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Joss Whedon Is Creating a Sci-Fi Drama For Fox
grafikhugh writes "An article on Yahoo! News states that Joss Whedon, the creator of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Angel", is close to closing a deal with Fox. He will create thirteen episodes of a "Anti-Trek" Sci-Fi Drama to be a big player in Fox's fall 2002 line up.
Its seems Whedon wants to avoid aliens as the big bad, and concentrate on making "scary-ass" humans Living in a "Dark Place"." It's also worth noting the IMDB entries for a possible buffy spin-off Ripper and an animated Buffy.
...with Joss's work on Angel, Fray, the animated show and the limited work he does on Buffy (since Marti Noxon does most of it now), how is he going to manage everything?
STOP MISUSING APOSTROPHES, YOU MORONS!!!
Come on... not to troll or flame, but these shows only have popularity cause of one thing:
Great looking chicks.
Same reason why dawson's creek is popular. Star Trek got the same idea when they lost viewers to voyager. Enterprise has nice "soft porn" scenes. When I think a "SciFi" from the creator of "Buffy" is just gonna make another show with good looking women that bastardizes people like Heinlein.
Maybe he'll prove me wrong? Prolly not...
>He came up with a concept that's part Western,
>part space drama.
Hmm... maybe we will see a return to true space opera(like 1930s sci-fi literature). I would love to see a straight up western transposed into outer space. Space-ships and six-shooters. I've always been intrigued by the crossover of high and low tech.
lysergically yours
I only hope that this will become a real _science_ fiction thing with some action... not a pseudo-science space-soap like Star Trek.
Is a series filming in England about the character "Rupert Giles." Ripper was his nickname as a teen. The series is supposedly about his years growing up and training to be a watcher..
It's been long discussed on alt.tv.buffy-the-vampire-slayer.
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Scarier than Janet Reno in Latex?
Is there a way to mod me down for breaking the mental image rule?
-- Two men say they're Jesus. One of them must be wrong. - Dire Straits
- Sarah Michelle Geller is likely to be cast as an alien, as
the obligatory 7-of-9 clone.
- Wil Wheaton, in an effort to rescue his foundering career, will
probably be one of the main characters. He will work for cheap and he's
easily recognizable, so why not?
- David Duchovney will probably also have many guest appearances,
although keeping him on full-time will probably put the show waaaay over
budget.
- Ryan Phillippe will probably be the token pretty-boy character,
because, well, that's just what he does best.
There were many other names mentioned, of course, but these seemed to be the most credible.Bill
With SMG playing Velma (IIRC) in the live action Scooby Doo (Am I the only one that finds the thought of a live action Scooby more frightening than Evil Angel?) will the cartoon Buffy look like Velma? Will it have a drug addicted dog?
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Some of us are trying to eat lunch!
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Admittedly, I've never seen Buffy or Angel, or whatever those shows are, but I'm not sure I can ever forgive this guy for Alien Resurrection. Alien 3 pretty much destroyed an otherwise excellent series and then it was followed by something that could have set the series back on track but instead was just ... well, most of us saw what it was.
Yech.
> Tentatively titled ``Firefly,'' the new
> ensemble series takes place 500 years in the
> future and revolves around the crew of a
> "small, incredibly mobile spaceship whose aft
> end lights up", Whedon said -- hence the name.
For god's sake! you would think that a TV network would be able to afford to employ someone just to stop people from doing things like this!
i mean, come on:
"Well we don't have a name yet, but the little model we built had an LED in it's ass, let's see if we can work that into it somewhere..."
lysergically yours
Hey, at least our names rhyme...imagine the Project Mayhem we could pull on the set...
How 'bout it, Joss?
If Star Trek and Anti-Trek attempt to occupy the same time slot, do they both vanish in a brilliant flash of light?
You can get a job as a Red Shirt?
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If he can pull the same kind of innuendo that he created in the Buffy episode "Once More, With Feeling" during the song "I'm Under Your Spell", I'm sure that this show will have a lot of fanboys pulling for it.
STOP MISUSING APOSTROPHES, YOU MORONS!!!
Good or bad, what has his record doing non-SF have to do with whether or not he can put together an interesting SF series? Does he know how incredibly short the list is of non-SF writers who have failed miserably when they tried to write science fiction? (Almost as difficult as it is to go from SF into mainstream.)
