Angel

09:00am ET, 22-February-04

Angel Fate Seems Grim

David Fury, executive producer of The WB’s canceled vampire series Angel, told SCI FI Wire that he was doubtful the show will migrate to UPN next year, though he confirmed that talks are underway. "There were and are conversations going on with UPN," Fury said in an interview at the Wolfram & Hart Annual Revue fan charity ball on Feb. 21.

Fury added, "But in all likelihood they don’t have the financial wherewithal to continue the series. It’s less expensive than Buffy was for them, but trying to bring a show that’s ... going to be going into its sixth season, it’s not really financially responsible for them to pick up a show that doesn’t really have much of a future beyond one more season." UPN picked up two more seasons of Angel’s predecessor series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, after The WB canceled it.

Fury added that he wasn’t optimistic about future Angel movies of the week, which The WB has held out as a possible continuing venue for the show’s mythology. "I think there’s some time [that] would have to pass before we’d seriously start considering it," Fury said. Angel co-creator Joss Whedon will soon be heavily involved in a proposed feature film based on his canceled SF western series Firefly, Fury added. "Joss’ response to that offer was, ’Who’s going to make [an Angel movie] for you?’ Because he’s going to be off doing a motion picture, Firefly, and he’ll be consumed with that for some time. And presumably everybody else on the show will have moved on to other projects, although we’d love to continue to work together, and we will try to, I’m sure, in our various capacities. But as far as the movies go, I don’t expect you’ll hear anything announced about that for another year. And by that time, again, everybody will have moved on, actors and writers. And it just may be a hard thing to actually realize."

As for Angel’s series-ending story arc, Fury said, he doubted that Buffy star Sarah Michelle Gellar will be making a guest appearance. "Well, that’s entirely up to Sarah, and frankly, I think she’s out of the country [in Japan] doing a movie [The Grudge], ... so I’m very doubtful that she’s going to be able to come back. And the problem with her coming back anyway is that it sort of invites closure for Spike and/or Angel, which I’m not sure we ever want to do. I think it’s better never to quite know. ... Whatever it is, it’s not going to be satisfying to somebody. So I think I prefer the idea that both men are still holding out hope and maybe it’s something for an Angel movie someday, or a Buffy movie." Angel airs Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT.