Whedon began his presentation by saying he’s still in the process of putting together “Serenity.” With a scheduled release date of September 30th, Whedon joked he knows he’s supposed to finish it up soon but added, “I may just workshop it for a few years,” a statement met with a mixture of groans and laughter by the Joss Whedon faithful.
After bringing artist John Cassaday up on stage, the two announced they’ve committed to doing another 12 issues of “Astonishing X-Men” after they take a brief respite. They’ll cap the whole thing off with a giant-size “Astonishing X-Men” annual #1.
“Firefly”/”Serenity” fans went wild when Whedon announced Dark Horse will do a 3-issue prequel to the movie “Serenity” that will bridge the TV series to the film. Whedon said the issues will come out in the summer and will be written by Brett Matthews. Each issue will have three different covers so that all nine leading characters from "Serenity" will grace the cover of their own magazine, each drawn by a different comic book artist. Whedon said he was able to get his “dream team” of artists to say yes to the project, and John Cassady will start it off by drawing Capt. Malcolm 'Mal' Reynolds.
After introducing Nathan Fillion, Summer Glau, and Adam Baldwin to thunderous applause, Whedon and his “Serenity” stars took a few questions from the audience. One of the first questions posed was an attempt to clear up an Internet rumor. A few sites [I’m happy to say not this one] are reporting there’s no way the TV series “Firefly” can resume now that Whedon has made “Serenity.” Joss said he hadn’t heard that rumor and added, “But it’s not like I have time to make ‘Firefly’ episodes.” Whedon went on to explain, “What would happen to me contractually after the movie is sort of up in the air. Nobody has ever come out and said, 'You must never make another episode,' but right now nobody’s thinking about it either.” Fillion took credit for spreading the rumor.
Another audience member who braved the long line to question the panel addressed an interesting Internet rumor: will someone in the cast have a very limited role in the movie? Asked if he could clarify that rumor, Whedon responded, “Like I’m Mr. Confirm or Deny.”
High Points of the Q&A:
If You Could Choose a Different Role/Change Something About That Character: Summer Glau said she’d like to be the captain so she could make all the rules – and she’d make his leather pants tighter.
The Possibility of an “Angel” Movie: There are no plans right now. Whedon said, “I did get a lovely bunch of lilies on Valentine’s Day from a bunch of people who want to see a Spike movie. I’ll officially go on record as saying I do, too. I have to figure out who I have to tell that to, besides you guys.”
Seeing Reavers: Yes, we’ll see Reavers. “They’re lovely and attractive and very polite,” joked Whedon.
What Question Haven’t You Been Asked That You’d Like to Be Asked: Whedon - “Have you lost weight?”
Using Joss’ Words or Improvisation: “Although I’m taller than Joss, he’s far more clever. I leave the smart stuff to that guy. I’d say, ‘I have this idea and it’s going to go like this and like this.’ He goes, ‘That’s great. Here’s my idea…’ 100% of the time his idea makes me look cooler,” admitted Fillion.
Whedon wrapped up the panel by thanking the fans who helped make “Serenity” a possibility. Whedon also gave credit to his terrific cast, saying they really came through, showed up, and still believed in the project.
