The animated Firefly reboot is still moving forward, albeit at a snail’s pace.
“Fingers still crossed,” Nathan Fillion (a.k.a. Serenity Captain Malcolm Reynolds) told Entertainment Tonight Aug. 15 at the Lanterns premiere green carpet. “Here’s what I’m learning: Nothing happens fast. If it happens within five years, I’ll still be happy.”
Fillion revealed the project on Instagram earlier this year, sharing that series creator Joss Whedon had given it his blessing. While 20th Century Television—which owns the cult favorite IP—has yet to give a formal go-ahead, the Disney-owned banner is apparently into the idea from the actor’s Collision33 production company.
What’s more, original cast members Gina Torres (Zoë Washburne), Morena Baccarin (Inara Serra), Alan Tudyk (Hoban Washburne), Jewel Staite (Kaylee Frye), Sean Maher (Simon Tan), Adam Baldwin (Jayne Cobb), and Summer Glau (River Tam) are ready to reprise their classic characters at a moment’s notice.
Meanwhile, Tara Butters (Agent Carter, Dollhouse) and Marc Guggenheim (Arrow, Tales of Arcadia) have signed on as showrunners. Their script for the debut episode, titled “Athenia,” is labeled as Episode #201, confirming that the series’ return will be more of a continuation than complete reset.
Why Nathan Fillion Is Determined To Reboot Firefly as Animated Series
“I think Firefly gives people a particular kind of feeling, and it’s bittersweet because it’s so very, very limited in its experience,” Fillion said. “But I would like to bring people some fresh comfort food.”
When asked to give a message to fans patiently waiting for an official production start date, the Rookie added: “You’re doing everything right. You’ve got this on lockdown. Keep it up.”
Oft-regarded as being ahead of its time, Firefly ran for one season on Fox in 2002 before a premature cancellation. The show developed a massive cult following that allowed Whedon to conclude the story in the 2005 feature film Serenity.
“I have never met a fan of Firefly—be it at a convention on a bus or at an airport or walking down the street getting ice cream—who has ever not said to me, ‘Is there going to be more?'” Fillion said in a March interview with Deadline. “In the zeitgeist of my experience, it’s always been ever-present. So here I am at this stage of my career, and I’m diversifying with a production company and trying to make TV shows, and this is a show that was extremely meaningful for me. It was an incredible part of my life. It built the foundations of my career.”
He continued: “This was the job to which we all, as a cast, set the bar for all other jobs. This set our expectation for what a working experience would be. We’ve all remained friends throughout the years, and we all have this incredible experience with the conventions that we still get to get together, we still get to reminisce and rejoice in the experience that was Firefly.”
