More than two decades after ‘Firefly’ first hit screens, the cult sci-fi favourite may finally be heading back for a new adventure. Nathan Fillion (The Rookie, Castle) has revealed an animated continuation of the much-loved franchise is in advanced development, with several original cast members expected to reprise their roles.
The news emerged during an appearance at Awesome Con, where Fillion was joined by fellow cast members Alan Tudyk (Resident Alien, Andor), Gina Torres (Suits, Pearson), Jewel Staite (Family Law, Stargate Atlantis), Morena Baccarin (Deadpool, Homeland), Sean Maher (The Rookie, Batman: Bad Blood) and Summer Glau (Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Arrow). Adam Baldwin (Chuck, The Last Ship) is also expected to return to voice Jayne Cobb.
The animated project is being developed through Fillion’s production company Collision33 in partnership with 20th Television Animation. Marc Guggenheim (DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, Arrow) and Tara Butters (Agent Carter, Dollhouse) are attached as showrunners, and a script has reportedly already been completed.
One of the cleverest parts of the plan is where the new series sits in the timeline. Rather than trying to continue the story after Serenity, the animated show is set between the original 2002 run of ‘Firefly’ and the 2005 film. That gives it room to tell new stories while also allowing much of the original crew to remain intact, most notably keeping Wash alive so Alan Tudyk can return without the series immediately running into one of the franchise’s biggest emotional roadblocks.
There is still one obvious question mark hanging over the crew, though. The late Ron Glass (Barney Miller, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) played Shepherd Book in both ‘Firefly’ and Serenity, so it remains unclear what the animated series would do with the character. They could potentially write Book as being away from the ship for part of the story, reduce his role, or recast him with a new voice actor. So far, there has been no word on how that will be handled.
Fillion said the fanbase is a big part of why the project exists at all, noting that the dedication of ‘Firefly’ viewers has kept the show relevant for 25 years. And honestly, he’s not wrong. ‘Firefly’ is one of those rare cancelled series that somehow refused to die, surviving through DVDs, streaming, comics, conventions, and pure fan stubbornness. Hollywood occasionally likes to pretend fandom is mysterious alchemy, but in this case the equation is pretty simple. People never stopped loving it.
There is also an interesting bit of timing here. With the series set before Serenity, the team avoids having to wrestle immediately with the film’s fallout, while giving themselves a chance to revisit the dynamic that made ‘Firefly’ work in the first place. That is probably the least chaotic route back into this universe, which for a show about lovable space outlaws feels almost suspiciously sensible.
Early concept art for the animated revival has also been revealed, developed in collaboration with ShadowMachine, the Oscar and Emmy-winning animation studio. The full package is expected to be taken out to buyers shortly, so while this sounds quite far along, it is not yet officially ordered to series.
Originally created by Joss Whedon, ‘Firefly’ aired for just one season before finding a much bigger life after cancellation, eventually leading to the feature film Serenity. Whedon is not involved in this new animated version. However, in the video Nathan posted on social media, he does say he had Joss’s blessing to move forward with the show.
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Still, for a show that only ran for 14 episodes, ‘Firefly’ has had one hell of a long afterlife. And if this animated revival does make it to screens, it could finally give the crew of Serenity the chance to keep flying a little longer.
‘Firefly: The Animated Series’ is currently classed as ‘in development’ so may, or may not, make it to series… Although, god help Disney if this doesn’t come to fruition… We’ll let you know when we hear more!
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