Is Serenity: Echoes of Tranquility real? Firefly sequel explained

❘ Published: 2023-12-26T16:45:55

Universal Pictures

Firefly fans have been gushing over Serenity: Echoes of Tranquility, an alleged sequel said to be marking the return of the franchise. But is it even real? Here’s what we know.

While Joss Whedon may be best known for Buffy and his early work on the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Firefly is arguably his best creation. The space western series first hit the small screen in the early 2000s, following Mal Reynolds (Nathan Fillion) and his renegade crew in the fallout of a universal war as they take on odd jobs to survive.

Fox botched its release, airing episodes out of order and binning it after airing just 11 of the 14 produced episodes. Fortunately, it found its deserved lease of life on DVD: sales skyrocketed, and the fandom’s passion for the series led to Serenity, a big-screen continuation that hit cinemas in 2005. It barely made a profit, but critical and fan reception was mostly positive.

Now, nearly 20 years later, another movie is seemingly on the way with Serenity: Echoes of Tranquility… or is it?

Is Serenity: Echoes of Tranquility happening?

No, Serenity: Echoes of Tranquility isn’t happening, nor are there any Firefly projects in development.

A fake poster for the film was posted by YODA BBY ABY, a Facebook page that openly discloses sharing made-up press releases for movies like The Christmas Express, John Krasinski’s Die Hard remake, and Andy Serkis’ standalone Smeagol movie.

The fake poster for Serenity: Echoes of Tranquility

While many of their posts fade into the ether of social media, some of them really take off – on this occasion, the poster has amassed nearly 6,000 shares and thousands of excited comments.

The caption (for the movie that doesn’t exist) reads: “THE SERENITY FLIES AGAIN!!! Get ready for an intergalactic thrill ride as the crew of Serenity returns in Serenity: Echoes of Tranquility, soaring onto Disney+ this July 2024!

“Nathan Fillion, Adam Baldwin, and Summer Glau reprise their iconic roles, plunging fans into a mesmerizing tale of adventure, betrayal, and newfound alliances. Brace yourself for a space odyssey that will redefine the meaning of loyalty, exclusively on Disney+!”

A proper Firefly revival has been considered at Fox, but execs want to ensure it’d be relevant in today’s pop culture. “The macro answer is, any time we look at one of our classic titles, if there’s a way to reinvent it for today so it’s as resonant now as the original was, and is, to the fans, we’re wide open,” Fox Entertainment President Michael Thorn told TheWrap.

“I loved Firefly, personally, and I watched every episode. I didn’t work on it, but I loved the show. It had come up before, but we had The Orville on the air and it didn’t make sense for us to have, as a broadcast network who is very targeted, to have two space franchises on our air.”

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