Summary
- Firefly's fanbase wasn't large enough to make Serenity a box office success.
- Joss Whedon made Serenity accessible to attract a larger audience.
- Reviving the Firefly franchise with another Serenity movie would risk damaging its impressive legacy.
The sole season of canceled TV shows fans refuse to let go of.
Soon after Firefly was canceled, the ion for the show brought about a movie set in the Firefly universe. Released in 2005, Serenity serves as a continuation of Firefly, serving as the story's true finale - something the original show hadn't been given the chance to put together. The title of the movie is a reference to the ship belonging to Nathan Fillion's character, Captain Malcolm Reynolds. Despite favorable reviews and a handful of awards, Serenity didn't meet its financial expectations at the box office and bombed badly. However, there's an understandable reason behind the failure of Joss Whedon's movie.
How Old Malcolm Reynolds Is In Firefly & Serenity
Mal Reynolds was the lead character in Firefly and Serenity, but how old was he through the series and the movie? Let's take a look.
Firefly Was Too Niche For Serenity To Succeed
The franchise didn't have a sufficient following to a movie
Firefly may have had a dedicated fanbase, but that doesn't mean the size of its following was sufficient to make Serenity a box office smash. ion is very different from quantity, and unfortunately, there just weren't enough people interested in seeing a movie based on a short-lived, canceled sci-fi show. Whedon and company were likely aware of the show's limited appeal and how this may have influenced the movie's success. Although Serenity did allow the events of Firefly to inform its narrative, the sequel movie was also made to be accessible to new audiences.
Simply put, Whedon made it so that it was possible to watch Serenity without seeing all fourteen episodes of Firefly. It was a clever move and a very self-aware decision from the leader of the franchise. While it may have contributed to getting more people to see Serenity than would have done otherwise, the relative obscurity of the property as a whole ultimately meant the numbers just didn't add up.
Moving a TV show into the world of movies is often a calculated risk. While the two industries are similar, they each have unique differences that mean the formula of one doesn't always carry over successfully to the other. For Serenity, it remains a surprise that the plan to make a movie after Firefly went ahead, despite the fans' need for closure. The decision becomes even more confusing when it's considered the brutal way in which the TV show met its end.
A Serenity 2 Still Wouldn't Work Now
Firefly has been dormant for too long
Firefly remains as popular today as it ever was, if not even more so. The TV show and ensuing movie have achieved the status of cult classics. The franchise has also spread into other forms of media such as graphic novels set at various points in Firefly's timeline. However, while the love for Firefly and Serenity still burns brightly among its fans, the franchise as a whole has been out of the public eye for far too long to warrant another movie. Any effort to make a sequel to Serenity would likely lead to the resulting movie crashing and burning in the same way as its predecessor.
9 TV Shows Canceled Just As They Got Good
Networks and studios cancel TV shows all the time, and it can be particularly devastating when this happens just as a show is getting its bearings.
The Firefly franchise was a cultural phenomenon in the early 2000s, and the explosive introduction of Malcolm Reynolds and his crew has left a lasting impact. However, the size of the property still isn't sufficient to risk the production of another Serenity movie. Although the fanbase has slowly grown in the decades since Firefly first aired, another attempt to make a splash at the box office is not worth the effort and financial risks involved for the small franchise, no matter how influential it was from a cultural standpoint.
Firefly has an impressive reputation considering its rapid fall from grace. Trying to revive the franchise with another installment could negatively impact the legacy that Firefly and Serenity have carved out for themselves. As such, Joss Whedon would be wise not to attempt another Firefly comeback, and instead leave Serenity as the final on-screen installment of the beloved tale.
Firefly is available to stream on Hulu. Serenity must be rented or purchased but is available from platforms such as AppleTV+ and Amazon Prime Video.
