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DrummDragon · Aug 18, 2007, 03:54 AM

Attention Browncoats, this is a call to arms! We must organize! We must fight! What are we fighting for? For a sequel to one of the best science-fiction movies to date, a sequel to Serenity. A letter writing campaign is being organized, and it's very simple to participate. All you must do is copy/paste, and print out the following letter. Then sign your name, and mail it off to the address below. This campaign is being timed with the release of the special edition of the Serenity DVD. The idea is that if enough people buy a copy of the special edition DVD and send out a copy of the exact same letter, Universal will consider making a sequel to Serenity because it will be profitable. So all you have to do to expand the Firefly/Serenity universe, is mail the following letter to Universal Studios on or after August 21st, the day the special edition DVD ships. If everyone one of us gets as many people as possible to send in a letter and buy a copy of the DVD, then no power in the 'verse can stop us.

-Trevor Latal (DrummDragon)

Universal Studios Address:

Universal Pictures
100 Universal City Plaza
Universal Studios, CA. 91608

Letter to be printed and mailed (email may work also): double space the letter so it fills the whole page

To whom it may concern,

I am what one would call a “Browncoat.” A fan of the 2005 major motion picture Serenity, by Joss Whedon and Universal Studios. This also means that I am a fan of the short lived television series Firefly. As a member of the very large Browncoat community, I can say that we have done the impossible. What the Browncoat community has done is to help get a cancelled television series made into a major motion picture. My hope is that we can do it again, and have a sequel to the 2005 major motion picture Serenity will soon be made by Universal Studios.

Due to both DVD sales and word of mouth, popularity of the major motion picture Serenity has increased greatly since it’s theatrical debut in 2005. This rise in popularity is not just among determined fans who call themselves “Browncoats,” but among the general movie going public as well. I am sure that your company’s sales records of the Serenity DVD can indicate better than I can, that it would be in Universal Studio’s best financial interest to produce a sequel to Serenity. With better publicity and marketing than the first, a sequel to Serenity would be much more successful at the box office, as well as in DVD sales. I can guarantee that when a sequel to Serenity is produced, that no power in the ‘verse can stop me, or thousands of other Browncoats and ordinary moviegoers alike from seeing it.

Sincerely,

(Printed Name)

(Signature)

Peter · Aug 18, 2007, 05:41 AM

good lord no.

Chuckit · Aug 18, 2007, 09:19 AM

Do you really think IRL spamming them with the exact same letter will be productive? I remember back when Firefly was on, we would try to think of ways not to annoy the crap out of the executives. (Then again, you see how well that worked.)

ghporter · Aug 18, 2007, 09:26 AM

Plus there's already another thread about Joss' announcement of a "Big Damn Sequel." Suggesting a letter writing campaign is a good idea. Spamming us with it here is not.

Please don't get all indignant about my comment-I'm at least as Browncoat as anyone else. But making people pissed off and connecting that with Firefly/Serenity is a bad idea-and counterproductive.

Chuckit, good letter writing campaigns start with volume AND variety. It was individually, hand-written letters that flooded NBC into renewing Star Trek (The Original Series) for its third season, and individual letters and emails that got Paramount to renew Enterprise for its fourth season. It was the enormous outpouring of fan support-at conventions, with 'zines, and lots of fanfic-that convinced Universal to make Serenity. And they made a buttload of money off of it. So you're right-a bunch of identical letters won't have the impact of a bunch of individual letters.

BRussell · Aug 18, 2007, 09:32 AM

Browncoats? That's kind of... an unfortunate label, isn't it?

JoshuaZ · Aug 18, 2007, 09:33 AM

I liked both the TV show and movie. But come on guys. The movie didn't do well enough in the theater for anyone to take the risk at making another one. I wish you the best of luck, but really, the market has spoken.

Unless for some reason the DVDs pull a "Family Guy" we should just probably thank our lucky stars that we even got one movie.

ghporter · Aug 18, 2007, 09:36 AM

Originally Posted by BRussell

Browncoats? That's kind of... an unfortunate label, isn't it?

The uniform of the Independents included a long, brown coat and so they were called "browncoats." It's a Firefly thing...

