Hostility felt - Serenity is pushed back.

Aw nuts. Are any of us surprised? Really now. Firefly writer/creator Joss Whedon got on the forums of WHEDONesque yesterday and broke the news that his big screen version SERENITY would be pushed back to September 30th from it's original April 22nd date. Read on for Whedon's take ...

"Okay. Don't panic. right now you're panicking. you're thinking, "how could they do this to me?" But what you SHOULD be thinking is: "How could they do this to JOSS?". Seriously. That pity is mine and I want it back.

So what happened? Well, nothing terribly original. April got crowded with a lot of titles aimed at a similar demographic, and the studio decided September was a clearer corridor for the film to make the kind of impact it should. This isn't about a lack of confidence in the film -- in fact, they told me this before they even saw it. And now they have seen it, and unless they're way better liars than I'm used to, they dug it. Actually, they dug it pretty large, which is a good sign since there's not a single finished effect in the film. There's no reworking the end, no reshoots, no "does it have to be in space?". It's just a marketing issue. Now you'll get to watch lots of trailers in the summer. And hopefully, by the time it comes out, other people, people who ain't us, will get a whiff of what we're up to, and come along too.

I love this movie. I HATE waiting to show it too you. I felt pretty much the way I imagine you're feeling right now when they told me. But these guys know what they're doing, and they're trying to protect their investment, not bury it. So I gotta be a grown-up. The release date is September 30th. Hopefully it won't change again."

I know this is crushing news. Especially for all you Browncoats out there who have been counting down the days. What could possibly be better that Serenity in the month of April? XXX:State of the Union? The Amityville Horror? House of Wax? And what's this Sin City everyone keeps talking about? oh. Okay, that one I can forgive.

But here's something though that most folks would not have thought of though and you can't blame them since they don't live here in the T.O. The end of September is preceded by the beginning and middle of September. Right about the time that a certain internationally acclaimed film festival rolls into town. Hmmmm. Who's ear do I put a bug into? TIFF would be a nice place to give it a view. wink wink nudge nudge.

Just like a Torontonian. Only thinking about themselves.