Serenity star Jewel Staite reflects on the cult sci-fi movie as it approaches its 20th anniversary. The 2005 movie is a sequel to Joss Whedon’s Firefly, which was unceremoniously cancelled during its only season. The story follows Serenity’s crew, a rag-tag group of smugglers trying to avoid the overbearing government, The Alliance, and hide fugitive siblings Simon and River Tam. Statie played Kaylee, the bubbly engineering savant who kept Serenity flying with limited supplies. Serenity‘s cast also featured Nathan Fillion, Gina Torres, Alan Tudyk, Morena Baccarin, Adam Baldwin, Sean Maher, Summer Glau, Ron Glass, and Chiwetel Ejiofor.
In a post on Staite’s Instagram, she reveals she discovered Serenity memorabilia in a cabinet almost 20 years after the movie premiered. In the video, she reflects on the movie while presenting her findings to the camera. She calls filming “one of the best experiences I’ve ever had” and describes it as “the one that got away“ as Serenity failed to have a sequel greenlit. Her discoveries include her on-set chair back, a “Serenity inter-office memorandum,” canonical comic books that bridged the show and the movie, and her original script. Check out what Staite had to say below:
Okay, I had to make a video because I was going through this cabinet that we have. Everybody has one of those where it’s just stuffed full of stuff, and you need a day to go through it all and get rid of things. I found a giant box full of souvenirs, props, and things like that. The ones that meant the most to me was the stuff from Serenity.
This is what I found: I found my chair back, and it made me feel something in my cold little heart. I also found the Serenity inter-office memorandum. These are thoughts on look, light, and music for the movie. We had a lot of new crew members coming onto the movie who weren’t a part of the show. So this was written to, I guess, tell the tone of the characters and the world that the Firefly-verse was set in. It’s like a love letter to the characters and that universe, and this is very dear to me.
These are comic books. We all signed these at some point. This also makes me almost cool to my kid because I’m in a comic book. I said ‘almost’; I’ll take it. Very cool. And then, my favorite thing of all: my copy of the original script for Serenity. Oh, guys, this just gives me all the feels, really. This was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had. I’ve been doing this for almost 40 years, and this is just like the one that got away. But I love that I found this. It still lives on.
What This Means For Serenity
The Verse Is Still Beloved
Since Serenity premiered, viewers have been clamoring for a sequel. However, Serenity flopped at the box-office, only making $40.4 million against a reported $39 million budget. Although a major factor in Serenity being greenlit was Firefly‘s impressive DVD sales, the same could not be said for the movie. Rumors and petitions continue to circulate, but as Statie notes, the live-action universe stopped with the movie. The story continued in canonical Serenity comics from Dark Horse before the license moved to BOOM! Studios for a new series of Firefly comics.
Staite’s warm reflection on Serenity memorabilia is a reminder of how much the show and movie resonated with viewers.
In the modern era of reboots, sequels, and remakes, more Firefly and Serenity can never be fully counted out. Since Firefly was already brought back once with the movie, which has arguably only gotten more popular in the past 2 decades, there is always a chance. Even more interest in a potential future project could be ignited by the Buffy the Vampire Slayer sequel show, which shares a significant crossover of viewers as both were created by Whedon prior to allegations of abusive on-set behavior.
Our Take On Staite’s Video
The Star Shares Feelings That Reflect The Fan-Base
Staite’s warm reflection on Serenity memorabilia is a reminder of how much the show and movie resonated with viewers. While it was not a success at the box-office, the movie only bolstered the cult status of the sci-fi western. The storytelling, chemistry between the cast, and unique setting helped it stand apart in a way that is still celebrated years later. Statie sharing memories from the movie is hopefully just the beginning of more of the cast and crew looking back on Serenity for its 20th anniversary.
Source: Jewel Staite/Instagram
Serenity
- Release Date
-
September 30, 2005
- Runtime
-
119 Minutes