JoshuaZ, I think you're underestimating the fanbase and the effect that can have on the dollar signs in executives' eyes. This could wind up being a franchise, with a number of movies that wind up telling the full story Joss wanted to build the series on. Apparently sales of the "Collector's Edition" of Serenity are booming-which tells the suits "let's do more of this stuff so we'll cash in on these people." It works.

JoshuaZ · Aug 18, 2007, 10:04 AM

Well, good luck to you guys in your online efforts. I would love to see another well done Firefly movie.

Though even Joss realizes its time to move on...

IGN: Serenity Sequel Squashed

ghporter · Aug 18, 2007, 10:13 AM

That's a year old. Things change. At Comic Con 2007, Joss said he had hope.

JoshuaZ · Aug 18, 2007, 10:16 AM

Whoops. Looks like I missed the date on that one. Oh well. Heres to hope.

Chuckit · Aug 18, 2007, 10:32 AM

Originally Posted by ghporter

That's a year old. Things change. At Comic Con 2007, Joss said he had hope.

Eh, I didn't really think he sounded all that hopeful. A bunch of people in the audience were yelling "BIG DAMN SEQUEL" when he was trying to think of topics to discuss, so he replied that the only way the execs could possibly be persuaded to do it is if the special edition DVD sells like hotcakes. I think Firefly is kind of a raw topic for him, so he doesn't want to get his hopes up.

BRussell · Aug 18, 2007, 10:52 AM

Originally Posted by ghporter

The uniform of the Independents included a long, brown coat and so they were called "browncoats." It's a Firefly thing...

I understand, but that doesn't change the fact that it's an unfortunate label for a group of people to call themselves...

Chuckit · Aug 18, 2007, 11:13 AM

Why? Because some people in some unrelated situation also wore a brown item of clothing?

BRussell · Aug 18, 2007, 11:29 AM

Originally Posted by Chuckit

Why? Because some people in some unrelated situation also wore a brown item of clothing?

Not just because they wore a brown item of clothing, but because that specific term, "browncoats," refers to Nazis.*

*Oops, I just looked it up to make sure I wasn't crazy, and I was crazy. The Nazi term is "brownshirts," not "browncoats." But that was the first thing I thought of. No one else?

::maroma:: · Aug 18, 2007, 01:10 PM

Originally Posted by BRussell

Not just because they wore a brown item of clothing, but because that specific term, "browncoats," refers to Nazis.*

*Oops, I just looked it up to make sure I wasn't crazy, and I was crazy. The Nazi term is "brownshirts," not "browncoats." But that was the first thing I thought of. No one else?

I've actually never heard of Nazis referred to as Brownshirts. But I'm a Firefly fan so I immediately knew what Browncoats referred to.

ghporter · Aug 18, 2007, 02:25 PM

I could not have imagined confusing "browncoats" with "brown shirts". It never occurred to me that you were actually thinking that, or I would have corrected your mistake (politely, of course).

EndlessMac · Aug 18, 2007, 06:07 PM

I'ld rather they continue the tv series rather than make another movie. The movie had a different personality to it which wasn't bad but I found the tv series better. Also a continuation of the series would allow Joss Whedon to expand on the story more instead of trying to cram everything into a 2 hour movie.

JoshuaZ · Aug 18, 2007, 07:20 PM

Originally Posted by EndlessMac

I'ld rather they continue the tv series rather than make another movie. The movie had a different personality to it which wasn't bad but I found the tv series better. Also a continuation of the series would allow Joss Whedon to expand on the story more instead of trying to cram everything into a 2 hour movie.

Seconded. Though Fox owns the sights to the TV show. Someone would have to wrestle them away.

ghporter · Aug 18, 2007, 08:47 PM

Originally Posted by JoshuaZ

Seconded. Though Fox owns the sights to the TV show. Someone would have to wrestle them away.

Fox needs to be spanked thoroughly for being such dolts with Firefly in the first place. They got Joss to make a series, they didn't understand a bit of it or its potentially huge audience, they didn't schedule it for a decent timeslot, they didn't air the episodes in the order their stories made sense in, and then they wondered why they didn't have an instant "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" on their hands. It was because Fox is run by morons, that's why!

Oh.

That was out loud, wasn't it...

Sorry

Anyway this is why I want more movies-at least Fox won't be able to vertically fornicate* movies if they don't have rights to them.

*think about it--very carefully.