Can he do SF? Won't know until he tries. He hasn't done it so far, but then most of the "SciFi" billed stuff on TV and movies isn't SF either. I hope he remembers that success with Buffy doesn't automatically translate into success in other genres: I think it helps the creativity when the hounds and jackels are only half a step behind... Fear is a terrific motivator, sometimes.
Prediction: lousy SF, possibly profitable typical Hollywood "SciFi" crap. Cha-ching and he'll go off to do something that takes a bit less effort.
Actually the story of a person who purchases CD audio disks and converts them to MP3 files. In the TV show he is pursued by a team of operatives from a sinister organization known as the R.I.A.A.
[Insert pithy quote here]
He came up with a concept that's part Western, part space drama.
It might be worth remembering that Roddenbery originally pitched the first Star Trek to the studio as "Wagon Train to the Stars".
I saw that all the time on Dr. Who.
For some reason they all wore rubber suits and hissed or growled.
Jonathan
Joss Whedon is the antithesis of all this. Not that he's any great literary genius. He just makes up ordinary, low-brow stories. But he hates hackwork, and he hates repeating himself. Most of all, he hates cliches.
You can see this in his biggest success, Buffy. The premise makes no sense at all, except as a kind of anti-cliche. It takes the biggest horror cliche of all, the helpless, clueless, personality-deficient teenage bimbo, and turns it on its head. Critics love to talk about how Buffy keeps "raising the bar", with ever stranger and more suprising stories and chracters. But really all that's happening is Whedon telling his writers, over and over, "No, we did that already."
So is good news, not just for TV SF, but for the whole genre. As bad as the idea-deficient Hollywood SF writers are, they're easier to take than all those bloated-epic writers who think that a clever idea is all you need. Somebody needs to teach all these people the basics of good storytelling, and Whedon is just the person to do it.
``There'll be scary-ass humans,'' he said. ``I can make people that are scarier than anything you can put in latex.'' --Joss W
What the Hell is this guy talking about? I say get Charisma Carpenter, Sarah Michelle Gellar and
Alyson Hannigan in latex and have them make-out for a half hour every week.
CC as Wonder Woman
SMG as Cat Woman
AH as Batgirl
I'm watching that show right now... in my head... ohhh soo nice... latex... mmmmm
This
He came up with a concept that's part Western, part space drama.
Now there's an original concept. (groan)
And the universe is a big, scary place just like high school.
So the villian is going to be called Vice Principal?
Buffy the Vampire Slayer creator Joss Whedon
I guess the musical episode could be interesting, though...
The man certainly can manipulate the visual medium(s). While I'm not a fan of the Buffy series, I know many who are entranced by it. I thought I'd give his first foray into comics a try and I've been very pleased with the story, the visual composition (paneling, etc...), and the quality of art (kudos to the artist).
There have been 5 issues released so far (I just read #5 last night). He's got great pacing per issue as well as across a whole storyline. His characters are intriguing and complex and he uses relationships well.
If you like Whedon's story telling via video, you should check out this book.
Ok guys, enough is enough. There's plenty of comments on the Buffy show lately. I think we can all drop the act.
You know what I mean. We're not watching it for any sci-fi or horror reasons. It's obvious.
Buffy will date freaks.
And the lesbians don't hurt either
Buffy the Vampire Slayer...might as well be called Fluffy the Vampire Slayer. It's hard to take a show with such a silly premise, and a hottie like SMG as the main character, seriously.
But seriously you should take it because Buffy has got some of the best damned writing on TV today, and it keeps getting better.
Joss isn't just churning out the class-A stories, he's delving into new and exciting territory. While other shows consider themself to be forward thinking by including five seconds of girl-girl kissing, Buffy features a deep well developed relationship between Tara and Willow. This season's musical epsiode features exceptional music, vocals, and choreography. It was a total diversion from the standard Buffy format, it was incredibly good, and it leaves the viewer wondering what kind of genious could create something so different, so wonderful, and for just one episode.
Joss.
The man is a genious.
Hopefully he won't have to throw in an angst-ridden geek character for Slashdot readers to appreciate the brilliance that is Joss.
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I support spreading santorum
I thought this was supposed to be a dark show. Fireflies are cute, not scary.
If they have to name after the fact that its ass lights up (unlike every other ship out there?) how about giving it a scary name?
Something like FLAMING MONKEY BUTT. Normally abbreviated to FMB unless they have a late time slot.
