Firefly

If there was one sense you get from talking to members of the cast of Serenity, it’s one of hope. While the film may not have performed as well at the box office as the cast and their fans would have liked, that doesn’t necessarily mean that anyone has given up. This coming Tuesday, December 20th, Serenity will be released on DVD, and Universal pictures has stated that they will be keeping a close eye on the numbers. Should the DVD sell as anticipated, the prospect for a sequel to Serenity is a good one.

Today we begin a week of Serenity coverage with an interview with Ron Glass, Alan Tudyk, and Christina Hendricks.

Alan Tudyk, Serenity’s much beloved pilot Wash Hoburn, is one of those who hasn’t given up on the show.

“I think the DVD will do really well,” he told us during a press lunch at the Big Damned Flanvention last weekend. “I also think that when it comes out on the likes of HBO it will be huge. It was an unconventional movie in that it was born out of a cancelled TV show. It was also one that wasn’t driven by star power. But it was a good movie, and the story was good, and people are going to be flipping through channels like we all do, and say, ‘Oh I didn’t see this!’ and they’ll get sucked in. And I think then it’s going to be huge...there’s going to be a lot of converts.”

It was impossible not to mention that the release of the movie alone in the theaters seemed to double the sales of the Firefly DVD, if the numbers at Amazon and the Internet Movie Database were to be believed.

“Yeah, that was big,” Alan agreed with a nod. “So, why shouldn’t it happen again? And you know, we got a hell of a lot more publicity as a movie than we ever did as a TV show and a ton of a people found it on TV, so..."

So, does that mean there just might be a really good chance for a sequel? Luckily, the cast loves this series enough that they have all signed for two more sequels, should more films be green-lighted by Universal.

Serenity’s Sheppard Book, actor Ron Glass, is another individual who is looking forward to how the DVD sales do on Tuesday.

While he’s been in the acting business long enough to know that sometimes a TV series can get cancelled before its time, that doesn’t mean the abrupt end to Firefly didn’t come as a shock to him.

Unfortunately, it happened before we were given any insight into the back-story of his character, something the fans are looking forward to learning.

“I’ve heard a couple possibilities,” Ron replied. “But Joss never really told me a lot about Book’s background. Although, someone asked me at a convention in London what Book did and I said he was a ballet master,” he laughed. “I haven’t been able to top that one!”

Sorry, guys! We tried to get an answer - we really did!

Although she didn’t appear in the film, Christina Hendricks, who portrayed the fan favorite recurring character of Saffron in Firefly, has her own reasons to hope that a sequel or two will be made. After all, who wouldn’t want to see the mischievous YoSafBridge make yet another appearance to harass the crew? Is there a possibility of such a storyline occurring?

“I hope so!” responded Christina with a bright smile. “I hope that everyone talks about it, and Joss hears about it and gets the idea. I would love, love, love to do one of the films. I think it would be so much fun, so let’s keep our fingers crossed!”

There’s a tantalizing allure to the character of Saffron that made her a huge hit among fans, even though she only appeared in two of the Firefly episodes, Our Mrs. Reynolds and Trash.

“I think Saffron was such a hit because she is just so good at being bad,” Christina explained. “And you never knew what was going to happen at any twist and turn, you know? She would use all of her devices to scheme and get away with things, which I think is brilliant.”

“Of course, we’re certain the fact that Christina happens to be such a gorgeous individual doesn’t hurt the character, either. But is Saffron really all bad?

"I honestly believe that everyone is really good inside somewhere, and I don’t think that people necessarily think they are doing bad things when they do them. They somehow justify them.”

Christina went on to provide an even deeper insight into the character. “Saffron had to make a living just like everyone else, and had to get by. She’s alone out there. The people on Serenity work together as a team, doing basically what she’s doing by herself. So, she’s a pretty clever girl.”

Having enjoyed her character as much as anyone else, we commented to Christina that had the series not been prematurely cancelled, we would have loved to have seen Saffron return.

“I would have hoped so,” she enthused. “I think that people had a fun time with her, and I think the way that Joss wrote Saffron was so great. She could have done a million twists and turns, and changed and popped up in so many different arenas. I would have liked to think that she would have come back. I would have liked to come back!”

While there may not be a chance to tune into a new episode of Firefly to see Christina return as Saffron, you can see her in the hit series, Jake in Progress. She has been signed for five upcoming episodes, with the possibility of more in the future.

Here’s hoping that we’ll also get to see Christina, along with the crew of Firefly, in a much hoped for sequel to Serenity. For now, be certain to pick up your copy of the DVD, in stores tomorrow, December 20th