‘Firefly’ Animated Series With Original Cast [Video]

It has been 24 years since Firefly began, and Nathan Fillion is reuniting the original Serenity crew with the announcement of an animated series in advanced development at 20th Television Animation.

‘Firefly’ Animated Announced

Fillion made the announcement during a panel at Awesome Con in Washington, D.C., where he was joined by Alan Tudyk, Gina Torres, Morena Baccarin, Jewel Staite, Summer Glau, and Sean Maher.

Adam Baldwin was missing from the panel, but plans to reprise his role as Jayne Cobb.

After the announcement, Firefly‘s OG cast members went live on Instagram.

“As of this moment, the word is out. We are going to try to bring back Firefly. And this time, we’re gonna animate it.

“Guys, bringing back Firefly… crazy? Or not crazy,” asked Fillion in the video.

The announcement came after a weeklong social media teaser campaign launched by Fillion and Tudyk.

Torres then says, “Not crazy.”

Baldwin says, “Crazy.”

Tudyk replies, “It’s crazy, but it just might work.”

The Project Underway

Then, Fillion revealed original series creator Joss Whedon will not be involved with the animated series, but the revival has his blessing, and the creative team is in place.

Married writing-producing duo Marc Guggenheim (DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, Arrow) and Tara Butters (Agent Carter, Dollhouse) are the showrunners, and the script is complete. The project just needs a home.

Fillion told fans in the video, “And for that, we need you. Like this post. Comment on this post. Repost this post… I’m asking you to do what you’ve always done: keep Firefly alive.”

Time Period Covered

The currently untitled animated series will cover the time period between the 2002 original television series and the one depicted in the 2005 feature film Serenity, meaning crew members who did not survive the movie can return for the revival.

The Original Series

The sci-fi cult classic is set 500 years into the future and follows a renegade crew aboard the transport ship Serenity. The group lives on the fringes of society and takes on risky jobs to survive while avoiding the governing body of the Alliance.

The show premiered in 2002 and was canceled after only airing 11 of its 14 produced episodes. Strong fan support helped the story continue on the big screen with the release of Serenity in 2005.

Sources:

Deadline: Nathan Fillion Says ‘Firefly’ Animated Series in Development
IGN: Nathan Fillion’s Big Firefly Is a Canon Animated Series
ew.com: ‘Firefly’ cast to reunite for animated sequel series

Image Courtesy of Gage Skidmore’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License