{{Short description|2005 film directed by Joss Whedon}} {{Other uses|Serenity (disambiguation){{!}}Serenity}} {{Use American English|date=October 2021}} {{Use mdy dates|date=April 2021}} {{Infobox film | image = Serenity One Sheet.jpg | caption = Theatrical release poster | director = Joss Whedon | producer = Barry Mendel | writer = Joss Whedon | based_on = {{Based on|''Firefly''|Joss Whedon}} | starring = {{Plainlist| * Nathan Fillion * Alan Tudyk * Adam Baldwin * Summer Glau * Chiwetel Ejiofor }}<!--PER BILLING BLOCK--> | music = David Newman | cinematography = Jack Green | editing = Lisa Lassek | studio = {{Plainlist| * Universal Pictures<ref>{{cite web |last=Hunter |first=Allan |title=Serenity {{!}} Reviews |url=https://www.screendaily.com/serenity/4024110.article |website=Screen Daily |access-date=18 September 2025 |date=22 August 2025}}</ref> * Barry Mendel Productions }} | distributor = {{Plainlist| * Universal Pictures (United States) * United International Pictures (International) }} | released = {{Film date|2005|8|22|EIFF|2005|9|30|United States}} | runtime = 119 minutes<!-- Theatrical runtime: 119:16 --><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.bbfc.co.uk/releases/serenity-2005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151019150335/http://www.bbfc.co.uk/releases/serenity-2005 |url-status=dead |archive-date=October 19, 2015 |title=''Serenity'' (15) |date=August 15, 2005 |website=British Board of Film Classification |access-date=June 1, 2013}}</ref> | country = United States | language = English | budget = $39 million<ref name="BOM">{{Cite web |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0379786/?ref_=bo_se_r_2 |title=Serenity (2005) – Box Office |website=Box Office Mojo |access-date=May 8, 2020 |archive-date=June 20, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230620052231/https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0379786/?ref_=bo_se_r_2 |url-status=live }}</ref> | gross = $40.4 million<ref name="BOM" /><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Serenity#tab=summary |title=Serenity (2005) |website=The Numbers |access-date=October 13, 2015 |archive-date=June 20, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230620052230/https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Serenity#tab=summary |url-status=live }}</ref> }} '''''Serenity''''' is a 2005 American space Western film written and directed by Joss Whedon in his feature directorial debut. The film is a continuation of Whedon's short-lived 2002 Fox television series ''Firefly'', taking place after the events of the final episode, with all of the main cast reprising their roles, including Nathan Fillion, Alan Tudyk, Adam Baldwin, and Summer Glau, while Chiwetel Ejiofor stars as a new character. Set in 2517, the story follows the crew of ''Serenity'', a "''Firefly''-class" spaceship, whose captain and first mate are veterans of the Unification War, having fought on the losing Independent side against the Alliance. Their lives of smuggling and cargo-running are interrupted by a psychic passenger who harbors a dangerous secret.
''Serenity'' was released in North America on September 30, 2005, by Universal Pictures to generally positive reviews and several accolades, including the Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, the Prometheus Special Award and the Nebula Award for Best Script, but underperformed at the box office.
==Plot== In the 26th century, humanity has colonized a new solar system. The central planets formed the Alliance and won a war against the outer planet Independents who resisted joining the Alliance. Child genius River Tam is conditioned by Alliance scientists into becoming a psychic and an assassin but is rescued as a teenager by her brother Dr. Simon Tam. During her training, River inadvertently read the minds of several top government officials and learned their secrets. Consequently, an Alliance agent known only as the Operative is tasked with recapturing her.
The siblings have found refuge aboard the transport spaceship ''Serenity'' with Captain Malcolm "Mal" Reynolds; first mate Zoe Washburne; her husband, pilot Hoban "Wash" Washburne; mercenary Jayne Cobb; and mechanic Kaylee Frye. Despite Simon's objections, Mal brings River on a bank robbery. River warns them that savage and cannibalistic Reavers are coming. They escape, but Simon decides he and River will leave ''Serenity'' at the next port. Once there, however, a subliminal message in a television commercial causes River to attack numerous bar patrons, and Mal takes the siblings back aboard the ship. The crew contacts reclusive hacker Mr. Universe, who discovers the message designed to trigger River's mental conditioning. He notes River whispered "Miranda" before attacking and warns that someone else has viewed the footage.
Mal receives an invitation from courtesan Inara Serra. Realising it is a trap, Mal goes to confront the Operative who promises to let him go free if he hands over River. Mal barely escapes. Miranda is discovered to be a planet located beyond a region of space swarming with Reavers. The crew flies to the planet Haven but find it devastated and their old friend Shepherd Book mortally wounded. They realize the Operative has killed anyone who gave them safe harbor and will continue until he gets River.
Mal has the crew disguise ''Serenity'' as a Reaver ship and they travel to Miranda undetected. They find its 30 million colonists dead, and a recording that explains an experimental chemical to suppress aggression had been added into Miranda's atmosphere. The population became so docile they stopped performing all activities of daily living and placidly died. A small proportion of them had the opposite reaction and became insanely aggressive and violent. The Alliance's actions created the Reavers and this was the secret in River's subconscious.
Mr. Universe agrees to broadcast the recording, but has secretly betrayed the crew to the Alliance. However, rather than pay him, the Operative kills him and prepares an ambush. Knowing this, the crew provoke the Reaver fleet into chasing them toward the Alliance armada. The Reavers and Alliance battle while Wash pilots ''Serenity'' through the crossfire. He crash lands near the broadcast tower before being fatally impaled by a Reaver spear.
The crew make a last stand against the Reavers to buy Mal time to broadcast the recording. The crew retreats behind a set of blast doors that fail to properly close. Simon is shot, and River dives through the doors to throw back Simon's medical kit and close the doors before the Reavers drag her away. At the transmitter, Mal fights the Operative, finally subduing him and forcing him to watch as the recording is broadcast. Mal returns to the crew. The blast doors open to reveal that River has killed all the Reavers. The Operative orders the Alliance troops to stand down.
The Operative provides medical aid and resources to repair ''Serenity.'' He tells Mal the broadcast has weakened the Alliance government, but while he will try to convince the Parliament that River and Simon are no longer threats, he warns that they may continue their pursuit in retribution for getting the word out. ''Serenity'' takes off, with River as Mal's new pilot.
