About a year and a half ago I blogged on the then rumour that a Buffy film might be made without Joss Whedon’s involvement – and that that might not be so terrible a thing.
For those who hate clicking links and actually reading stuff, my argument was boiled down to:
- Most movies, even ones where there’s a real script and real people involved, don’t get made.
- Most movies that are made aren’t any good.
- Sometimes a different take on an idea is better than a continuation.
- A movie probably isn’t the right kind of medium for the kind of stories Buffy on TV was about – so even with Joss it wouldn’t be the same.
So I came out in favour. Partly it has to be said, because I didn’t think it would happen and partly because I wanted Joss to go on and do new and fresh things. Well he did and is. But also it is.
Happening that is.
That is, I mean they really are making it. A new Buffy. Without Whedon, without Gellar and without a lot of the characters we know and love[*].
And I find my theoretical “It might not be so bad” has been challenged somewhat by the reality. In particular:
- the fact that they’ve hired Whit Anderson (who?) to write the script. Apparently she (seriously who?) had an interesting take on the concept.
- the fact that it’s perhaps pitched primarily as a comedy (that worked out well for the original didn’t it?)
- that it looks for all the world like a cynical attempt to cash in on the whole vampire thing that culminated in the Twilight movies. (That Buffy pre-dates most of this by at least a decade has meant I can safely deride this trend without attacking my beloved show.)
So yes, I concede it probably won’t be any good and I’ll probably hate it (though I’ll have to see it of course). But I won’t be joining any protests or online petitions (although feel free to yourself).
Because the other half of the argument – that Joss should move on and do other things – is still valid. He should and he is.
[*]I think because the people concerned own the rights to the original movie and underlying concept – but not the TV show and its add-ons i.e. Xander, Willow, Angel, Spike and Giles. Or maybe they do but they just wanted to make it a clean slate.