Is this the final nail in Firefly's coffin?

[Tabitha]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tm...97&u=/nm/20030204/tv_nm/television_fillion_dc

Firefly' Thesp Fillion Fills NBC Bill
Tue Feb 4, 2:38 AM ET

By Josef Adalian

HOLLYWOOD (Variety) - NBC has made a six-figure talent holding deal with former "Firefly" thesp Nathan Fillion (news).

The pact calls for Fillion to star in either a drama or comedy project for the network. Fillion and his reps, along with NBC executives, have already started looking at scripts that may be appropriate for the actor.

"Right now, my heart is set on comedy," Fillion said. "I'm looking forward to working in front of an audience, making people laugh. But I'm not terribly picky; I just want to work."

NBC snapped up Fillion not long after it became clear that producer Joss Whedon's "Firefly," canceled by Fox, would not be coming back on another network. Fillion had the lead role on the drama, playing the commander of an outlaw starship.

"Here's a guy who can do everything, from four-camera comedy like 'Two Guys and a Girl' to a drama like 'Saving Private Ryan' to an action show like 'Firefly,"' said Marc Hirschfeld, NBC's executive VP of casting, citing several of Fillion's most notable credits. "And he's one of those rare leading men who can do both comedy and drama."

Fillion's other feature credits include the lead in indie picture "Water's Edge" as well as roles in "Blast From the Past" and "Dracula 2000."

I have a few thoughts on this:
Firstly it is rather depressing as signing a contract with a network that has already refused to take Firefly would seem to preclude any further involvement with a tv series for another network in the near future.
Secondly, although there have been reports that Mutant Enemy are attempting to rework the show a little in order to help it survive, I don't believe it would be the same show without Fillion. He was my favourite
character, so maybe I am biased, but as in many ensembles there is often a character that holds everything together. In Firefly's case it is definitely Captain Reynolds.
I suppose there could still be some possibilities of Firefly movies, but I doubt this would be a likely outcome.

I wonder does anyone else find it odd that while the article mentions Fillion's involvement with Firefly, it does not print, or perhaps did not even ask Fillion about his thoughts on further involvement with the show, if it were to continue in any form?

 

[Dave]

Final Nail?

I think it is the final nail, unfortunately. :crying:

 

[CynVision]

Originally posted by Tabitha
I don't believe it would be the same show without Fillion. He was my favourite
character, so maybe I am biased, but as in many ensembles there is often a character that holds everything together. In Firefly's case it is definitely Captain Reynolds.
I suppose there could still be some possibilities of Firefly movies,

I think Mal was the focus of the show, we were going to see his tranformation to greatness out of his bitter war past, but the show did it in a too-slow way for the TV audience to get. In a lot of ways Firefly was like Bab5. A show that needed a long time to tell the whole story, but to do that it needed to get the sf fan base behind it fast and hard. The links that drew on the Civil War may would have made a good story, but with how people hate to study history, I don't think enough people appreciated that angle.

And I think a movie would rock if it could bring the story that could grip an audience with some message in the length of time a movie has to present. And the way they treated space was effective and amazing and I think would play even better on the big screen. So I'd hope they'd do an X-files type movie. Big and beautiful.

With the nature of network TV, the series they plunk Fillion in to would have the same battles as Firefly did. It may not fly any better. Just casting Fillion is no sure deal to success. In fact, that they're going to craft some show for him really does not impress me. I must be a traditionalist where the role so fits an actor you have to have him or her, not the other way around. So, Fillion would be out of that deal in time to do a movie because the funding would take that long to arrange. I don't think his comittment to the project Firefly represents has wained. The whole cast dearly loved the show. And I think "bringing the band back together" would work much the way it did for the first six StarTrek movies.

 

[Hal Jordan]

Well here's a little hope in case none of you were aware:



Captain Tightpants himself, Nathan Fillion, posted the following message on the Official Firefly Message Board, saying Joss is working very hard at getting Serenity back in the air and hinting something is close to fruition.


Quote:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Just passin' it along for y'all...

Hello all! Hope your winter/spring has been as productive and busy as mine. I've had my nose to the grindstone looking for work. Been hanging with castmembers and remembering the "good times" as we like to call them. We are all still waiting to hear Joss' news about Firefly. He has been hard at work and keeping us all updated, it looks as though something is close! I can't wait to get those tightpants on again. I've had a little time on my hands, been able to go hiking much more than i used to during crazy Firefly hours. Visited the Fox lot yesterday to see that they have dismantled the ship. Not to worry, I'm told it can be put together in a jiffy, and the crew is anxious to do just that. Meantime, I'm auditioning like crazy, praying for a job I can love as much as Firefly. FAT CHANCE!
I haven't been lurking for some time, so I'm not up on all the news, but just to dispel rumours, I DO have a computer, I DON'T have internet. So long, all.

Nathan "Captain Tightpants" Fillion

 

[Tabitha]

Hal Jordan has posted a nice little interview with Nathan Fillion talking about Firefly's cancellation:

http://www.ascifi.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=17169