==Cast== {{main|List of Firefly characters{{!}}List of ''Firefly'' characters}} <!--- Cast and order per tombstone opening credits, roles per closing credits scroll ---> {{cast listing| * Nathan Fillion as Captain Malcolm "Mal" Reynolds * Gina Torres as Zoë Alleyne Washburne * Alan Tudyk as Hoban "Wash" Washburne * Morena Baccarin as Inara Serra * Adam Baldwin as Jayne Cobb * Jewel Staite as Kaywinnet Lee "Kaylee" Frye * Sean Maher as Simon Tam * Summer Glau as River Tam * Ron Glass as Shepherd Book * David Krumholtz as Mr. Universe * Chiwetel Ejiofor as The Operative * Michael Hitchcock as Dr. Mathias * Sarah Paulson as Dr. Caron * Yan Feldman as Mingo * Rafael Feldman as Fanty }}
==Production== ===Development=== The film is based on ''Firefly'', a television series canceled by the Fox Broadcasting Company in December 2002, after 11 of its 14 produced episodes had aired.<ref name="VisualCompanion17" /> Attempts to have other networks acquire the series failed,<ref name="NetworksNixFirefly">{{Cite web |url=http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire/art-main.html?2003-01/15/13.00.tv |title=Networks Nix ''Firefly'' |date=January 15, 2003 |publisher=Sci-Fi Channel |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030116082340/http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire/art-main.html?2003-01%2F15%2F13.00.tv |archive-date=January 16, 2003 |access-date=April 5, 2015}}</ref> and creator Joss Whedon started to sell it as a film.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Bianculli |first=David |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/ent_radio/story/83903p-76694c.html |title=Fox anchored in reality, plus seven new scripts |date=May 16, 2003 |work=New York Daily News |access-date=April 5, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030803051106/http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/ent_radio/story/83903p-76694c.html |archive-date=August 3, 2003 |author-link=David Bianculli}}</ref> He had been working on a film script since the show's cancellation.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://filmforce.ign.com/articles/436/436688p1.html?fromint=1 |title=Whedon Flies into ''Firefly'' Movie |date=September 4, 2003 |website=IGN |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031204201847/http://filmforce.ign.com/articles/436/436688p1.html?fromint=1 |archive-date=December 4, 2003 |url-status=dead |access-date=April 5, 2015}}</ref> Shortly after the cancellation, he contacted Barry Mendel, who was working with Universal Studios, and "flat-out asked him" for a way to continue the series as a film, including as a low-budget television film. Mendel introduced Whedon to then Universal executive Mary Parent. She had seen ''Firefly'' and immediately signed on to the project, even though Whedon had yet to create a story.<ref name="VisualCompanion17"/> Whedon remarked: {{blockquote|Universal came in where I thought nobody else would, and quite frankly, I'm not sure anybody else would've, with absolute faith and has maintained it. It's been the easiest process in terms of dealing with a studio that I've ever had. And they turned it into—not a blockbuster, which is not what I was trying to make, but not a low-budget movie either. They wanted to make a real movie out of it. They wanted to give us the scope that the show could never have had. So all I had to do was come up with a story that was worth that.<ref name="VisualCompanion17"/>}} {{multiple image |direction=horizontal |footer=All nine actors of the ''Firefly'' main cast returned for ''Serenity''. Left: from left to right, top to bottom: Ron Glass, Summer Glau, Alan Tudyk, Sean Maher, Adam Baldwin, Jewel Staite, Morena Baccarin and Nathan Fillion in 2005. Right: Gina Torres in 2008. |caption_align=center |header_align=center |image1=Firefly cast 2005 flanvention 1.jpg |width1=500 |image2=Gina Torres 2008.jpg |width2=1362 |total_width=350 |height1=404 |height2=1614}}In July 2003, Whedon said that though there was interest in the project, "I won't know really until I finish a draft whether or not it's genuine."<ref name="WhedonWritesFireflyFilm">{{Cite web |url=http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire/art-main.html?2003-07/15/11.30.tv |title=Whedon Writes Firefly Film |date=July 15, 2003 |publisher=Sci-Fi Channel |access-date=April 5, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030729195401/http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire/art-main.html?2003-07%2F15%2F11.30.tv |archive-date=July 29, 2003 |url-status=dead}}</ref> He felt that any film deal was contingent on keeping the show's original cast,<ref name="WhedonWritesFireflyFilm" /> though he later stated that retaining the cast was "never an issue" as Universal executives believed the cast suitable after watching every episode of the series.<ref name="VisualCompanion18">{{Cite book |title=Serenity: The Official Visual Companion |last=Whedon |first=Joss |publisher=Titan Books |year=2005 |isbn=978-1-84576-082-3 |page=[https://archive.org/details/serenityofficial0000whed/page/18 18] |url=https://archive.org/details/serenityofficial0000whed/page/18}}</ref>
In early September 2004, a film deal with Universal was publicly confirmed. Universal acquired the rights to ''Firefly'' shortly before the confirmation. Whedon felt that the strong sales of the ''Firefly'' DVD, which sold out in less than 24 hours after the pre-order announcement,<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://hollywoodreporter.com/thr/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1969026 |title='Firefly' lands in film afterlife |date=September 4, 2003 |work=The Hollywood Reporter |last1=Kit |first1=Zorianna |last2=Gardner |first2=Chris |access-date=April 5, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031002103157/http://hollywoodreporter.com/thr/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1969026 |archive-date=October 2, 2003}}</ref> "definitely helped light a fire and make them [Universal] go, 'Okay, we've really got something here.' It definitely helped them just be comfortable with the decisions they were making, but they really had been supporting us for quite some time already."<ref name="VisualCompanion17">{{Cite book |title=Serenity: The Official Visual Companion |last=Whedon |first=Joss |publisher=Titan Books |year=2005 |isbn=978-1-84576-082-3 |page=[https://archive.org/details/serenityofficial0000whed/page/17 17] |url=https://archive.org/details/serenityofficial0000whed/page/17}}</ref> Whedon felt it was "important people understand that the movie isn't the series", and so the project was titled ''Serenity''.<ref name="SerenityGreenlit"/>
===Writing=== After Universal acquired the film rights from Fox, Whedon began writing the screenplay. His task was to explain the premise of a television series that few had seen without boring new viewers or longtime fans. He based his story on original story ideas for ''Firefly''{{'}}s un-filmed second season.<ref name="DC2">''Serenity'' Collector's Edition DVD cast commentary</ref> Whedon's original script was 190 pages, and attempted to address all major plot points introduced in the series. After presenting the script to Barry Mendel under the title "The Kitchen Sink", Whedon and Mendel collaborated on cutting down the script to a size film-able under his budget constraints.<ref name="DC2" /> All nine principal cast members from the television series were scheduled to return for the movie, but Glass and Tudyk could not commit to sequels, leading to the death of their characters in the second draft of the script.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90629pmvPZU#t=3m59s | archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211118/90629pmvPZU| archive-date=2021-11-18 | url-status=live|title=Joss Whedon Experience Panel Comic-Con 2010 Part 3 |date=July 23, 2010 |via=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}</ref> The tightened script and a budget Mendel and Whedon prepared were submitted to Universal on a Friday and on the following Monday morning, Stacey Snider, then head of Universal, called Mendel to officially greenlight the movie.<ref>"Serenity Collector's Edition DVD Special Features</ref>
Universal planned to begin shooting in October 2003, but delays in finishing the script postponed the start of shooting to June 2004.<ref name="VisualCompanion17" />
