A good crew never stays grounded, and Serenity’s proves it. More than 20 years after Firefly first took flight and its feature follow-up Serenity hit theaters, the beloved band of spacefaring outlaws is making a return, but this time as an animated series.
After a series of cryptic Instagram videos with the cast, an announcement regarding a Firefly animated revival series, featuring a reunion of the original cast, was made in a video shared on March 15. Developed by star Nathan Fillion‘s production banner Collision33 in partnership with 20th Television Animation, the animated show was announced via social media and at Awesome Con, aiming to bridge the timeline between the original 2002 series and the 2005 Serenity film.
“As of this moment, the word is out. We are going to try to bring back Firefly. This time, we’re going to animate it. Crazy or not crazy?” Fillion asks, prompting his old cronies, including Jewel Staite (Kaylee Frye), Gina Torres (Zoe Washburne), Adam Baldwin (Jayne Cobb), Summer Glau (River Tam), Sean Maher (Simon Tam), and Morena Baccarin (Inara Serra), to weigh in with their votes. Alan Tudyk (Hoban “Wash” Washburne) then caps it off by declaring, “It’s crazy, but it just might work!”
With excitement building among both the cast and the fanbase, a few questions remain about the project. For example, when will the show take place? Here is a quick look at what we know so far, where the animated series fits into the Firefly universe, and where we last left the crew.
What would it take to make the new Firefly show happen?
In the video, Fillion says, “To do this, we’d need Joss [Whedon]’s blessing. I got it.” They would also need the rights from 20th Century Fox/Disney. He notes, “They got excited. They said yes,” along with a showrunner. “I’ve got two: Tara Butters, Agent Carter and Dollhouse, and Mark Guggenheim, Arrow,” he says, referring to the married duo who met through Firefly. They would also need a script, “We got it,” and an animation house, ShadowMachine.
“The last piece we need is a home. And for that, we need you,” Fillion says, urging fans to spread the word.
How did Firefly end?
Firefly didn’t really get a proper ending. The series was canceled after just one season, and its final aired episode, “Objects in Space,” ends on a quieter, character-driven note rather than a true resolution.
In the episode, River confronts bounty hunter Jubal Early (Richard Brooks), fully stepping into her abilities as a highly enhanced, somewhat unstable weapon. This gives the Serenity crew a chance to escape.
There’s no big finale, just the sense that their story goes on. The real conclusion came in the 2005 follow-up film, Serenity.
What happened in Serenity?
In the 2005 film Serenity, Captain Malcolm “Mal” Reynolds discovers that the bloodthirsty and feral Reavers are the result of a failed and unethical Alliance experiment on the planet Miranda (with Sarah Paulson appearing in a recorded message as the last surviving scientist).
Determined to expose the Alliance, Mal broadcasts a recovered holographic recording across the galaxy using Mr. Universe’s transmitter, exposing that the Alliance accidentally created the Reavers during a botched attempt to chemically pacify the population.
The once mentally unstable River embraces her abilities as a weapon created by the Alliance, while her older brother Simon remains by her side. Inara Serra rejoins the crew and rekindles her relationship with Mal.
The most heartbreaking moment comes with the loss of Hoban “Wash” Washburne, who is killed when a Reaver spear pierces the ship and strikes him in the chest during a battle. His partner Zoe is devastated, but stays with the crew.
So, where will the Firefly animated series sit in this timeline?
Alan Tudyk is all in on the reunion, meaning Wash will be part of the crew once again, despite catching a pesky case of death. That means the animated effort has to be a prequel to the film, taking place after the events of the TV show when the crew is assembled.
This was confirmed when Tudyk told Deadline that the show will take place during the “Wash Is Still Alive Time.”
“You can’t bring back Firefly without bringing back all of Firefly. We toyed with the idea of spending some time in the show after the events of Serenity, and I honestly have no interest. I think Serenity was our wonderful farewell to what was an incredible opportunity. Had we only had one more chance to do something, that was it, and it was beautiful. I can’t compete with that. But what I can do is go back in time, bring the gang back together, and give people what they want, which is more Firefly,” explained Fillion. “After Serenity, it’s not the same. I didn’t want to do this without my buddy Alan. And you know that’s a reason why animation is key, because Ron Glass is no longer with us. I like to think, in my heart of hearts, that this is something that he would have wanted.”
Will everyone return for the animated series?
As of right now, it looks like the core group of the Serenity is on board for the possible animated series, with one sad exception. Actor Ron Glass, who played Shepherd Book in the original series, passed away in 2017. But Fillion says that Shepherd will return if the series does.
“Absolutely, that’s the plan. Yeah, we’re bringing back Shepherd Book for certain. Ron Glass, unfortunately, is not available,” Fillion told Deadline. “Ron once joked that he didn’t get a part when they were looking for a Ron Glass-type, and here we are again. We’re looking for a Ron Glass-type, and it’s not going to be Ron Glass.”