Joss Whedon's Influence on Filmmaking

In 1992 writer Joss Whedon made his mark in Hollywood with the under performing theatrical oddity Buffy The Vampire Slayer, which at the time starred the rising talents of Kristy (Mannequin: On The Move, Hot Shots!) Swanson and Luke (TV's Beverly Hills 90210) Perry. Buffy was a dud at the box office and Whedon found himself back in television where he continued to write for such shows as Roseanne and Parenthood before hitting acclaim with the animated feature Toy Story.

Whedon then took his status as an emerging writer to television where on a brave move by the WB Network allowed Whedon to resurrect his most beloved character that had been butchered on the big screen. In 1997 five years after its theatrical debacle Buffy The Vampire Slayer returned not on the big screen but on the little known WB Network as a mid season replacement. During its initial run it garnered good ratings and good word of mouth but it wasn't until summer reruns that the show really hit its stride. The show's fresh new cast with thought provoking stories about teenager angst mixed with cutting edge make up and special effects made Buffy The Vampire Slayer one of the fastest cult phenomenons in the network's history. Buffy The Vampire Slayer would go on for another six seasons (ending its run in 2003) before being cancelled while still at the top of its game. The show would also have a successful spin off in the form of Angel (which lasted for five seasons 1999-2004) and continues to be a major marketing giant to this day.

Whedon would further redefine television with his sci-fi western Firefly, which debuted on the Fox Network in 2002, but due to Network tampering (i.e. episodes played out of order, long weeks in between new episodes, etc.) the show never gathered steam and was prematurely cancelled before the final episode aired. It wasn't until the show reached DVD that an audience could fully appreciate the grandeur of Whedon's vision making it one of Fox's biggest selling television series at the time. Fox was so enamored that they commissioned a big screen adaptation of the series. In 2005 Serenity was born.