===Filming=== [[File:DiamondRanchHS - CarolHighsmith - 4.jpg|thumb|Diamond Ranch High School served as the location of the planet Miranda.]] Principal photography for ''Serenity'' was originally estimated to require 80 days, lasting a typical 12 to 14 hours each, with a budget of over $100 million. Unwilling to approve of such a large budget, Universal Studios wished to shoot abroad to minimize production costs. However, Whedon, reluctant to uproot his family, insisted that filming take place locally and maintained that it was possible for a local production to cost fewer days and less than half the expected budget.<ref name="DownHomeDirecting">{{Cite web |url=http://www.calendarlive.com/printedition/calendar/cl-ca-homefront9oct09,0,2503431.htmlstory |title=Down-home directing |date=October 9, 2005 |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |last=McNamara |first=Mary |access-date=May 12, 2005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060515164330/http://www.calendarlive.com/printedition/calendar/cl-ca-homefront9oct09%2C0%2C2503431.htmlstory |archive-date=May 15, 2006 |url-status=dead}}</ref> On March 2, 2004,<ref name="SerenityGreenlit">{{Cite web |url=https://variety.com/2004/film/news/whedon-s-serenity-greenlit-1117901089/ |title=Whedon's 'Serenity' greenlit |date=March 2, 2004 |work=Variety |last=Snyder |first=Gabriel |access-date=May 12, 2015 |archive-date=June 20, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150620212753/http://variety.com/2004/film/news/whedon-s-serenity-greenlit-1117901089/ |url-status=live }}</ref> the film was greenlit for production with a budget of under $40 million.<ref name="FireflyAlights">{{Cite web |url=https://variety.com/2004/film/news/firefly-feature-alights-1117901954/ |title='Firefly' feature alights |date=March 21, 2004 |work=Variety |last=Snyder |first=Gabriel |access-date=May 12, 2015 |archive-date=June 29, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629170540/http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117901954?refCatId=13 |url-status=live }}</ref> At the project's completion, the film spent $39 million,<ref name="BOM" /><ref name="DownHomeDirecting" /> considered low for a science fiction action film featuring heavy special effects.<ref name="FireflyAlights" /><ref>{{Cite news |date=October 3, 2005 |last=Fuson |first=Brian |title='Flightplan' stays aloft: fends off newcomers for No. 1; 'Serenity' second |work=The Hollywood Reporter |url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1001220142 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060104150510/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1001220142 |archive-date=2006-01-04 |url-status=dead |quote=Compared with some films in the action sci-fi special effects genre, the estimated cost for "Serenity" was low at $39 million. |access-date=2022-04-01 }}</ref>
''Serenity'' was filmed over a period of 50 ten-hour days,<ref name="DownHomeDirecting" /> beginning June 3, 2004, and ending September 17, 2004.<ref>{{cite book |last=Pascale |first=Amy |title=Joss Whedon: The Biography |date=August 1, 2014 |publisher=Chicago Review Press |isbn=978-1613741047 |page=244}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.serenitymovie.com/blog/index.php?postid=59 |title=Greetings from Joss — Serenity |date=September 17, 2004 |publisher=Serenity movie |access-date=March 27, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041012093652/http://www.serenitymovie.com/blog/index.php?postid=59 |archive-date=October 12, 2004}}</ref> The film was primarily shot on Universal Studio sound stages with locations throughout Los Angeles.<ref name="FireflyAlights" /> The sequence where the crew is pursued by Reavers after a bank robbery was filmed along the Templin Highway north of Santa Clarita. The shoot typically would have lasted 30 days, but the production completed filming the sequence in five days. Pyrotechnics were shot at Mystery Mesa, near Santa Clarita, over a period of three days rather than a typical two weeks.<ref name="DownHomeDirecting" /> The scenes on the planet Miranda were filmed at Diamond Ranch High School in Pomona.<ref>{{Cite journal |jstor=23566274 |title=You Can't Go Home Again: The Place of Tradition in ''Firefly''{{'}}s Dystopian Utopia and Utopian Dystopia |last=Brown |first=Robert |date=Spring 2011 |journal=Traditional Dwellings and Settlements Review|volume=22 |issue=2 |pages=7–18 }}</ref>
The production expected to save money by reusing the ''Serenity'' ship interior set from the ''Firefly'' television series, but the set was not available. Instead the ship was rebuilt, using DVD images of the television series as a guide. Construction was completed over 14 weeks on Universal Studios' Stage 12 by 23 supervised crews working independently but in coordination with one another. Universal was concerned about the extra cost but were satisfied when it was completed in just 14 weeks, according to executive producer David Lester.<ref name="DownHomeDirecting" />
===Visual effects=== As the budget for the film was considerably smaller than for the TV series, practical special effects were used as much as possible: if a computer-generated imagery (CGI) composite was required, as many tangible sets and props as possible were constructed to minimize the use of computer effects.<ref name="WIFF">Whedon, ''Serenity: Director's Commentary'', "What's In A Firefly"</ref> The most technically challenging scene was the mule skiff chase.<ref name="WIFF" /> For budgetary reasons, a gimbal and CGI, much like those used in the pod race in ''Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace'', were quickly ruled out.<ref name="DownHomeDirecting" /> Instead, the crew fashioned a trailer with a cantilevered arm attached to the "hovercraft" and shot the scene while riding up Templin Highway north of Santa Clarita.<ref name="DownHomeDirecting" /> Zoic Studios, the company that produced the graphics for the series, had to perform a complete overhaul of their computer model of ''Serenity'', as the television model would not stand up to the high-definition scrutiny of cinema screens.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Miller |first=Gerri |url=http://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/serenity2.htm |title=Inside 'Serenity' |date=September 28, 2005 |access-date=July 9, 2006 |archive-date=November 3, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061103214245/http://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/serenity2.htm |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Effects">{{Cite web |date=January 24, 2006 |url=http://www.newtek.com/lightwave/profiles/Serenity/index.php |title=Interview with Zoic Studios' Visual Effects for Serenity |publisher=NewTek.com |access-date=July 9, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060318164830/http://www.newtek.com/lightwave/profiles/Serenity/index.php |archive-date=March 18, 2006}}</ref>
===Musical score=== {{Main|Serenity (soundtrack){{!}}''Serenity'' (soundtrack)}} In pre-production memos, Whedon described his vision for the score as "spare, intimate, mournful and indefatigable". Just as the landscape and speech drew from elements of the Western, he wished the same of the musical style and instrumentation. However, he did not want to step too far into Western clichés to "cause justified derision" and hoped the score would also draw from Chinese and other Asian musical elements. He wanted the musical elements "mixed up, hidden, or it's as much a cliché as the western feel. We don't want to be too specific about culture or time. We want to be comfortable enough with the sounds not to let them take us out of the story, but not so comfortable that we begin to be told where the story is." Music was to draw heavily on what could be carried, and he highlighted four instruments: voice, percussion, woodwind, strings particularly guitar. He cautioned against vocal orchestration, believing there to be only two voices in Hollywood and wishing to avoid both, and advised moderation in woodwind, feeling wind instruments to be "either too airy or too sophisticated".<ref name="VisualCompanionOnMusic">{{Cite book |title=Serenity: The Official Visual Companion |last=Whedon |first=Joss |publisher=Titan Books |year=2005 |isbn=978-1845760823 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/serenityofficial0000whed/page/30 30–31] |url=https://archive.org/details/serenityofficial0000whed/page/30}}</ref>
Universal Studios wanted a composer with experience scoring films, ruling out ''Firefly''{{'s}} composer Greg Edmonson. Whedon first thought of Carter Burwell, of whom Whedon was a huge fan. However, Whedon later felt that Burwell was not the right choice because as the film changed, the needs of the score changed as well.<ref name="WhedonBurwell">{{Cite web |url=http://whedonesque.com/comments/5871#49406 |title=Carter Burwell is no longer working on Serenity |date=January 23, 2005 |publisher=Whedonesque.com |last=Whedon |first=Joss |access-date=April 11, 2015 |archive-date=April 15, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150415102837/http://whedonesque.com/comments/5871#49406 |url-status=live }}</ref> Burwell found working on the project difficult as it required he work "opposite" to his usual approach.<ref name="Burwell">{{Cite web |url=http://www.carterburwell.com/tbi_project_pages/Serenity.shtml|title = The Body — Projects — Serenity |last=Burwell |first=Carter |author-link=Carter Burwell |access-date=April 11, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061206110928/http://www.carterburwell.com/tbi_project_pages/Serenity.shtml |archive-date=December 6, 2006}}</ref> The production would have continued with Burwell, but his other obligations left him little time to compose an entirely new score for ''Serenity''.<ref name="WhedonBurwell" /> Burwell was dropped from the project a few weeks before the scheduled February 2005 recording.<ref name="Burwell" />
