ROTTEN TOMATOES: Whedon Talks "Serenity" All Over the Place

Whedon Talks "Serenity" All Over the Place

by Scott Weinberg | September 22, 2005

Fred Topel over at About.com had an entertaining sit-down with writer / producer / director / nutcase Joss Whedon, and together the pair chatted mainly about "Serenity," but digressed into bursts about "Veronica Mars" and "Wonder Woman," too.

Mr. Whedon on...

...movie marketing: "This is really a story movie as opposed to a concept movie. And I know that makes it difficult to sell, so the idea that everybody knows everything means that people get to get inside the process and find out the one thing that’s going to be able to sell this movie which is the fact that I think it’s good."

..."Star Wars" influences: "And the idea behind Serenity in the first place really did have to do with the idea of the Millennium Falcon as a real concept. What if you were that guy, forget the aliens and the robots and the force. What if you just had a crappy little spaceship and you had to make a living and you didn’t really care how? How hard would your life be? That to me, the reality of that fantasy is what makes it so fascinating and ultimately that’s the benchmark of everything I do. It’s finding the reality behind the fantasy no matter how absurd the fantasy may be."

...comparisons between "Serenity" and "Buffy the Vampire Slayer": "I have to think about them as totally separate because they have different sensibilities and they have different sets of rules. It’s very important that Serenity be grounded. I had to go into outer space to come back down to earth but Buffy was a fantasy, a metaphor for rites of passage of our lives and Serenity is something else."

Plus, over at Dark Horizons there's a bit more Whedon-droppings in regards to "Wonder Woman."

Regarding the "Whedon-esque" dialogue: ""Absolutely. Wonder Woman's perspective is very serious. But that's what's so funny about her. She doesn't understand the world...She's not a wisecracker. But at the same time, she's not going to miss an opportunity... Usually, people I write are very, very down to earth and she's the opposite. She's somebody who is supposed to be Wonder Woman and spend her life being Wonder Woman but then she's still as vulnerable and as new at it as anybody else, but she's the opposite of every character I've ever written"."

For a lot more from Wonder Whedon, be sure to check out the interviews over at About.com and DarkHorizons.net.

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(1-7 of 7 posts) | Reply

SniperCA writes:
on Sep 22 2005 01:31 AM

[b]Just One Hope[/b]
All I hope for here is that the film ties up the loose strings that the TV series left due to its untimely demise. If it goes beyond that great, but I just want it to at least give me some closure for the series.

(Reply to this)

lonechicken writes:
on Sep 22 2005 05:49 AM

I know it'll be a good movie. But I'm skeptical that it'll do great box office business, which in the big picture would open more doors for Whedon and/or the Firefly franchise. Late September is not Thanksgiving, Christmas, or the summer. Serenity's going to have to earn its money.

(Reply to this)

SniperCA writes:
on Sep 23 2005 01:21 AM

[b]Who Needs a Franchise[/b]
I don't expect it to be a big box office earner either. I'm hot and cold on Whedon. Some of the stuff he's done is outstanding. Other stuff just didn't hold my attention at all. I'm not so sure we need a Fire Fly/Serenity franchise. Like I said, I just hope the movie closes up some stuff that was left open when the series was axed by the suits.

(Reply to this)

pota1967 writes:
on Sep 23 2005 07:40 AM

[b]I hope you fans enjoy this movie[/b]
But I saw the trailer on tv and I thought it was another sci-fi channel original "bomb" that they keep pushing on the viewers -- Frankenfish, swamp thing, dinocroc anyone and a big Yuck

(Reply to this)

RJSuperfreaky writes:
on Sep 23 2005 11:08 AM

In reply to this comment (#826123)
[b]Don't judge it on its appearances[/b]
Like most people, I vaguely remember when Firefly was on the air ( as in, I remember seeing a preview during the 'Simpsons' and thought 'Well, looks like another poorly thought-out gamble by Fox'). I never saw it when it was on originally. When the DVD was released, I found an increasing number of positive reviews of the short- lived series, and so I bought the box set of the show. I figured that if I didn't llike it, then I could at least make some money back on eBay. Man, was I wrong.

The show was great.

Sure, the sets and costumes are cheap, but the writing was crisp, and the characters were interesting. I found it to be one of the most enjoyable TV series I had ever seen. I hope that the movie keeps the same tone, so I will definitely be lining up for this one.

(Reply to this)

HoneycombSAFARI writes:
on Sep 24 2005 12:02 AM

[b]Whedon forever[/b]
Now im not usually into sci-fi or space movies or what have you, but Joss Whedon has already earned an enormous amount of respect from me for Buffy. I have never seen a single episode of firefly, so im coming into the franchise fairly new. I live in Australia and Serenity has already been released over here, and early reviews from a diverse range of critics here suggest It's Outstanding.

(Reply to this)

Now it's dark writes:
on Sep 24 2005 08:04 AM

[b]8/10[/b]
I saw it at an advanced screening in July. It was not quite finished yet, but still awesome. Newbies should like it too, as it's from the perspective of a character just getting to know the crew.

That said, I still miss Buffy.

(Reply to this)

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