Monday, April 22, 2013

Bringing Back Firefly---My Thoughts

I would really love to see Joss Whedon produce more episodes of the series "Firefly."  I suspect a lot of other fans would as well.

Right now, money no longer stands in the way, as I suspect that Joss could easily get the funding or use his own money to fund a Firefly restart.  So what are the obstacles standing in the way?

Minor Obstacle #1---Age.  Everyone is 11 years older.  Serenity was made only 2 years after Firefly and the age difference was very visible among some characters.  In my opinion the most notable aging effects were seen with Jayne and Simon.

Minor Obstacle #2---Consistency between the original series, the movie, and the new series.  The subtle changes in the ship between the original TV series and the movie were noticeable, but overlookable.  If Wash or Shepherd Book is suddenly not dead, as much as I like those characters, that would be extremely jarring.

Main Obstacle---Nathan Fillon and Morena Baccarin are both currently lead cast members of hit T.V. shows.  Morena's character can arguably be less important to a Firefly restart, but Nathan's is the central character.  Can a star of one hit TV show devote time to filming another?  If the answer to that is yes, then here's how a Firefly restart could look:

5 or 10 years after the events of the movie Serenity, Mal is still flying his ship through the verse, struggling to keep flying.  Just as Inara grew fonder of Mal (and vice versa) while they were separated, being back on Serenity drove them away from each other, to the point where Inara left again, this time for good.

River is now the pilot, Zoe still flies with Mal and remains his loyal sidekick, though lonliness has her thinking about leaving. 

Jayne is still aboard as well, since the pay is OK and he hasn't found any better opportunity.  Jayne has developed a little loyalty to Mal, but not a whole lot. 

Simon is gone.  He either died is a gunfight that he wasn't equiped to handle, or saw that River no longer needed him and stayed on a border-planet where his talents would be put to good use in healing others.  The later approach might allow for an episode where he hails Serenity seeking help with some local problem, and he and Kaylee breifly rekindle their flame.

Kaylee is still the ship's mechanic, and without Simon she is again struggling to find companionship among the passengers they take on. 

Throw in a few new characters and you have the makings for a good restart.

Joss, if you ever read this, I give you free reign to use anything in this post, as my main love would be to see the series restart.


Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Saturday, April 13, 2013

Trailer for Elysium

I just saw this online, a new science fiction movie with Jodi Foster and Matt Damon, called Elysium.  See the trailer here: (Elysium Trailer)

This looks really interesting.  Earth is a war-torn shell of a planet, while the elite live on a space station orbiting Earth, a virtual paradise.  This would definitely fit into that space western mold, like Firefly, Serenity, and A Whisper in Space (my own ebook).

I'll post more on this movie as it gets closer to release,but based on the trailer it looks impressive.  You can also like the Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/Elysium?sk=timeline) for more information.

 You can check out my space western ebook 2 pack here (A Whisper in Space & Big Damn Love Story 2-pack).

Serentiy in Top 8 Science Fiction Films in the Last 20 Years

The British website "Female First" has pickedit's top 8 science fiction films for the past 20 years, and the movie Serenity is on their list, along with other favorites such as Pitch Black, Independence Day, The Matrix, District 9, and Avatar.

You can see the complete list here: (Top 8 Science Fiction).

From their write-up:
Serenity was a big screen continuation of short lived TV series Firefly and saw Joss Whedon back in the director's chair.

Serenity follows the crew of the ship Serenity tries to evade an assassin sent to recapture one of their number who is telepathic.

This is a movie that should have enjoyed more success then it achieved as it really was a terrific watch.

Whedon not only delivered an intelligent movie but Serenity that was also a film that balanced action, comedy, drama and emotion.

The film was met well by the critics but did not perform well at the box office - however it has gained a cult following over the years.