David Newman was recommended by Universal's music executives when Whedon requested a composer capable of "everything" and "quickly". Whedon's instructions to Newman for the ship ''Serenity''{{'s}} theme was something homemade and mournful, evoking the idea of pioneers who had only what they could carry. Whedon wished the theme to let viewers know they were now home. River Tam's theme was played on a uniquely shaped, square, antique piano that was slightly out of tune. The piano reminded Newman of River and composed a "haunting, haunted, vaguely eastern and achingly unresolved" theme that Whedon felt proved Newman's understanding of the film's musical needs.<ref name="SoundtrackLiner">{{Cite AV media notes |title=Serenity |others=David Newman |year=2005 |chapter=A Note from the Director |first=Joss |last=Whedon |type=Liner notes |publisher=Varèse Sarabande}}</ref>
The score was performed by the Hollywood Studio Symphony under Newman's direction.<ref name="SoundtrackLiner"/> The official soundtrack was released September 27, 2005.<ref>{{cite web |title=Serenity — Varèse Sarabande |url=http://www.varesesarabande.com/release/serenity/ |archive-url=https://archive.today/20150411200735/http://www.varesesarabande.com/release/serenity/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 11, 2015 |publisher=Varèse Sarabande |access-date=April 11, 2015}}</ref>
==Release== ''Serenity'' had its world premiere at the Edinburgh International Film Festival on August 22, 2005.<ref name="SerenityCastAttend">{{Cite web |url=http://www.edfilmfest.org.uk/news/2005/08/serenity-cast-attend-eiff-red-carpet |title=Serenity Cast Attend EIFF Red Carpet |date=August 11, 2005 |publisher=Edinburgh International Film Festival |access-date=April 18, 2015 |archive-date=April 19, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150419020232/http://www.edfilmfest.org.uk/news/2005/08/serenity-cast-attend-eiff-red-carpet |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.edfilmfest.org.uk/movies/show/serenity/ |title=Serenity |publisher=Edinburgh International Film Festival |access-date=April 18, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050804074927/http://www.edfilmfest.org.uk/movies/show/serenity/ |archive-date=August 4, 2005}}</ref> The premiere sold out,<ref name="SerenityCastAttend"/> and the festival arranged for two more screenings on August 24, which sold out in twenty-four hours,<ref name="GreatNewsForAll">{{Cite web|url=http://www.edfilmfest.org.uk/news/2005/07/great-news-for-all-serenity-fans|title=Great News for all Serenity Fans|date=July 15, 2005|publisher=Edinburgh International Film Festival|access-date=April 18, 2015|archive-date=April 19, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150419020426/http://www.edfilmfest.org.uk/news/2005/07/great-news-for-all-serenity-fans|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.edfilmfest.org.uk/news/2005/07/serenity-sold-out |title=Serenity Sold Out |date=July 18, 2005 |publisher=Edinburgh International Film Festival |access-date=April 18, 2015}}</ref> and in the "Best of the Fest" line-up on August 28.<ref name="GreatNewsForAll"/> The film was theatrically released September 30, 2005.<ref name="BOM" />
''Serenity'' was originally released on traditional film prints. Because the original 2K digital intermediate scans were readily available, the film was chosen by Universal Pictures to test conversion to a Digital Cinema Distribution Master of the film and to "test the workflow required to create a {{bracket|Digital Cinema Package}}." ''Serenity'' became the first film to fully conform to Digital Cinema Initiatives specifications, marking "a major milestone in the move toward all-digital projection".<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.creativeplanetnetwork.com/news/news-articles/fotokem-doremi-labs-christie-digital-produce-dcdm-serenity/408554 |title=FotoKem, Doremi Labs, Christie Digital Produce DCDM of "Serenity" |date=February 14, 2012 |publisher=Creative Planet Network |access-date=May 13, 2015 |archive-date=September 23, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923211518/http://www.creativeplanetnetwork.com/news/news-articles/fotokem-doremi-labs-christie-digital-produce-dcdm-serenity/408554 |url-status=live }}</ref>
===Marketing=== In April 2005, Universal launched a three-stage grassroots marketing campaign. A rough cut of the film was previewed in a total of thirty-five North American cities where the ''Firefly'' television series received the highest Nielsen ratings. The screenings did not bear the name of the film and relied on word-of-mouth within the fanbase for promotion. All screenings sold out in less than twenty-four hours, sometimes in as quickly as five minutes.<ref name="WhedonFlock">{{Cite news |title=Whedon Flock Ready for 'Firefly' Resurrection |last=Thompson |first=Anne |date=July 22, 2005 |newspaper=The Hollywood Reporter}}</ref> The first screening was held May 5, 2005, in ten cities.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.aintitcool.com/node/20050 |title=Want To Buy A Ticket To A May 5 Screening Of Serenity!! |date=April 27, 2005 |publisher=Ain't It Cool News |access-date=April 18, 2015}}</ref> The second screening on May 26 increased the number of cities to twenty. In the twenty-four hours following the announcement of the second screening, the ''Firefly'' fanbase launched trial and error efforts to uncover the theaters holding the screenings, leading the event to be sold out before the official listing was released.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/news/1645213/more_serenity_screenings_announced_sell_out_immediately/ |title=More Serenity Screenings Announced, Sell Out Immediately |date=May 12, 2005 |website=Rotten Tomatoes |access-date=April 18, 2015}}</ref> The third screening on June 23 was held in thirty-five cities.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2005-07-03/entertainment/0506290966_1_serenity-star-wars-joss-whedon |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150419011958/http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2005-07-03/entertainment/0506290966_1_serenity-star-wars-joss-whedon |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 19, 2015 |title=Amid Rabid Fanship, A Shot At Serenity |date=July 3, 2005 |newspaper=Sun-Sentinel |location=South Florida |last=Flowers |first=Phoebe |access-date=April 18, 2015}}</ref> A final screening was held at San Diego Comic-Con, followed by a panel with Whedon and the cast.<ref name="WhedonFlock" />
====Session 416 {{anchor|R. Tam sessions|R. Tam Sessions}}==== Session 416, also known as the R. Tam Sessions,<ref name="RTamSessionsArchive">{{cite web |title=R. Tam Sessions (Complete) |url=https://archive.org/details/R._Tam_Sessions_Complete_4 |access-date=April 11, 2015}}</ref> are a series of five short videos anonymously released by Whedon through various websites and message boards as viral marketing.<ref name="416SciFiWire"/><ref name="416RT"/><ref name="416Herald"/> The first video, bearing the title card "R. Tam, Session 416, Second Excerpt", was released on the iFilm website on August 16, 2005.<ref name="416SciFiWire">{{cite web|title=Covert ''Serenity'' Promo Afoot? |url=http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire2005/index.php?category=0&id=32137 |work=Sci Fi Wire |publisher=Sci-Fi Channel |access-date=April 11, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051114105349/http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire2005/index.php?category=0&id=32137 |archive-date=November 14, 2005 |date=August 24, 2005}}</ref> By September 7, 2005, all five videos had been released.<ref name="416RT">{{cite web|title="Unofficial" Serenity Viral Videos Emerge|url=https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/article/unofficial-serenity-viral-videos-emerge/|website=Rotten Tomatoes |date=September 7, 2005 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20190924194841/https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/article/unofficial-serenity-viral-videos-emerge/|archive-date=September 24, 2019|access-date=September 24, 2019}}</ref>
The series grew out of Universal executives' request that Whedon supply content for an online viral marketing campaign (though a representative from Universal Studios denied knowledge of the videos' origin).<ref name="416SciFiWire" /> He decided to explore events before the film and the television series.<ref name="416Herald">{{cite news |last=Wilder |first=Gabriel |title=Suffering for art |work=The Sydney Morning Herald |date=October 1, 2005 |page=9}}</ref> The clips were filmed with a "tiny" crew in a single day and are shot in grainy, low quality, black-and-white.<ref name="416Herald" /><ref name="IGNCollectors">{{cite web |last1=Casamassina |first1=Matt |last2=Monfette |first2=Christopher |title=Serenity Collector's Edition DVD Review |website=IGN |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2007/08/13/serenity-collectors-edition-dvd-review?page=2 |date=August 13, 2007 |access-date=April 11, 2015 |archive-date=April 12, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150412055318/http://www.ign.com/articles/2007/08/13/serenity-collectors-edition-dvd-review?page=2 |url-status=live }}</ref> They were later included on the Collector's Edition DVD.<ref name="IGNCollectors" />
