Nathan Fillion surprised fans with the announcement that he and 20th Television Animation are in advanced stages of development on a new animated series based on the beloved cult sci-fi franchise “Firefly.” The reveal came during a panel and live taping of his podcast “Once We Were Spacemen” at Awesome Con in Washington, D.C., where the news was met by a packed, standing-room-only crowd with thunderous applause and enthusiastic cheers.
Fillion made the announcement alongside his former “Firefly” co-star and podcast co-host Alan Tudyk, joined by fellow original cast members Gina Torres, Jewel Staite, Morena Baccarin, Sean Maher, and Summer Glau that amplified speculation already building online.
The reveal followed a viral social media campaign featuring a series of cryptic videos starring Fillion and several of his “Firefly” co-stars. In the first clip, Fillion knocks on what appears to be a production trailer door as Torres asks, “Does this mean it’s time?” Fillion responds simply, “It’s time.” Subsequent videos featured Baccarin, Maher, Staite, Glau, Baldwin and Tudyk, which ignited intense fan speculation and generated tens of millions of views across platforms.
The animated reboot is being developed through Fillion’s production banner Collision33 in partnership with 20th Television Animation, which controls the underlying rights to the franchise. The proposed series is set in the timeline between the original 2002 television run and its 2005 feature film continuation, “Serenity,” expanding the universe while preserving continuity with the established lore.
A script has been completed, and early concept art has been developed in collaboration with the Oscar and Emmy award-winning animation studio ShadowMachine. The fully assembled package is expected to be taken out to buyers shortly.
Married writing-producing team Marc Guggenheim (“DC’s Legends of Tomorrow,” “Arrow”) and Tara Butters (“Agent Carter,” “Reaper,” “Law & Order: SVU”) are attached to serve as showrunners, marking their first formal professional collaboration as a duo.
