Joss Whedon

Joss Whedon-who is directing the upcoming SF movie Serenity, based on his canceled Fox TV series Firefly-told fans at Comic-Con International that he also intends to write a new series of comic books based on the universe and characters. Speaking to thousands of fans in the San Diego Convention Center on July 25, Whedon said, "We have every intention of putting out a comic book of Serenity as well."

Whedon is no stranger to comics, having written the Dark Horse title Fray, a futuristic take on the universe introduced in his UPN TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, as well as the current Marvel title The Astonishing X-Men. "We’re talking with Dark Horse right now about doing a Serenity comic book, because of Fray," Whedon added.

Serenity picks up the story of the short-lived Firefly, set 500 years in the future, about the ragtag crew of a transport ship traveling the galaxy in the wake of a galactic civil war. The movie, from Universal Pictures, is currently in production, with an eye to a spring 2005 release. Universal is owned by NBC Universal, which also owns SCIFI.COM.