The videos, sequenced out of chronological order, depict excerpts of counseling sessions between River Tam, played by Summer Glau, and her unnamed therapist, played by Whedon, while she is held at the Alliance Academy.<ref name="416RT"/><ref name="416Herald"/><ref name="IGNCollectors"/> They follow her change from shy and sweet child prodigy to the mentally unstable girl of the television series.<ref>{{cite video |people=Whedon, Joss (director, writer) |title=Serenity—Session 416 |medium=DVD |edition=Collector's |date=August 21, 2007 |publisher=Universal Studios}}</ref>
===Home media=== ''Serenity'' was released on Region 1 DVD, VHS and UMD on December 20, 2005.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/051108/latu156.html? |title=From the Creator of 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer,' 'Angel' and 'Firefly' Comes a Visually Spectacular and Thrilling Action Adventure |date=November 8, 2005 |publisher=Yahoo! |access-date=April 15, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051209030434/http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/051108/latu156.html |archive-date=December 9, 2005 |type=Press Release |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.amazon.com/Serenity-Collectors-Nathan-Fillion/dp/B000BW7QXG/ |title=Serenity (Collector's Edition) |website=Amazon |access-date=April 15, 2015 |archive-date=June 20, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230620060631/https://www.amazon.com/Serenity-Collectors-Nathan-Fillion/dp/B000BW7QXG |url-status=live }}</ref> The DVD ranked #3 in sales for the week ending December 25, 2005.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://hollywoodreporter.com/thr/charts/home_video/first_alert.jsp |title=Movie Sales — Box Office Numbers |work=The Hollywood Reporter |access-date=April 15, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051230171656/http://hollywoodreporter.com/thr/charts/home_video/first_alert.jsp |archive-date=December 30, 2005}}</ref> Bonus features on the DVD version include audio commentary from Whedon; deleted scenes and outtakes; a short introduction by Whedon for advance screenings; a hidden featurette on the creation of the Fruity Oaty Bar commercial; and three featurettes on the ''Firefly'' and ''Serenity'' universe, special effects, and the revival of the television series to film.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/19247/serenity/ |title=Serenity |date=December 12, 2005 |publisher=DVDTalk |access-date=April 15, 2015 |archive-date=September 23, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923230353/http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/19247/serenity/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Region 2 releases included an additional making-of featurette,<ref>{{cite web |last=Saney |first=Daniel |title=Bonus material for UK 'Serenity' fans |url=http://www.digitalspy.com/movies/news/a27108/bonus-material-for-uk-serenity-fans.html#~p9YpZra5oD2t2M |website=Digital Spy |date=December 9, 2005 |access-date=April 15, 2015 |archive-date=April 16, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150416051441/http://www.digitalspy.com/movies/news/a27108/bonus-material-for-uk-serenity-fans.html#~p9YpZra5oD2t2M |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Gwin |first=Scott |title=US Shafted By Serenity DVD |url=https://www.cinemablend.com/new.php?id=1907 |publisher=Cinema Blend |date=December 11, 2015 |access-date=April 15, 2015 |archive-date=April 16, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150416042819/http://www.cinemablend.com/new.php?id=1907 |url-status=live }}</ref> and Region 4 releases included additional extended scenes, a tour of the set, a feature on cinematographer Jack Green, and a question-and-answer session with Whedon filmed after an advance screening in Australia.<ref name="AusRelease">{{Cite web |url=https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/20617/serenity-double-disc-edition/ |title=Serenity — Double Disc Edition (Region 4) |date=March 13, 2006 |publisher=DVDTalk |last=Zyber |first=Joshua |access-date=April 15, 2015 |archive-date=April 22, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150422170300/http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/20617/serenity-double-disc-edition/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
''Serenity'' was released on HD DVD on April 18, 2006, the first Universal Studios film released on the format.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://icv2.com/articles/comics/view/8494/serenity-first-universal-title-hd-dvd |title='Serenity' First Universal Title on HD DVD |date=April 10, 2006 |publisher=ICv2 |access-date=April 15, 2015 |archive-date=April 16, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150416041143/http://icv2.com/articles/comics/view/8494/serenity-first-universal-title-hd-dvd |url-status=live }}</ref> In January 2007, it became the first full-resolution rip of an HD DVD release uploaded to the BitTorrent network after its title key was ripped from a software player and released online.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://arstechnica.com/uncategorized/2007/01/8622/ |title=First pirated HD DVD movie hits BitTorrent |date=January 15, 2007 |website=Ars Technica |last=Reimer |first=Jeremy |access-date=April 15, 2015 |archive-date=August 26, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170826114418/https://arstechnica.com/uncategorized/2007/01/8622/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
A 2-disc Collector's Edition DVD was released for Region 1 on August 21, 2007. It included the special features on the Region 4 disc, except the question-and-answer session; Session 416, a documentary on the film; and a second commentary with Whedon and actors Nathan Fillion, Adam Baldwin, Summer Glau, and Ron Glass.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/29908/serenity-collectors-edition/ |title=Serenity: Collector's Edition |date=August 19, 2007 |publisher=DVDTalk |access-date=April 15, 2015 |archive-date=September 24, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924001612/http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/29908/serenity-collectors-edition/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The film was released on Blu-ray on December 30, 2008, adding to the special features a video version of the cast commentary, picture-in-picture visual commentary, two databases of in-universe material, and a digital tour of ''Serenity''.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/35796/serenity/ |title=Serenity (Blu-ray) |date=December 24, 2008 |publisher=DVDTalk |last=Tyner |first=Adam |access-date=April 15, 2015 |archive-date=April 22, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150422170306/http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/35796/serenity/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Serenity was released on 4K UHD Blu-ray on October 17, 2017.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Serenity-4K-Blu-ray/186543/ |title=Serenity 4K Blu-ray {{!}} Blu-ray.com |website=blu-ray.com |access-date=June 14, 2023 |archive-date=June 20, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230620052231/https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Serenity-4K-Blu-ray/186543/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
==Reception==
===Box office=== Despite high anticipation, ''Serenity'' performed poorly at the box office. Although several pundits predicted a #1 opening,<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Karger |first=Dave |date=September 29, 2005 |url=https://www.ew.com/ew/report/0,6115,1111625_1_0_,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051214162325/http://www.ew.com/ew/report/0,6115,1111625_1_0_,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=December 14, 2005 |title=Back in Commission |magazine= Entertainment Weekly}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Gray |first=Brandon |date=September 29, 2005 |url=https://boxofficemojo.com/forecast/2005/3.htm|title=Box Office Forecast |website= Box Office Mojo}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.boxofficereport.com/wbon/old/093005.shtml |title=Box Office Forecast |publisher=Box Office Report |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061214180336/http://www.boxofficereport.com/wbon/old/093005.shtml |archive-date=December 14, 2006}}</ref> the film opened at #2 in the United States, taking in $10.1 million on its first weekend, spending two weeks in the top ten, and closed on November 17, 2005, with a domestic box office gross of $25.5 million.<ref name="BOM" /> Movie industry analyst Brandon Gray described ''Serenity''{{'}}s box office performance as "like a below average genre picture".<ref>{{cite web |last=Gray |first=Brandon |date=October 17, 2005 |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/news/?id=1919&p=.htm |title='Fog' Tops Soggy Weekend |website=Box Office Mojo |access-date=April 28, 2020 |archive-date=August 12, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170812100242/http://www.boxofficemojo.com/news/?id=1919&p=.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>
