Firefly boasts a considerable cult-like following and critical acclaim as one of the best science-fiction television series ever created, which is why it’s such a shame that the show lasted only one truncated season. But the series’ episode count could soon rise exponentially thanks to Hollywood’s current reboot & revival-filled landscape, as Fox is apparently keen on bringing Firefly back.
The idea began in earnest following a handful of nostalgic tweets about the series from executive producer Tim Minear, creator Joss Whedon, and star Alan Tudyk. This led to The Wrap reaching out to Fox’s President of Entertainment, Michael Thorn, to find out what the odds were on Firefly actually making a return to the airwaves. Surprisingly, Thorn didn’t exactly shoot the idea down. In fact, he revealed that such a plan had already been discussed fairly recently.
“The macro answer is, any time we look at one of our classic titles, if there’s a way to reinvent it for today so it’s as resonant now as the original was, and is, to the fans, we’re wide open,” Thorn said. “I loved Firefly, personally, and I watched every episode. I didn’t work on it, but I loved the show. It had come up before, but we had The Orville on the air and it didn’t make sense for us to have, as a broadcast network who is very targeted, to have two space franchises on our air.”
The idea that The Orville may have kept Firefly off the air may be infuriating to some fans, but it’s a moot point anyway now that The Orville has moved to Hulu. So with that being the case, will the stars align to bring everybody’s favorite Space Western back to Fox? Maybe, though Thorn points out that Minear may have too much on his plate already thanks to his showrunning duties on 9-1-1 and the upcoming spinoff, 9-1-1: Lone Star. Even so, it really does sound as if the executive is heavily in favor of trying to bring Firefly back. “It’s a good idea,” he said. “In this crowded marketplace, if you can start with some kind of brand awareness and IP that has a vocal support and, in this case, a crazy, passionate love for it, you’re ahead of the game.”
Could Firefly really make a comeback? It definitely sounds like something Fox wants, so if Minear, Whedon, and the cast all get on board then we may end up back on Serenity before we know it!
