WOO HOO! IT’S OFFICIAL!

Universal Gives Serenity the Green Light
Source: Variety
Wednesday, March 3, 2004

Universal Pictures has greenlit Serenity, the feature film based on Joss Whedon’s Fox TV series Firefly, which was canceled in late 2002 after just 11 episodes.

Deals are in place for Whedon to direct and for the original cast of the TV show to reprise their roles. The film, budgeted in the mid-eight figures, is scheduled for a June start and should be ready for a 2005 release.

Whedon said the film will be released under the title Serenity to give it some distance from the TV version. He said he went out of his way while writing the project to make sure that it is accessible to audiences who never tuned into the series. The movie is set about six months after the TV show left off, and centers on two passengers on board the ship who attract trouble to the crew.

The studio has closed a deal with Nathan Fillion to return as Capt. Malcolm Reynolds. Other original cast members Gina Torres, Morena Baccarin, Jewel Staite, Adam Baldwin, Sean Maher and Summer Glau are also in place.

“Ballad of Serenity
Composed by Joss Whedon
Performed by Sonny Rhodes
(Click image above to hear song)

Take my love, take my land
Take me where I cannot stand
I don’t care, I’m still free
You can’t take the sky from me

Take me out to the black
Tell them I ain’t coming back
Burn the land and boil the sea
You can’t take the sky from me

There’s no place I can be
Since I found Serenity
But you can’t take the sky from me