Firefly was canceled too soon. Released in 2002, the series took place in the year 2517. Classified as a Western space drama, the series saw the ensemble cast (lead by Nathan Fillion, Gina Torres, and Alan Tudyk) traveling on the spaceship Serenity in search of adventure. Although it was an undoubtedly popular series, it was canceled in the middle of its first season, and only 11 of the 14 planned episodes were released.
Firefly’s initial ratings struggled, but the show would rebound with incredible DVD sales and a cult following that rivaled any other SyFy show to this day. Petitions, fundraisers, and online forums were created in attempts to save the show from being canceled forever, but ultimately, these efforts were in vain.
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According to an exclusive that cited a popular Hollywood insider, Disney plans to reboot Firefly on its streaming platform Disney+. After their 2019 acquisition of Fox, they also bought rights to the Firefly intellectual property, which helped them make a Firefly comic book two years ago. It’s a popular title that has been part of TV mythology ever since it was canceled.
Despite the show’s continued popularity, there still hasn’t been any development on whether Disney will be making a Firefly reboot. Changing circumstances could push Disney into making the show, but original reasons why the show was canceled and difficult production decisions could be the reasons they are holding back. Disney+’s competition with Paramount’s sci-fi titles (Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, Picard) could motivate Disney to develop more sci-fi shows like Firefly.
But the show’s nature, being so dark and violent, could be keeping Disney from developing a good story. Rumors have circulated that Disney has written several pilots for the show, some completely rebooting the series, others trying to integrate the old show, but finding the sweet spot of pleasing the old fans and creating content appropriate for a Disney platform may prove more difficult than intended. Disney still has not announced anything official about a Firefly series. Here’s what we know so far.
Updated November 2022 by Ted Bajer: If you’re looking for more information regarding the potential Firefly reboot, you’ll be happy to know that we’ve updated this article with more details.
The Rebooted Firefly Will Have a New Story
20th Television
According to reboot rumors, the series would completely restart the adventures of Captain Reynolds and his crew. The idea would be to take the series back to the beginning so that Disney+ could make a long-running show out of it. This would sell the show once again to the younger generation. Firefly was introduced as a sci-fi Western for mature audiences, and much of its subject matter was not targeted at children. There were violent gunfights, criminal undergrounds, and a courtesan that lived aboard the spaceship. Disney would likely retool the series to be a more family-friendly affair, aiming for a PG rating. But this would probably upset long-term fans the most.
Nathan Fillion was a guest on the podcast Inside of You earlier this year. When asked whether there had been talks of a Firefly reboot, he didn’t want to comment because “if I say anything too solid, people are gonna go crazy.” This is a perfectly understandable comment from Nathan Fillion, but it is also not a denial.
Joss Whedon Will Not Be Involved
Since Firefly was his vision, many wondered whether Joss Whedon would return for the reboot. While Whedon isn’t a stranger to creating television properties — Buffy the Vampire Slayer is beloved to this day — the allegations of workplace harassment might be why he won’t be returning. WarnerMedia conducted an investigation, resulting in swift action from the studio. Whedon then exited the HBO Max series The Nevers, and it’s safe to assume that producers, especially Disney, are cautious about working with him. He has not directed any television shows or movies since leaving The Nevers.
In January 2022, an interview with Vulture featured an anonymous writer who worked on Firefly, recalling a time when Whedon belittled another writer in front of several staff members. According to the writer, Whedon felt the script presented to him wasn’t up to par, and rather than addressing this with the writer privately, Whedon brought together the entire writing staff.
“It was basically 90 minutes of vicious mockery," the writer said. “Joss pretended to have a slide projector, and he read her dialogue out loud and pretended he was giving a lecture on terrible writing as he went through the ‘slides’ and made funny voices — funny for him. The guys were looking down at their pages, and this woman was fighting tears the entire time. I’ve had my share of shitty showrunners, but the intent to hurt — that’s the thing that stands out for me now.”
Nathan Fillion said on the podcast mentioned earlier that this was “not his experience” with Joss Whedon, and he would be open to working with the director again. But according to an article posted in April of last year citing the same source, while the series was moving ahead at that time, Joss Whedon would not be working on it.
Why Was Firefly Ever Canceled?
Firefly is most famous for being canceled before its time. The show had consistent popularity after it was taken off television and now exists in the zeitgeist as more of a myth and example of how popular cult television can be. Firefly was initially taken off the air due to low ratings. These are commonly blamed on the fact that a particularly exciting World Series was airing at roughly the same time. Though the show had its own merits, it’s possible that potential viewers were distracted by the baseball game. It’s also possible that even though you wanted to watch Firefly, your dad was watching the World Series on your family’s only TV, and you couldn’t go over to your friend’s house to watch it because your mom wouldn’t let you out of the house after dark. It was 2002, after all.
After Fox executives saw the low ratings, the nail in the coffin became the show’s violent content. When producers at Fox finally saw the show, they asked Whedon and the show’s writers to make some of it more family-friendly, but they refused. This would be a good decision for fans but a bad one for the show overall. Fox executives weighed the show’s dark themes and violence against its low ratings and eventually pulled the plug on it before it could finish its first season.
More Details Are Coming
Disney has largely kept quiet about the Firefly reboot, but they are planning to create the series. Because of the lack of official information, a release date, cast, and specific details haven’t been confirmed. There are several routes that Disney could spin the plot, and while it is unlikely that the original cast will reprise their roles, perhaps there’s a chance that some actors could make a guest appearance.
Firefly has a dedicated fanbase that might not be too pleased if Disney changes the tone to be more accessible for younger audiences. And with Whedon no longer making the decisions, it seems highly unlikely that this reboot will have the feel of the original series. That said, Disney+ has created a huge slate of successful shows. There’s always hope that the magic from 2002 will translate after all this time.
