anyway that don't add anything meaningful.
Point is, you do it like Star Trek: The Next Generation did it. Similar analogues to characters in the original series, but not exact clones; rather add some originality to it so it feels like its own show with its own identity, but clearly having a lot in common with its predecessor and taking place within the same universe.
That really is one of the tragedies of the loss of Firefly to me is that Joss had created such a unique show melding sci-fi with the western genre, and it all takes place in such an interesting universe with so much depth, so many questions burning to be answered, and all that limitless potential won't get explored. If they do revive the show, it's less important to have exactly the same characters as last time, but more important to have a similar overall style and really dive into all the potential Whedon's world would have offered.