''Serenity''{{'}}s international box office results were mixed, with strong openings in the UK, Portugal and Russia, but poor results in Spain, Australia, France and Italy. United International Pictures canceled the film's theatrical release in at least seven countries, planning to release it directly to DVD instead. The box office income outside the United States was $14.9 million,<ref name="BOM" /> with a worldwide total of $40.4 million.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0379786/?ref_=bo_se_r_2|title=Serenity (2005) – International Box Office|website=Box Office Mojo|access-date=May 8, 2020|archive-date=June 20, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230620052231/https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0379786/?ref_=bo_se_r_2|url-status=live}}</ref>
===Critical reception=== {{Anchor|Critics|Critical response}} On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 82% based on 187 reviews, with an average rating of 7.15/10. The site's critical consensus states: "Snappy dialogue and goofy characters make this Wild Wild West soap opera in space fun and adventurous."<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/serenity/ |title= Serenity (2005) |work= Rotten Tomatoes |publisher= Fandango Media |access-date= October 17, 2015 |archive-date= October 19, 2015 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20151019150338/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/serenity/ |url-status= live }}</ref> On Metacritic the film has a weighted average score of 74 out of 100, based on reviews from 34 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".<ref>{{cite web |title= Serenity (2005) |url= https://www.metacritic.com/movie/serenity |website= Metacritic |access-date= October 17, 2015 |archive-date= October 19, 2015 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20151019150335/http://www.metacritic.com/movie/serenity |url-status= live }}</ref> Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale.<ref>{{cite web |date=October 3, 2005 |author1=Brandon Gray |title='Serenity' Moseys to Tame Start |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/article/ed2440496132/ |website=Box Office Mojo |quote=The picture scored an "A" grade from CinemaScore |access-date=September 15, 2025 |archive-date=October 10, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241010210021/https://www.boxofficemojo.com/article/ed2440496132/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.cinemascore.com/publicsearch/index/title/ |title= SERENITY (2005) A |work= CinemaScore |url-status= dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20181220122629/https://www.cinemascore.com/publicsearch/index/title/ |archive-date= December 20, 2018}}</ref>
Ebert and Roeper gave the film a "Two Thumbs Up" rating.<ref>[http://tvplex.go.com/buenavista/ebertandroeper/051003.html Ebert & Roeper, Reviews for the Weekend of October 1–2, 2005] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060701031948/http://tvplex.go.com/buenavista/ebertandroeper/051003.html |date=July 1, 2006}}</ref> Roger Ebert, in his review for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'', gave the film three out of four stars, commenting that it is "made of dubious but energetic special effects, breathless velocity, much imagination, some sly verbal wit and a little political satire". "The movie plays like a critique of contemporary society", he observed, also stating that in this way it was like ''Brave New World'' and ''Nineteen Eighty-Four''.<ref name="ebert">{{cite news |date= September 29, 2005 |first= Roger |last= Ebert |author-link= Roger Ebert |url= https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/serenity-2005 |title= Good space opera packs payload |newspaper= Chicago Sun-Times |access-date= April 1, 2022 |archive-date= April 21, 2013 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130421032608/http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/serenity-2005 |url-status= live }}</ref> Peter Hartlaub in the ''San Francisco Chronicle'' called it "a triumph", comparing its writing to the best ''Star Trek'' episodes.<ref name="sfchron">{{Cite web |last=Hartlaub |first=Peter |date=September 30, 2005 |url= http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/09/30/DDGP7EVFH91.DTL |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20051229014744/http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/09/30/DDGP7EVFH91.DTL |url-status= dead |archive-date= December 29, 2005 |title='Serenity' earns director Whedon spot on sci-fi's Mount Rushmore |work=San Francisco Chronicle }}</ref> Manohla Dargis of ''The New York Times'' described it as a modest but superior science fiction film.<ref>{{Cite web |last= Dargis |first= Manohla |author-link= Manohla Dargis |date=September 30, 2005|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/30/movies/30sere.html/partner/rssnyt?ex=1129262400&en=c8b757b751be776f&ei=5070 |title=Scruffy Space Cowboys Fighting Their Failings |work=The New York Times}}</ref> Science fiction author Orson Scott Card called ''Serenity'' "the best science fiction film ever", further stating "If ''Ender's Game'' can't be this kind of movie, and this good a movie, then I want it never to be made. I'd rather just watch ''Serenity'' again."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Card |first=Orson Scott |author-link=Orson Scott Card |date=September 30, 2005 |url=http://www.hatrack.com/osc/reviews/everything/2005-09-30-extra.shtml |title=Uncle Orson Reviews Everything |publisher=Hatrack.com |access-date=May 19, 2006 |archive-date=May 14, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060514060301/http://www.hatrack.com/osc/reviews/everything/2005-09-30-extra.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref>
''USA Today'' film critic Claudia Puig wrote that "the characters are generally uninteresting and one-dimensional, and the futuristic Western-style plot grows tedious".<ref>{{cite news |url=http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/movies/reviews/2005-09-29-serenity_x.htm |title='Serenity' has moments, not much else |newspaper=USA Today |first=Claudia |last=Puig |date=September 29, 2005 |access-date=March 31, 2022 |archive-date=May 19, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220519235819/https://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/movies/reviews/2005-09-29-serenity_x.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> Derek Elley of ''Variety'' declared that the film "bounces around to sometimes memorable effect but rarely soars".<ref>{{cite news |date= August 23, 2005 |first= Derek |last= Elley |title= Serenity |newspaper= Variety |url= https://variety.com/2005/film/markets-festivals/serenity-1200523759/ |archive-date= August 7, 2020 |access-date= April 17, 2020 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20200807034058/https://variety.com/2005/film/markets-festivals/serenity-1200523759/ |url-status= live }}</ref>
===Awards=== {{Anchor|Awards|Accolades}}
''Serenity'' won several awards after its release. It won the Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation—Long Form,<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.thehugoawards.org/hugo-history/2006-hugo-awards/ |title=2006 Hugo Awards |publisher=Hugo Awards |access-date=October 31, 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110507164808/http://www.thehugoawards.org/hugo-history/2006-hugo-awards/ |archive-date=May 7, 2011}}</ref> the Nebula Award for Best Script,<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.locusmag.com/SFAwards/Db/Nebula2006.html |title=The Locus Index to SF Awards: 2006 Nebula Awards |work=Locus |access-date=October 31, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110605231553/http://www.locusmag.com/SFAwards/Db/Nebula2006.html |archive-date=June 5, 2011}}</ref> and the Prometheus Special Award.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://lfs.org/awards.shtml |title=Prometheus Awards |publisher=Libertarian Futurist Society |access-date=October 31, 2015 |archive-date=April 19, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210419045400/http://lfs.org/awards.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref> The film was also named film of the year by ''Film 2005'' and FilmFocus,<ref name="bbc">{{Cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/films/film2005/filmofyear_2005.shtml |title=Films Of The Year |publisher=BBC |access-date=October 31, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060709160630/http://www.bbc.co.uk/films/film2005/filmofyear_2005.shtml |archive-date=July 9, 2006}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://filmfocus.co.uk/specials/serenity.asp |title=Serenity Special Feature |publisher=FilmFocus |last=Utichi |first=Joe |access-date=October 31, 2015 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080828224912/http://filmfocus.co.uk/specials/serenity.asp |archive-date=August 28, 2008}}</ref> and it was determined by ''SFX'' magazine to be the best science fiction movie of all time in 2007.