Is The Rookie and Superman star Nathan Fillion teasing an honest-to-goodness Firefly reunion? It sure seems that way. Over the past few weeks, Fillion, whose big break in TV was in the 2002-2003 sci-fi western Firefly, has been teasing…something. He’s been posting videos of himself going to the doors of each of his former Firefly castmates, knocking, and letting them know it’s their time to answer the call, so to speak. So far, Fillion has posted videos visiting Alan Tudyk (Wash), Gina Torres (Zoë), Morena Baccarin (Inara), Sean Maher (Simon Tam), Summer Glau (River Tam), and Jewel Staite (Kaylee). They’ve said an announcement is imminent for March 15.
Fillion and company have insisted that whatever it is they’re making together, it’s not a “convention, podcast, or crossover of some type.” So no, it doesn’t seem the former Firefly actors are appearing as other characters on The Rookie. Fillion must realize that if all this isn’t Firefly-related, fans will be deflated. You can’t tease this much and then not deliver. The only former Serenity crew member who hasn’t been in a “recruitment video” yet is Adam Baldwin, who played Jayne. Ron Glass, who played Shepherd Book, sadly passed away a decade ago. His character died in the Firefly continuation film, Serenity.
So let’s put our speculation hats on. First, we have to acknowledge who now owns the rights to Firefly. The TV series was produced by 20th Century Fox Television, now owned by Disney. Disney is reviving other Fox properties like Buffy and The X-Files for Hulu, so it makes sense that Firefly would be next. (Universal Pictures produced the spin-off movie Serenity). It could be a limited series, or a movie. We think fans would take either. Another possibility is an animated series, set during the era of the original show. Maybe even an anime series. Although some might say that it already exists, and it came first, and we call it Cowboy Bebop. It could also be an audio drama, but that seems less likely (and less exciting).
Now, we must address the elephant in the room, which is Firefly creator Joss Whedon. After several allegations of on-set abuse came to light about him, primarily from the Buffy and Angel casts, his career effectively ended. He was let go from his HBO series The Nevers in 2020, which was then unceremoniously canceled. And he hasn’t produced anything in any medium in over five years. He has no involvement in the upcoming Buffy revival, besides collecting a check. However, his former Firefly cast has remained fiercely loyal to him, suggesting they all got different treatment. Particularly loyal to Whedon are Fillion and Tudyk. Would they do a Firefly revival without him?
Of course, it’s possible that if Whedon is returning, he’s just writing the scripts and not directing, meaning no on-set interactions with actors. But for some people, that won’t be enough. Whatever happens with this big announcement, the excitement around it proves that the love for Firefly has never died down. Even 23 years after the series ended. Few series that only lasted 14 episodes (only 11 on broadcast TV) maintain this rabid a following. And if Firefly does indeed return, it will be welcome news for sci-fi fans in very trying times.