Anyone know anything useful and true?
About this rumor, that is.
Or, just in general, I’m easy.
Try the BBC, NCB.
Regarding the DVD:
Thank goodness for Google spellcheck, or this would have driven me crazy trying to figure it out.
Good on ya, Jefy boy!
Now, i have a DVD coming, too!
If only the new Doctor Who wasn’t a cartoon… sigh…
The thing is, though, if they couldn’t get enough viewers to keep it on the air, even offering it to UPN (or was than another rumor?) why would they spend the money to make the movie? Do they think a lot of people who didn’t bother to watch it “for free” are going to pay for movie tickets?
elfkin477, why don’t you do a little research on a TV show called Police Squad! It failed after only six episodes.
We’ll wait here for you.
A Firefly movie would be awesome, as long as they kept to the spirit of the series.
So, there aren’t a lot of Firefly fans right now. There weren’t any Star Wars fans out there before Lucas made the first movie, and that one did okay. I assume that Whedon is going to write the screenplay so as to draw in entirely new viewers with no knowledge of the TV show: he sure as hell can’t be counting on the already dedicated fans to carry the movie.
But, there are other factors: if Firefly had gotten half the press and critical acclaim before it was cancelled that it did after it was cancelled, the show’d probably still be on the air. When it came to marketing the show, Fox dropped the ball, big-time. Even Fox executives have admitted to that. Hopefully, the marketing of the movie will be handled better.
Also, after the series finale of Buffy and the critical acclaim of the last season of Angel, Whedon is seen to be a hot property now. I suspect he could be selling just about any screenplay he wanted to Hollywood, and somebody would be willing to at least take a serious look at it: Whedon has decided to spend that capital trying to ressurect Firefly, thankfully.
And lastly, it worked for Star Trek. Why not Firefly?
Because Firefly is one of those shows that has been steadily building a cult following, even after it went off the air. After all, Star Trek was cancelled due to poor ratings, and look how that turned out.
Firefly was never given a chance. It was put in a bad time slot, its episodes were shown out of order, it was repeatedly pre-empted, and then cancelled before anyone had a chance to see it.
Those who did see it are rabid about the show. There are websites devoted to it, the episodes are all over the internet, the newsgroup is still active, there’s fan fiction, etc. It looks like the pilot episode is on its way to a Hugo award this year.
In short, the network screwed up. If they had put Firefly on for a full season and given it time for word of mouth to spread and an audience to build, they could have had a hugely popular franchise on their hands that could have dragged in revenue for years to come. But they were short-sighted, and didn’t ‘get’ it. So they blew it.
Here’s hoping a movie appears, and gives this great show a chance to find a new audience.
A good show getting cancelled because of bumbling on Fox’s part?
Will wonders never cease?
gazes mournfully at Family Guy’s grave
You know, Joss Whedon first entered our lives when, because he was unsatisfied with the way movie executives had handled his vision of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, he decided to make a TV series based on a failed movie.
Now, we’re getting the reverse with Firefly.
Has the wheel of destiny and popular culture entertainment come full circle?
I know you’re right, that the fans are very devoted, but what you say is pretty much true for every show that ever existed.
Sure, if you’re talking about MASH*, or All in the Family, or Dallas. Shows that had long, successful runs. But how many shows are out there that didn’t even run a full season, and still have a larger fan base after being cancelled than they did when they were still on the air? And not out of some sense of ironic nostalgia, like that surrounding flops like My Mother the Car or Small Wonder? And out of that number, how many of them were properties that could be easily converted to the big screen?
Well, I don’t watch much television, but let me try to think of shows I’ve seen that didn’t last for a full season, and see if I can find fan stuff about them on the internet. Hmm…
The Lone Gunmen fan fiction
Legend fan fiction
The unofficial That’s My Bush! website
A ROAR fanpage, with ROAR news, a ROAR bulletin board, a ROAR chatroom, and links to about 45 other ROAR fan sites. Member of two ROAR webrings.
I can’t think of any other series right offhand, but you clearly know more television than I do. I just don’t think you should underestimate the internet. 
Well, I don’t know that much more. For one thing, I’ve never heard of half the shows in your list: ROAR and Legend.
I will say that Lone Gunmen doesn’t exactly count, as it was an X-Files spin-off, and I have little doubt that most of the Gunman die-hards are huge X-Files fans, too. And That’s My Bush has a political component that might be keeping it in play longer than a show of it’s quality and short life span would normally get. Still, that’s kinda nitpicky. There certainly are other shows out there that maintained popularity despite being cancelled, but that’s still a tiny percentage of the number of shows that get cancelled and permanently forgotten every year.
Or, maybe I’m deluding myself. I want my Firefly back, dammit!
<sob>
Wizards and Warriors. An utterly forgettable genre show. And yet, evidenced by the link, some refuse to forget it.
Your point is well taken, Achernar. but Firefly is different.
Okay okay. I’ll go see the movie if it comes out. Maybe a matinee… I guess…
No really, I’ve been looking forward to it ever since the buzz on this board while the television show was still on the air. I never got around to seeing it, though. I may even wind up getting the DVD of the series, having never seen an episode. How’s that for faith in you guys?
Hey, Wizards and Warriors! I loved that show! And have spent the last fifteen years trying to remember what it was called! Thanks for the nostalgia, Fiver!
And – let’s be honest – the first two episodes shown pretty much bit. Unfortunately, FOX decided to air them first instead of the brilliant 2-hour pilot, thereby turning off a huge part of the audience.
–Cliffy
Emmm… I didn’t think the first two episodes bit. They just didn’t make a whole lot of sense out of context. But whatever, I won’t try to account for taste. Point is, Fox is a lot of buttheads.
In any case, I’m delighted that Whedon hasn’t given up on Firefly, and I hope the movie brings great things.
Kn(trying not to be too optimistic. Disappointment sucks)ckers