The Film Forum

'Serenity' Wow!

by Tom DiChiara

In 2002 a critically praised but sorely underwatched sci-fi TV series called 'Firefly,' about a rabble crew of one-liner spewing space rogues, met an early demise. Only 11 of the show's 14 produced season-one episodes ever made it to the air, breaking writer and creator Joss Whedon's heart. Then a funny thing happened: In a coup that would have made Napoleon Bonaparte proud, Whedon (who is also the creator of the wildly successful 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' series) convinced Universal to bring back the entire original 'Firefly' cast and finance a feature-length film. The result is 'Serenity,' a cross between a futuristic morality tale and a Western set in outer space. Chock-full of humor, originality and action, the movie opened at No. 2 at the box office and won raves from critics and audiences alike. On the eve of the DVD's release, we talked with writer-director Whedon about the agony and the ecstasy of getting the film made, why the future won't be so different from the past, and whether Wonder Woman could kick River Tam and Buffy's ass in a fight.

Moviefone: How would you describe this movie to someone who hasn't seen the 'Firefly' TV series and is coming to these characters for the first time in 'Serenity'?

Joss Whedon: The deal with Universal was: Make a science-fiction action film that has some humor and has some heart, some meaning, and will deliver some action for a price. The trade-off is you don't have to use anybody but the actors you want to use, so it won't be a big star vehicle. There won't be all the money in the world; there won't be all the pressure in the world. Just go make a good movie. And I basically made the thing for people who haven't seen the show. That was my number one priority. If you only make the movie for people who have seen the show, first of all that's not very good business. And second of all that's not very good art. If the thing can't stand on its own, it shouldn't be given legs at all.

MF: You kind of made history by getting 'Serenity' greenlit. I mean, it's not too often -- or ever-- that a series that doesn't make it a full season gets the big-screen treatment. Why were you so passionate about making this film?

JW: I really believed in this world and these characters and the actors. The ensemble were as talented and as full of life and great to work with as anybody I've ever worked with, and I just could not accept that we all had come together and had gotten so close to telling this story and then been denied. I couldn't take that. I felt like I not only desperately wanted to work with these people again and continue telling the story. I also felt an obligation because I had promised them that we would do this. When we were canceled, I felt that I had broken that promise. That just didn't sit well with me.

MF: Do you feel like this movie was the last chapter for the crew of Serenity, or do you envision a sequel or something else to continue their story?

JW: Well, I can envision anything I want, but somebody has to pay for it. The movie was designed to do what I always try to do: to give everybody closure, so should it be the last chapter everyone will have a sense of the story having been told. But then, there's always an opening. It's not like I've never thought about what could happen in further incarnations. I'll wait to see if that's possible. I'm not going to fight to make a sequel the way I fought to make 'Serenity.' I don't have that kind of fight in me again right now. That was incredibly grueling. It took a lot out of me. When I say "a lot out of me," I mean like organs.

MF: You came up with the idea for the 'Firefly' TV series after reading the Civil War novel 'The Killer Angels.' What was it about the book that inspired you?

JW: It was the minutiae. It was the idea of the way these people lived -- how different it is than the way we're living now AND how similar. Ultimately, the idea was about that very tough kind of very immediate, very physical life that America is losing as our lives become interjected on the internet, on TV, and everything can be delivered to your door, from a pizza to a bride. That tough immediacy of life is something that I miss. I really just wanted to see the frontier again, but I wanted to see it as it could be. I wanted to see it as science fiction because that's where I like to live. And just the idea that in the future we may know more, we won't have more, we'll just have the same problems in different guise. That's what got me.

MF: At the heart of the movie is the moral, ideological and physical conflict between Mal (Nathan Fillion) and the Operative (Chiwetel Ejiofor) that transcends both of them. What do these two guys represent?

JW: To me Mal represents the human factor. The Operative represents the concept of ideals that forget the human factor, that leaves out the idea of people being flawed and that may be the greatest thing about them. Our flaws are what make us ourselves, what make us fascinating. The ways we don't live up to the ideals we might have are really our defining characteristics. Any dogma or even law that doesn't take into account the human factor to some extent is going to become basically troublesome and possibly annihilating. It's a humanist statement. Mal represents the right to be wrong, the right to dissent. He's not necessarily somebody that I like, and that's I figured the most powerful way I could make that statement. It's not that he's AWESOME and the Operative is a complete dick. The Operative is much smarter and politer, and you'd probably have a much better time with the Operative if he wasn't busy killing you. But that's kind of the point. The Operative represents the best of intentions with the worst of results. And Mal represents a schmuck. He's every schmuck.

MF: There were some pretty ass-kicking fight scenes in the film, especially the ones with Summer Glau. How much of the fighting did she actually do?

JW: She did about 95 percent of it. There were maybe two or three wire gags that she didn't do, but all of the hand-to-hand stuff is her. She got this because she's a dancer. The first time I ever hired her was as a dancer, so I knew she had the stamina and the flexibility to do some sweet fighting.

MF: If River Tam, Buffy and Wonder Woman were in a fight, which would be the last one standing?

JW: Wonder Woman. She's practically as strong as the Hulk. Plus, she's got a few years on the girls. River's got the psychic thing, but she doesn't have superpowers. Buffy does. But Wonder Woman is stronger than Buffy -- and she's got props. She's got a lasso. So believe me, it would be an awesome fight, but ultimately Wonder Gal would triumph.

MF: What kind of story are you looking to tell with the new 'Wonder Woman' flick?

JW: She's a fascinating creature because she's the opposite of Mal. She's all ideal -- and very confused about why the rest of us aren't the same way. She's incredibly strong, but she's completely at the mercy of the world. She so doesn't understand it. Right now, that's a feeling I think a lot of people can share.

MF: Any actresses you've got your eye on to play Wonder Woman?

JW: I do not. She exists only on the page and -- let's face it -- not even enough on that. Yes, I'm behind.

MF: What's your favorite movie of all time?

JW: Despite subsequent events, probably 'The Matrix.' 'Bad and the Beautiful' and 'Once Upon a Time in the West' were duking it out for a while and there's a lot of close contenders, but ultimately 'The Matrix' is the one.

MF: And how do you feel about the sequels?

JW: Those were the subsequent events to which I referred.

See DVD scenes from 'Serenity'