2 months ago
EXCLUSIVE: Nathan Fillion and Alan Tudyk are still riding connected a precocious aft announcing connected Sunday that there’s a Firefly animated bid successful precocious development. As they should. And pinch nan detonation of stories and instrumentality support that has emerged, likes and shares of their viral societal campaign, could it perchance and yet beryllium nan correct clip for much Firefly?
The brace caught up pinch Deadline connected Wednesday to research nan taxable much successful extent and to reply this and much of fans’ burning questions.
First, arsenic a refresher: We reported connected March 15 that Fillion, Tudyk, and their Firefly costars, Gina Torres, Jewel Staite, Morena Baccarin, Sean Maher, Summer Glau, and Adam Baldwin, person committed to bringing their original characters backmost arsenic sound actors. The show will spell connected without bid regular Ron Glass, who died astatine nan property of 71 successful 2016.
The animated reboot is being developed done Fillion’s accumulation banner Collision33 successful business with 20th Television Animation, which controls nan underlying authorities to nan franchise. Married writing-producing squad Marc Guggenheim (DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, Arrow) and Tara Butters (Agent Carter, Reaper) are attached to service arsenic showrunners, and a book has been completed. Original bid creator Joss Whedon is not progressive successful nan caller task but has fixed his blessing.
The projected bid is group successful nan timeline betwixt nan original 2002 tv tally and its 2005 characteristic movie continuation, Serenity, expanding nan beingness while preserving continuity pinch nan established lore.
Find our Q&A pinch Fillion and Tudyk below.
DEADLINE: It’s been 24 years since Firefly premiered. How did plans travel together successful 2025/26 to perpetrate to doing an animated series?
NATHAN FILLION: I person ne'er met a instrumentality of Firefly, be it astatine a convention, connected a bus, aliases astatine an airport, aliases stepping down nan thoroughfare getting crystal cream, who has ever not said to me, “Is location going to beryllium more?” In nan zeitgeist of my experience, it’s ever been ever-present. So, present I americium astatine this shape of my career, and I’m diversifying pinch a accumulation institution and trying to make TV shows, and this is simply a show that was highly meaningful for me. It was an unthinkable portion of my life. It built nan foundations of my career.
This was nan occupation to which we all, arsenic a cast, group nan barroom for each different jobs. This group our anticipation for what a moving acquisition would be. We’ve each remained friends passim nan years, and we each person this unthinkable acquisition pinch nan conventions that we still get to get together, we still get to reminisce and rejoice successful nan acquisition that was Firefly.
DEADLINE: Did your podcast pinch Alan, Once We Were Spacemen, play a domiciled successful wanting to push this guardant successful a large measurement now?
FILLION: I wish I could opportunity that location was a connection. But what’s been awesome for maine is… You know, Alan is simply a moving actor. He’s very busy. I person jobs arsenic well. He lives successful Canada for astir of nan time. And acknowledgment to this podcast, I spot him much than I person successful nan past decade. We’re ever successful touch, but those moments of seeing him get much and much rare. This podcast has been a blessing.
EDITORS’ NOTE: Tudyk joins nan conversation.
ALAN TUDYK: My apologies for my tardiness. Hello.
DEADLINE: Alan, Nathan was conscionable saying what a joyousness it’s been to activity connected nan podcast pinch you and really it’s brought you guys person than ever—and you get to talk astir your shared emotion for Firefly. What’s your acquisition been like?
TUDYK: On nan podcast, we get to talk astir Firefly, and we get to bring each of our friends from nan show connected to talk astir things that we’ve possibly touched connected before. But we’re besides digging deeper and deeper into Nathan and my relationship, and past besides sewage into erstwhile Gina was on… That was a large confession for me. Um, possibly I don’t want to constituent it retired anyway. There are secrets that person been buried that are coming retired successful nan podcast. You tin perceive to them. There’s truthful overmuch joyousness successful this thing. I’m having fun, not conscionable connecting pinch Nathan, which is nan cardinal to what I deliberation makes this work, but besides nan Firefly cast.
FILLION: When I called them, they said what they ever opportunity to me, which is, “How did you get this number?”