... actually, since that's often a sign of sexual arousal and a red light has long been a symbol of cathouses for the same reason, this would be a good theme for a show following a band of itinerant whores. But that would make it a cable show, something for Cinemax or maybe Showtime (when Wormhole X-treme's run ends).
For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple, and wrong. -- H L Mencken
That's funny, I thought there already was an animated buffy
Isn't Devil Hunter Yoko what the show was based on anyway?
Remember the hype for Harsh Realm a few years ago? Fox ran the premiere once on a Friday night. Monday morning they decided to cancel it due to low ratings. They ran the second episode that week then the series vanished.
How is somebody like Whedon supposed to do any better? It took Whedon, like Carter, several years on a "second-class TV network" before their work grew beyond a cult following.
I'm sceptical such a thing will be allowed time to grow on Fox.
Anybody seen "The Tick" after the first 2 or 3 episodes? I didn't think so.
That sounds like Jonathan Creek, another BBC show. Sorta a cross between Penn & Teller and Columbo. (The hero, JC, is the guy behind a well-known magician. After hooking up with an author sent to profile the magician, they investigate "paranormal" events and write them up as a series of well-selling books.)
The series is highly regarded in the usual Anglophilic PBS circles, but I've found it takes several viewings to figure out what's going on. The problem is the language, not the plot. In a BritCom it rarely matters if you miss the subtle points of an off-handed comment, but in a mystery series those are usually the key clues!
It's possible that Ripper covers the same ground, but the synopsis is so close that it's inevitable that at least some people will confuse the two series unless they've seen both.
For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple, and wrong. -- H L Mencken
Joseph Michael Straczynski.
If there were more epic stories like Babylon 5 on TV, it would actually be worth watching.
Actually, Farscape and Stargate SG-1 aren't too bad, either. Sure, there are plenty of real bad sci-fi shows, but this are all on the Big 5 (NBC/ABC/CBS/FOX/UPN), where corporate marketting reigns. On the channels that don't have to rely on people with B&W TVs using an attenna to get their sitcoms, they have enough intelligence to find shows based on good stories, and not a short-term big-hit injection (ie: good pilots, bad episodes) to get their finacial high.
Series like Babylon 5 and Farscape survive because it's a good long-term story that lasts a long time (and gets people hooked for a good amount of Nelson cash flow), and the channels that host them are willing to let them go past their 13 episodes, even if they aren't suddenly the #1 show in the universe. (The main corporates just won't settle for anything less, anymore. If you don't believe me, just look at UPNs first season, where they canned EVERY SINGLE SHOW except for their Voyager cash cow.)
Zodiac Survey
Before a couple of weeks ago, I never had seen the original BtVS movie. Before October, I'd never watched a single episode of the series. It just sounded stupid, and I thought that it was some dumb teen-chick show like Charmed.
Then, a few months ago, FX started airing back-to-back episodes of Buffy, and I happened to watch a couple of hours of it. I was completely amazed at how good it was, and mortified that I haven't been watching it over the years.
Thanks to my VCR, though, I'm almost all caught up. It's an excellent series, and the only scifi show I've ever seen that can so consistently give me a good laugh from the clever dialogue (in addition to when Spike makes some dread proclamation of doom, then proceeds to get zapped or falls into an open grave.)
Excellent stuff.
Why are you letting these clowns ruin our country?
There's also Recycled Roddenbery, the failed media mogul, who was responsible for a stream of half-baked TV and movie projects, none of which would have seen the light of day without his reputation as the "creator" of you-know-what.
But you're probably thinking of Soapbox Roddenbery, who wrote lots of preachy TV scripts, and aspired to become a producer, and thought "Wagon Train Goes to Mars" (better known as Star Trek) would make his reputation as such. He's widely credited with bringing "hard" SF to television, but that's bogus -- he just employed the people who did.
Gag. Straczynski scripts are full of clumsy exposition and dialogue worthy of a badly-dubbed kung-fu movie. His stories are so corny..., oh well, bring on the flames.
I'm tempted to ask why they didn't bring in Wesley to get Voyager home. He was the expert on Going Real Fast, after all. But I won't ask. I suspect an honest answer would get you sued!
As for Buffy, you speak from ignorance. A better analogy would be one of those storefront ethnic restaurants that you're afraid to try, but which turns out to be pretty good, once you get used to the strange flavors.