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/6517155.stm |title=Serenity named top sci-fi movie |date=April 2, 2007 |publisher=BBC |access-date=October 31, 2015 |archive-date=April 16, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070416101011/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/6517155.stm |url-status=live }}</ref> IGN Film awarded ''Serenity'' Best Sci-Fi,<ref name="best of IGN SF">{{cite web |url=http://bestof.ign.com/2005/movies/8.html |title=IGN.com presents The Best of 2005 - Best Sci-fi |website=IGN |access-date=September 12, 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051223144822/http://bestof.ign.com/2005/movies/8.html |archive-date=December 23, 2005}}</ref> Best Story,<ref name="best of IGN Story">{{cite web |url=http://bestof.ign.com/2005/movies/13.html |title=IGN.com presents The Best of 2005 - Best Story |website=IGN |access-date=September 12, 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051223144910/http://bestof.ign.com/2005/movies/13.html |archive-date=December 23, 2005}}</ref> and Best Trailer for the year,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://bestof.ign.com/2005/movies/18.html|title=IGN.com presents The Best of 2005 - Best Trailer |website=IGN |access-date=October 31, 2015 |url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051223142421/http://bestof.ign.com/2005/movies/18.html |archive-date=December 23, 2005}}</ref> and it won second for Overall Best Movie after ''Batman Begins''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://bestof.ign.com/2005/movies/20.html |title=IGN.com presents The Best of 2005 - Best Movie |website=IGN |access-date=October 31, 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051223161540/http://bestof.ign.com/2005/movies/20.html |archive-date=December 23, 2005}}</ref> The SyFy Genre Awards awarded it runner-up in the categories for Best Movie, Best Actor in a film (Nathan Fillion), and Best Actress in a film (Summer Glau), losing in all categories to ''Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire''.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://syfyportal.com/news.php?id=2895 |title=SyfyPortal Awards |access-date=October 31, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061107100529/http://www.syfyportal.com/news.php?id=2895 |archive-date=November 7, 2006 |date=October 1, 2006}}</ref> ''Serenity'' later ranked 383 on ''Empire'' magazine's 500 Greatest Films of All Time and 90 of the 301 Greatest Movies of All Time as voted by the magazine's readers.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.empireonline.com/500/23.asp |title=The 500 Greatest Movies of All Time |work=Empire |access-date=October 31, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081119040258/http://www.empireonline.com/500/23.asp |archive-date=November 19, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.empireonline.com/301/list.asp?page=21 |title=The 301 Greatest Movies of All Time |work=Empire |access-date=October 31, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150906002328/http://www.empireonline.com/301/list.asp?page=21 |archive-date=September 6, 2015}}</ref>
===Cultural impact=== NASA astronaut Steven Swanson, an ardent fan of the series,<ref>[http://www.breakingatmo.com/status/2007/06/meet-your-browncoat-astronaut Breaking Atmo{{spaced ndash}}Meet Your Browncoat Astronaut] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110512192712/http://www.breakingatmo.com/status/2007/06/meet-your-browncoat-astronaut |date=May 12, 2011}}</ref> took the Region 1 ''Firefly'' and ''Serenity'' DVDs with him on Space Shuttle Atlantis' STS-117 mission, which lifted off on Friday June 8, 2007, to be added to the ISS entertainment library.<ref>[http://www.livescience.com/blogs/2007/06/07/board-game-sci-fi-to-ride-shuttle-atlantis-to-iss LiveScience.com Blogs » Blog Archive » Board Game, Sci-Fi to Ride Shuttle Atlantis to ISS] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929122137/http://www.livescience.com/blogs/2007/06/07/board-game-sci-fi-to-ride-shuttle-atlantis-to-iss |date=September 29, 2007}}</ref>
On February 20, 2009, NASA announced an online poll to name Node 3 of the ISS; NASA-suggested options included Earthrise, Legacy, Serenity, and Venture.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2009/feb/HQ_09034_Name_Node3_prt.htm |title=Be Part Of History -- Help NASA Name The Next Space Station Module |last=Yembrick |first=John |publisher=NASA |date=February 20, 2009 |access-date=March 23, 2009 |archive-date=October 29, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091029032432/http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2009/feb/HQ_09034_Name_Node3_prt.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> At the March 20, 2009 poll close, 'Serenity' led those four choices with 70% of the vote. In the end, the poll was discarded and the node was named 'Tranquility'.<ref name="nasapoll">{{cite web|url=http://www.nasa.gov/externalflash/name_ISS/index.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090416085324/http://www.nasa.gov/externalflash/name_ISS/index.html|archive-date=April 16, 2009|title=Help NASA Name Node 3|date=March 20, 2009|access-date=March 23, 2009|url-status=dead}}</ref>
====Charity screenings==== Beginning in January 2006, fans (with Universal's blessing) began organizing charity screenings of ''Serenity'' to benefit Equality Now, a human rights organization supported by Joss Whedon. By mid-June, 41 such screenings had been confirmed for cities in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and United States, and as of June 19, 2006, there were 47 scheduled screenings. The project was referred to as "Serenity Now/Equality Now" on the official website, but was often referred to in shortened form as "Serenity Now", and was coordinated through "Can't Stop The Serenity".<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.cantstoptheserenity.com/|title=Can't Stop The Serenity|access-date=June 13, 2006|archive-date=June 13, 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060613074313/http://cantstoptheserenity.com/|url-status=live}}</ref> The name officially changed in 2007 to Can't Stop The Serenity (CSTS)
This has become a multi-venue event held each calendar year in various countries and cities and on various dates throughout the year. Funds raised by the events go to Equality Now (and other charities<ref>[http://www.cantstoptheserenity.com/about/cause/ "Can't Stop the Serenity website (The Cause – Equality Now).] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110829101217/http://www.cantstoptheserenity.com/about/cause/ |date=August 29, 2011 }} "Other Worthy Causes: While the majority of profits from a screening go to Equality Now, organizers can choose to donate up to 25% to other charities of their choice."</ref>).
== Related works and merchandise == === Comics === {{Main|Serenity (comics){{!}}''Serenity'' (comics)|Firefly (Boom! Studios comics){{!}}''Firefly'' (Boom! Studios comics)}} Universal Studios wanted to do an animated prequel to the ''Serenity'' film, but after Whedon and Brett Matthews wrote a story, Universal scuttled the project.<ref name="AllieTart"/><ref>{{cite web|title=''Serenity'' Comic Bridges Gap|url=http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire2005/index.php?category=0&id=31043 |publisher=Sci Fi Channel |access-date=April 15, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050524112036/http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire2005/index.php?category=0&id=31043 |archive-date=May 24, 2005}}</ref> The story was rewritten into a three-issue comic book miniseries intended to bridge the gap between the television series and the film.<ref name="AllieTart">{{cite web |last=Salek |first=Rebecca |title=Ghosts! Ghouls! And Joss Whedon?! |url=http://www.sequentialtart.com/archive/mar05/sallie.shtml |work=Sequential Tart |date=March 2005 |access-date=April 15, 2015 |archive-date=September 24, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924100538/http://www.sequentialtart.com/archive/mar05/sallie.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=''Serenity'' Comics Due Soon |url=http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire2005/index.php?category=0&id=30457 |publisher=Sci Fi Channel |work=Sci Fi Wire |access-date=April 11, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050220181543/http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire2005/index.php?category=0&id=30457 |archive-date=February 20, 2005 |date=February 20, 2005}}</ref><ref name="ThoseLeftBehind" /> ''Serenity: Those Left Behind'' was released from July through September 2005 by Dark Horse Comics.<ref name="ThoseLeftBehind">{{cite web |title=Serenity: Those Left Behind (Hardcover) |url=http://www.darkhorse.com/Books/14-902/Serenity-Those-Left-Behind-Hardcover |publisher=Dark Horse Comics |access-date=April 11, 2015 }}{{Dead link|date=January 2026 |bot=InternetArchiveBot }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Serenity #1 (of 3) (Cassaday Cover) |url=http://www.darkhorse.com/Comics/10-755/Serenity-1-of-3-Cassaday-Cover |publisher=Dark Horse Comics |access-date=April 11, 2015 |archive-date=February 21, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140221073501/http://www.darkhorse.com/Comics/10-755/Serenity-1-of-3-Cassaday-Cover |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Serenity #3 (of 3) (Middleton Cover) |url=http://www.darkhorse.com/Comics/10-849/Serenity-3-of-3-Middleton-Cover |publisher=Dark Horse Comics |access-date=April 11, 2015 |archive-date=August 1, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150801152227/http://www.darkhorse.com/Comics/10-849/Serenity-3-of-3-Middleton-Cover |url-status=live }}</ref>
After ''Those Left Behind'', other comics of the series were also published.