TUDYK: [Laughs]
FILLION: But aft that, they said yes. I said, “Hey guys, if I could do this, if I could bring it back, if I could do it successful specified a measurement that cipher has to move backmost to LA and everybody tin support nan jobs that they have. If I could do it truthful that you’re conscionable signaling successful nan backmost room of your house, whenever is convenient for you. You guys want to bring this back?” Everybody said, yes. None of this could hap unless everyone was successful and everyone was in.
DEADLINE: When our communicative came retired aft nan Awesome Con announcement, fans successful nan comments wondered why you didn’t prosecute immoderate of nan writers from nan original series. What opportunity you?
FILLION: Well, it benignant of comes down to group having different jobs. Recording a voiceover for nan Firefly animated bid is low… What’s nan connection I’m looking for, Alan? It is nan involvement, nan magnitude of activity that needs to beryllium done. It’s low…
TUDYK: Potato chip.
FILLION: That’s nan one.
DEADLINE: [Laughs]
FILLION: Running a show is an wholly different beast from signaling a sound for a show. So there’s nan original folks, for illustration Tim Minear, who are moving different TV shows. They don’t person a full batch of time, and I don’t cognize that I could moreover spend them. This is not a large money-making venture, doing an animated program. But what we did negociate to do is find incredibly talented group who besides emotion Firefly. Tara and Marc met and connected complete their emotion of Firefly. So erstwhile we were looking for showrunners, their passion was palpable for nan show. We wanted to find personification who loved it and would attraction for it nan measurement we do.
DEADLINE: What tin you stock astir nan timeline you chose, betwixt nan extremity of nan TV show and earlier nan film, Serenity?
TUDYK: It’s called nan “Wash Is Still Alive Time.” We mention to it arsenic that.
FILLION: Exactly. You can’t bring backmost Firefly without bringing backmost each of Firefly. We toyed pinch nan thought of spending immoderate clip successful nan show aft nan events of Serenity, and I honestly person nary interest. I deliberation Serenity was our awesome farewell to what was an unthinkable opportunity. Had we only had 1 much chance to do something, that was it, and it was beautiful. I can’t compete pinch that. But what I tin do is spell backmost successful time, bring nan pack backmost together, and springiness group what they want, which is much Firefly. After Serenity, it’s not nan same. I didn’t want to do this without my buddy Alan. And you cognize that’s a logic why animation is key, because Ron Glass is nary longer pinch us. I for illustration to think, successful my bosom of hearts, that this is thing that he would person wanted.
DEADLINE: So Shep will beryllium represented successful nan animated bid pinch a different voice?
FILLION: Absolutely, that’s nan plan. Yeah, we’re bringing backmost Shepherd Book for certain. Ron Glass, unfortunately, is not available. Ron erstwhile joked that he didn’t get a portion erstwhile they were looking for a Ron Glass-type, and present we are again. We’re looking for a Ron Glass-type, and it’s not going to beryllium Ron Glass.
DEADLINE: The millions of fans who liked and shared your viral videos starring up to nan Awesome Con announcement person to mean thing to imaginable buyers. Is location a dream location for Firefly, nan animated series? Have you received a batch of calls yet?
FILLION: I don’t attraction wherever it lives. I conscionable want wherever it is for nan group who are progressive to either emotion it nan measurement I emotion it aliases spot nan value of what it is.
TUDYK: Rosy wanted to cognize if location was a dream location for nan project, but besides whether aliases not location had been a flood of calls since our announcement became specified a large hit. Are we conscionable fielding offers? I…don’t…wanna say. I’ll time off this to you, Nathan.
FILLION: I don’t deliberation we’re having immoderate trouble getting nan assignment now. You cognize what I mean? Our ft successful nan door.
TUDYK: Conversations are being had.
FILLION: Exactly. They don’t telephone maine directly, Rosy. But I person a squad of group who are acold smarter than I, which is 1 of my strengths, recognizing my limitations and putting group successful spot who are smarter and better.
TUDYK: This is wherever I travel in.
FILLION: Exactly.
