Much as we’re mourning the loss of Dollhouse, I thought it’d fun to have a look into the not to distant, and fire up some random speculation/wish list of what Joss could/should do next…

5. Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog – Part 2.

Okay, this is a little more than idle speculation, as Zack Whedon has already confirmed they are writing the continuing adventures of our favourite Emmy Award winning supervillan and his nemsis Captain Hammer. They have been waiting for a break in Dollhouse schedule to get together and nail the script and tunes. Given Dollhouse‘s perminent break in schedule, we could be seeing Dr. Horrible 2 sooner than we originally hoped.

4. Serenity 2

I know… This is more a wish that anything that’s likely to actually happen. But still, Joss has proved there is life in the Firefly Universe through the graphic novels. It’d just be a case of arranging it around Nathon Fillion‘s Castle duties, Adam Baldwin‘s Chuck schedule, Morena Baccarin‘s ‘V‘ filming, and the various film schedules of  Gina Torres, Jewel Staite, Sean Maher and Summer Glau (and maybe even Alan Tudyk)… And then it’s just a case of finding someone to finance it… And a studio to distribute it… Okay, it’s never going to happen… Still, if i’m writing a wish list of stuff i want Joss to do, something Firefly/Serenity related HAS to be on it!

3. Fray TV Series

There’s bound to be a number of stories appear suggesting Joss and Eliza head back to the Buffyverse and make a Faith series. However, i think i’d like to see a bit more of a twist if there was going to be a new Slayer series. How about basing around the Fray comic book series.

Centuries have passed since the last Slayer was called. Demons were banished from the Earth at some point in the 21st century by an unnamed Slayer and her friends, and the Watchers’ Council has decayed into a group of crazed fanatics. The vampires (dubbed lurks) have now returned and haunt the city. To combat this threat, a new Slayer is called: a professional thief named Melaka Fray. With the Watchers’ Council ineffective, a group of “neutral” demons send the demon Urkonn to prepare Melaka for the war that is sure to come…

Don’t know about you, but i’d watch that!

2. Ripper

Ripper – Proposed TV series set in the Buffyverse starring Anthony Stewart Head as Rupert Giles in the tradition of “classic English ghost stories”.

Had enough of the US networks trampling all over your shows Joss? Come to England! Talk to the BBC. They force us pay for a tv license so you don’t have to worry about viewing figures. Plus anything Tony Head does seems to be a huge hit, you can’t lose! Sure the weather is a bit grey at times, but it’s a small price to pay for creative freedom. You’ve been talking about Ripper for years. All reports say you got really really close to making it too over the last couple of years… Why not come over and make it a reality?

1. Something New

Click here to buy your Joss Whesdon Is My Master now t-shirts

Much as i love the Buffyverse and Firefly’s ‘verse, I always look forward to new stuff from Joss and the rest of the team at Mutant Enemy. I’m sure they’ll be back with something different from the mainstream in the not to distant future, and i can’t wait.

Got any more ideas? Leave them in the comments!

Last year at ComicCon there was a load of buzz about the muted buffy spin off Ripper being nearly signed and sealed… Then… Nothing… So, what’s the status at the moment. Well, due to Dollhouse being picked up, pretty much up in the air still…

From Digital Spy who spoke to Anthony Head recently:

“The latest is that I was over in LA last year at about this time. I bumped into Julie Gardner from BBC Wales who said ‘has anything ever happened to that?’ And at the same time I had just been speaking to Joss [Whedon] saying that there are a lot of people who keep asking about it. He said ‘Is there anybody at the BBC I can talk to about it?’ so I introduced him to Julie Gardner and they got on very well… and then the writers’ strike happened and Fox picked up an idea of his called Dollhouse that he’s doing with Eliza Dushku. So the answer is that there is a possibility of something happening… the story that he’s written could adapt to being a one-off story not necessarily related to Buffy. All that means that there is the will and there is the means. It’s a question of how, when and if it [comes together] through the next year or so.”

And this from the Beeb:

“There’s been vague talk for some time – it was a series and then a one-off film called Ripper. Creator Joss Whedon is busy with another project, I’m tied up too, so at the moment I’d just say that it’s still out there.”

So… still not looking good for a return to the Buffyverse anytime soon. Still, we have Dollhouse to look forward to. Plus i still think Ripper has the best chance of any of the Buffy spin off projects. I can wait a little longer for it.

Could it finally be happening? The long (or should that be looooonnnggg) muted Buffy spin off finally could be on the move? At ComicCon 07 Joss Whedon confirmed that he was in talks with the Beeb about doing a 90 min special about Giles’s life post Sunnydale, living back in England, and confirmed Anthony Stewart Head was on-board to reprise his role. Rumours are now flying that it’s all been green lit and will be filmed next year.

There are a few things about this that i love and makes me want to believe it’s going to happen. I can see the appeal to Joss of being able to tell a story on TV without having a US network breathing down his neck (or at least with the BBC with a buffer between him and the evil Fox empire). The success of the Buffy Season 8 comic book proves there is still a huge interest in the Buffyverse. You’ve also got other Buffy alumni (James Marsters) popping up in Torchwood. The massive success of Doctor Who proving there is a big sci-fi audience out there, and Torchwood proving you can aim sci-fi at adults. Plus the huge hit Heroes has been for BBC2 (despite having run already on Sci-Fi Channel), it wouldn’t surprise me if the Beeb went looking for some more original sci-fi content. I won’t fully believe it till the BBC announce it themselves, but this really seems to be the closest it’s come to Ripper actually getting made.