Star Nathan Fillion Confirms "Firefly" Reboot Series In Advanced Development

Star Nathan Fillion has confirmed that a new series based on the cult-favorite, Firefly, is in advanced development and in a whole new medium.

What's Happening:

• Nathan Fillion was at Awesome Con, and revealed that an animated version of his beloved cult sci-fi franchise was in advanced development.
• In a report from Deadline, we learn that Fillion spoke on a panel at the Washington, D.C. event and live taping of his Once We Were Spacemen podcast alongside co-stars Alan Tudyk, Gina Torres, Jewel Staite, Morena Baccarin, Sean Maher, and Summer Glau, all of whom are expected to reprise their roles in the new animated series.
• Adam Baldwin, who played Jayne Cobb, will also lend his voice to the project.
• The animated series is said to be under development with Fillion’s production banner Collision33 in partnership with 20th Television Animation. It is unclear if the show will be in 2D or 3D animation.
• The original Firefly aired for a single season before developing a long afterlife through DVD sales, streaming platforms, and its theatrical continuation in Serenity. It followed a renegade crew aboard the transport ship Serenity, living on the fringes of society in the year 2517. 
• Married writing-producing team Marc Guggenheim (DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, Arrow) and Tara Butters (Agent Carter, Reaper) are attached to serve as showrunners, and a script has been completed.
• Joss Whedon, who created the original series, is not involved in the animated project, though Fillion confirmed Whedon has given the series his blessing.
• The proposed series is set in the timeline between the original 2002 television run and its 2005 feature film continuation, Serenity, expanding the universe while preserving continuity with the established lore.
• Early concept art has been developed in collaboration with the Oscar and Emmy-award-winning animation studio ShadowMachine. The fully assembled package is expected to be taken out to buyers shortly.
• This confirmation of a rumored reboot also follows the news that another reboot of a Whedon-originated series, Buffy The Vampire Slayer, would not be picked up to series at Hulu.
• There is no projected timeline for the new animated series.

What They're Saying:

• Nathan Fillion: “The dedication of Firefly fans has kept this 25-year-old show relevant. Clearly, the return of Firefly is something the fans want. More importantly, it’s something they deserve."

Browncoats Rising:

• The fan response to Firefly is one of the most famous examples of a cult TV fandom successfully keeping a canceled show alive. Even though it originally had modest ratings, its audience became extremely passionate after the cancellation of the show.
• These fans call themselves "Browncoats," a reference to the defeated independence fighters in the show’s backstory who fought the authoritarian Alliance during the fictional Unification War. The term was adopted to show solidarity with the show’s rebellious spirit.
• These fans were known for organizing fan campaigns, buying DVDs in huge numbers, and promoting the show online and at conventions. Those DVD sales proved there was a large audience, growing as fans spread the series through word-of-mouth and gained new viewers who discovered the series years after it was cancelled.
• The huge fan movement ultimately helped lead to the production of the film, Serenity, which Joss Whedon had even said that fan support and DVD sales were key reasons a studio agreed to fund the movie.
• Those same (and increasing number of) fans are why the new animated series is also in development, with Fillion even pointing out that its the fans that keep the series relevant.