DEADLINE: This was specified a groundbreaking show, for truthful galore reasons. I’ve conscionable started watching it, and a fewer things really stood out. First, astatine nan clip that this came out, location weren’t a batch of Latinos successful sci-fi, and Firefly had some Gina Torres and Morena Baccarin beforehand and center. Secondly, I loved really nan Serenity was specified an underdog, and past of course, its crew. So, I’m starting to understand why you each person specified a heavy emotion for nan show.
FILLION: Last night, I was reasoning astir this question and reply and trying to get myself backmost into nan caput framework of it. And you cognize what I rewatched past night, Alan? The fan-made documentary Did The Impossible, which you tin propulsion up connected YouTube. It was conscionable immoderate passionate fans who gathered nan communicative of really this small show that couldn’t, became a awesome mobility picture. In it you, Alan, and Morena and Jewel each said, “Here we are successful a TV show, playing a unit of group who were underdogs successful this universe, of this Firefly universe, and really our communicative was truthful good reflected successful existent life that we were nan underdogs of this show connected Fox, that, effort arsenic we might, we kept our caput pushed underwater. I do emotion nan redemption theme. I emotion it erstwhile an underdog becomes nan leader and gets what he deserves.
TUDYK: You’re right, absolutely. That’s truthful good said. It’s thing that ne'er goes retired of fashion, being nan underdog, because it seems for illustration we’re perpetually fighting for nan underdog.
FILLION: It’s a taxable that everyone tin subordinate to. Everyone has been and is an underdog successful immoderate way, shape, aliases form.
TUDYK: Was nan connection you were looking for earlier debased stakes?
FILLION: Yes, but I besides wanted thing astir nan existent clip commitment. It’s a debased commitment.
DEADLINE: Nathan, I emotion that you ever bring your friends complete from 1 show to 1 of your different shows. I’m a large instrumentality of your Castle co-star Jon Huertas, and he’s been connected your different shows. Could we spot immoderate of that, bringing non-Firefly friends complete to play?
FILLION: Don’t deliberation for a 2nd I’m not going to propulsion favors from each friend I’ve ever had to travel and do cameos and characters. That’s conscionable been different awesome thing, is that everyone I’ve spoken to has been awesome astir keeping it very hush-hush.
DEADLINE: To adjacent up, is location thing I haven’t asked you that you’d for illustration to share?
TUDYK: If you haven’t seen it successful a while, and you emotion nan show, you’re owed for a re-watch. A batch of group are doing it, and it is adjuvant to nan campaign, but besides it’s nosy to re-watch. I did it past year, and I’m ever impressed pinch really funny it is, and I autumn backmost successful emotion pinch it. I for illustration it much now than I did erstwhile we made it. I really do it. I’ve besides forgotten chunks of it. There are moments erstwhile I’m like, I cognize we get retired of this, but I don’t cognize how. Now, I tin beryllium nan existent assemblage personnel successful a measurement I wasn’t capable to beryllium before.
FILLION: I’m going to misquote him, but Ron said thing astir really unthinkable nan acquisition was participating successful Firefly, being a portion of that family, and really awesome and unthinkable and delightful it was and humbling, and really it should hap to him much often. And I wholly work together pinch that. What nan fans do and what we get to acquisition erstwhile Alan and I and nan formed spell to these conventions, and we get up connected a shape successful beforehand of everybody, erstwhile we’re gathering nan fans look to look and shaking hands and signing autographs and taking pictures. That acquisition is incredibly empowering and humbling.
TUDYK: Yeah.
FILLION: That is precisely nan logic we had nan assurance to deliberation that this could hap again, and thing that we wanted to hap again. This was an unthinkable acquisition for each of us.
TUDYK: Through nan cons, this has ne'er stopped. Firefly has ne'er died.
FILLION: It’s been complete 2 decades.
TUDYK: It’s been complete 2 decades. It has continued on, and nan Firefly family has grown. People person passed it connected to their children. The 1 point that we’re missing is much Firefly.
FILLION: The show was cancelled, but we didn’t neglect because of nan fans.
This question and reply has been edited and condensed for magnitude and clarity.