Hey now, I like Wesley Crusher...
I always wanted to like him. The idea of a space explorers who took their families along was one of the few things I really like about TNG. Pity the writers didn't know what to do with it.
And liver....
Yum, drool. Never understood why nobody likes it. Alas, instant arterial block.
and cow's brains
Too salty for me! But have you tried tongue?
and Anne from "Weakest Link"
Oh Jeez, the things Hollywood does to avoid hiring actual writers and actors...
Enterprise = anti-trek.
.... 20 minutes!)
'nuff said.
though perhaps my opinion isn't worth a damn because I stopped watching that putrid shit after the second episode (ooh! goodie! lets learn a language in
BTW, who is going to top Buffy? (Oh.. fuck they found a place for Britney Spears, tho that might not be that bad...)
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He is bitchin' all the way to the bank about these movies... so if he has a prob with the way that Hollywood does him, then he needs to get out. Geeeez. He can't have it both ways, y'know, big time writer and not prostituted by the studios.
Actually, I'm pretty sure he has quit Hollywood entirely, and is only working for TV now. In TV, the writer is king.
You have no idea how wrong you are... I used to think that too before I watched the show. I even felt slightly dirty for tuning in to it. That quickly was replaced by stunned fascination for the storys, characters and humor. It's the best show on TV, burdened by a silly name and a small network.
Most the fans are female. I went to a small Buffy convention recently, and found myself to be the only guy of 16 participants.
Blakes 7 was most definitely anti-trek, with the totalitarian empire of the Federation having its symbol as Trek Federation symbol on its side. The great writing, some good acting and some good characters made up for a low budget. Can you imagine a dialogue like this between heroes in any current American SF series:
"I'm in front, I should have the gun"
"No, I've got the gun, that's why you're in front"
And perhaps this is due to Whedon's shifting attention, but ...
... I'm someone who enjoys a good wallow in misery sometimes, but ultimately tv is about entertainment.
IMHO, Buffy has fallen into the same trap that the X-Files did. Both shows used to be bitingly funny--even though there were deep dark moments (especially in Buffy), there were always enough off-handed humorous remarks so that the shows weren't truly depressing week after week. The beauty was that in the same episode where Angel turned evil and tortured Giles (and etc.), there were still lines that made me laugh out loud. However, in the past season or two (and a bit longer for the X-Files), it's as if the writers have been trying far too hard to make a point or develop plot or something
And, of course, "Angel" has fallen prey to the baby-trap that killed off "Mad About You."
Problem with this is that here in the US, with some very exceptions, most of the animation is targeted at children.
If you think that's bad you should remember that UK terrestrial broadcasters consider anything sci-fi/fantasy related as being targeted at children. Even having to cut for content dosn't tend to act as a "cluebat".
. It would be nice to see it treated as an adult/older person series, but the odds are against that. Though the odds do go up because for the life of me, I cannot (or is that will not) see how they can make a show about bloodsucking, killing vampires and the people who slay them into a standard youth oriented cartoon.
Apparently they intend taking all the references to sex out. Also cartoons (including those from the US) have never had much of a problem with showing violence.
Ever watched Classic Trek?
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You're right, it is funnier if Wil is the Security Goon. I see it now, Wil the Security Goon shoots Annoying Teenager, looks behind styrofoam rock, says "AAArgh!".
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you forgot Special Unit 2!
(and please, don't even include that crap show "Charmed" - I'm too busy attending Opera performances, reading Dostyevsky, and climbing Mt. McKinley to care about that damned piece of shit!)
These are my friends, See how they glisten. See this one shine, how he smiles in the light.
Also, "good" science can quickly turn to "bad" science, because science is always changing. But that doesn't turn good SF to bad SF. Much of Heinlein's best work is set in a solar system populated by ancient Martians and swamp-dwelling Venusians. The idea that Mars and Venus are habitable has been debunked for decades, but books like Podkayne of Mars and Between Planets are still read -- and still considered "hard" SF. This comes from the structure and integrity of Heinlein's work, not from the specific science he employed.
The 60s Star Trek series had some sense of this. Roddenbery deserves some credit for this, though not nearly as much as his fans (worshippers?) like to give him. And once GR left the scene, there was no hope of preserving any kind of discipline or structure to the concept. Indeed, Rick Berman and his cohorts seem unusually contemptuous of this sort of concern, even by Hollywood standards.