It hasn't been a great month of news in the Whedonverse.
First we learned from shocktillyoudrop.com that the release of Joss Whedon's feature horror film Cabin in the Woods has been bumped from February 2010 to January 2011 in order to render it into 3-D. Cabin is produced and written by Whedon and is being helmed by co-writer and first-time director Drew Goddard (a writer and producer on Buffy, Alias, and Lost). MGM reps told the site the decision was due to the good response the film has received at screenings and the desire to spruce it up with 3-D. Whether this has anything to do with MGM teetering on the verge of bankruptcy is open to speculation, though the studio does seem sincere in its willingness to spend more money on the 3-D conversion, rather than just dump the film off quickly and quietly this winter.
Then came the news so sadly familiar to fans of Whedon shows on Fox TV: during November sweeps Whedon's Dollhouse is being taken off the network's Friday nights (where Fox sends all Joss's shows to die). While Fox says it still intends to air all 13 eps of this season's Dollhouse, the writing could be on the wall for the fine little Dushku-starring show.
Of course the last Whedon show to get the Friday night axe from Fox was the wonderful, much-beloved space Western Firefly in 2002. And the first (and for now, only) feature film Joss has directed was the very, very enjoyable and painfully over-looked Firefly follow-up, 2005's Serenity.
Well, at least ABC still feels the love for Firefly's Capt. Mal Reynolds (aka Capt. Tightpants) and let actor Nathan Fillion don the browncoat at least one more time on his newish mystery show Castle:
"Didn't you wear that like five years ago?"
"So?"
"So, don't you think you should move on?"
"I like it."
But I love Dollhouse, and it's so good this season.
Posted by: Trevor L. | October 27, 2009 at 10:37 PM
Welcome to my world, Trevor, where loving a good series is the guaranteed kiss of ratings death. (No idea how Buffy, The Wire, and BSG lasted so long in spite of my adoration...)
Posted by: Locke Peterseim | October 28, 2009 at 01:58 AM
Oh, I was sooo happy to see that on Castle, which is one of the shows I love to watch but hardly ever do, and my parents erase the DVR before I get a chance to see it!
*Misses Firefly*
And Serenity was able to appease fans and also entertain people who had never watched the series. But there were a lot of bits in there, little easter eggs that catered to the fans.
Posted by: Matthew S. | October 28, 2009 at 08:54 AM
Darn it, Locke! You just ruined my day! Stupid Fox... when will they learn?
Posted by: Fiirvoen | October 28, 2009 at 01:01 PM