=== Books === A novelization of the film was written by Keith DeCandido and published by Simon & Schuster under their Pocket Star imprint on August 30, 2005.<ref>{{cite book |title=Serenity: Keith R.A. DeCandido, Joss Whedon: 9781416507550 |isbn=1416507558 |last1=DeCandido |first1=Keith R. A. |author1-link=Keith R.A. DeCandido|last2=Whedon |first2=Joss |year=2005 |publisher=Pocket Star Books |url=https://archive.org/details/serenitynovel0000deca |via=Internet Archive |url-access=registration }}</ref> Titan Publishing published ''Serenity: The Official Visual Companion'' on September 1, 2005, and Titan Magazines released a one-shot souvenir magazine.<ref>{{cite web |title=Serenity — The Official Visual Companion |url=http://titanbooks.com/serenity-the-official-visual-companion-2795/ |publisher=Titan Publishing |access-date=April 15, 2015 |archive-date=April 19, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150419090147/http://titanbooks.com/serenity-the-official-visual-companion-2795/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="RetailerSummit">{{cite web |title=DST Announces Serenity Screening for Baltimore Retailer Summit! |url=http://www.diamondcomics.com/Home/1/1/3/124?articleID=21815 |publisher=Diamond Comics |access-date=April 15, 2015}}</ref> Margaret Weis Productions released the ''Serenity'' tabletop role-playing game based on the film on September 19, 2005.<ref>{{cite web |title=Whedon's 'Serenity' Takes Another New Form |url=http://www.zap2it.com/movies/news/story/0,1259,---25602,00.html |publisher=Zap2It |access-date=April 15, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050507042458/http://www.zap2it.com/movies/news/story/0%2C1259%2C---25602%2C00.html |archive-date=May 7, 2005 |date=April 28, 2005 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Serenity Role Playing Game |isbn=1931567506 |last1=Chambers |first1=Jamie |author2=Serenity |year=2005|publisher=Margaret Weis Productions, Limited }}</ref>
=== Trading card set and action figures === Inkworks issued a 72-card trading card set, including autographed cards and cards with swatches of costumes used in the film, on September 21, 2005.<ref>{{cite web |title=Serenity Premium Trading Cards |url=http://www.inkworkscards.com/products/serenity/serenity/serenitynewprod1.html |publisher=Inkworks |access-date=April 15, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050715011755/http://www.inkworkscards.com/products/serenity/serenity/serenitynewprod1.html |archive-date=July 15, 2005}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Inkworks Has License for Joss Whedon Film |url=http://icv2.com/articles/comics/view/5390/inkworks-has-license-joss-whedon-film |publisher=ICv2 |date=July 26, 2004 |access-date=April 15, 2015 |archive-date=April 15, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150415230636/http://icv2.com/articles/comics/view/5390/inkworks-has-license-joss-whedon-film |url-status=live }}</ref> The set won Diamond Comics' 2005 Non-Sports Card Product of the Year Gem Award.<ref>{{cite web |title=2005 Gem Award Winners|url=http://www.diamondcomics.com/Gem_Winners/2005_Gem_Award_Winners.pdf |publisher=Diamond Comics |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060510151914/http://www.diamondcomics.com/Gem_Winners/2005_Gem_Award_Winners.pdf |archive-date=May 10, 2006}}</ref> Diamond Select Toys released five six-inch action figures initially featuring Malcolm Reynolds, Jayne Cobb, and a Reaver,<ref name="RetailerSummit"/><ref>{{cite web |title=Diamond Select Toys and Collectibles to Produce Action Figures Inspired by Universal Pictures' ''Serenity'' |url=http://www.diamondselecttoys.com/news/03-07-05.asp |publisher=Diamond Select Toys |access-date=April 15, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050326072022/http://www.diamondselecttoys.com/news/03-07-05.asp |archive-date=March 26, 2005}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Serenity |url=http://www.diamondselecttoys.com/store/category.asp?CategoryID=338|publisher=Diamond Select Toys |access-date=April 15, 2005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051230162631/http://www.diamondselecttoys.com/store/category.asp?CategoryID=338 |archive-date=December 30, 2005}}</ref> later adding River Tam,<ref>{{cite web |title=DST Finds Serenity with River Triumphant Statue |url=http://www.diamondselecttoys.com/article.asp?ai=32686 |publisher=Diamond Select Toys |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061008211247/http://www.diamondselecttoys.com/article.asp?ai=32686 |archive-date=October 8, 2006}}</ref> Inara Serra,<ref>{{cite web |title="Inara Strikes" Statue Product Debut |url=http://www.diamondselecttoys.com/product_debut.asp?dir=inara |publisher=Diamond Select Toys |access-date=April 15, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070528072948/http://www.diamondselecttoys.com/product_debut.asp?dir=inara |archive-date=May 28, 2007}}</ref> and Zoe Washburne.<ref>{{cite web |title=Serenity Zoe's Revenge Product Debut |url=http://www.diamondselecttoys.com/product_debut.asp?dir=zoe |publisher=Diamond Select Toys |access-date=April 15, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070805072405/http://www.diamondselecttoys.com/product_debut.asp?dir=zoe |archive-date=August 5, 2007}}</ref> The line was deemed to be "disappointing" with the figure of Malcolm Reynolds particularly singled out; both won MWCToys' silver award for Worst Line and Worst Male Figure under twelve inches for 2005.<ref>{{cite web |title=MWC's Picks for Best/Worst of 2005 |last=Crawford |first=Michael |url=http://www.mwctoys.com/FEATURE_010506.htm |publisher=MWCToys.com |date=January 6, 2006 |access-date=April 15, 2015 |archive-date=February 16, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150216112740/http://www.mwctoys.com/FEATURE_010506.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>
==Themes and cultural allusions== While the film depicts the Alliance as an all-powerful, authoritarian regime, Whedon states it is not so simple. "The Alliance isn't some evil empire", he explains but rather a largely benevolent bureaucratic force. The Alliance's main problem is that it seeks to govern everyone, regardless of whether they desire to belong to the central government or not.<ref>Whedon, ''Serenity: Director's Commentary'', track 11 "Miranda"</ref> What the crew of ''Serenity'' represent—specifically Mal and his lifestyle—is the idea that people should have the right to make their own decisions, even if those decisions are bad.<ref name="DC17">Whedon, ''Serenity: Director's Commentary'', track 17 "Fighting for Belief"</ref>
The Operative embodies the Alliance and is, as Whedon describes, the "perfect product of what's wrong with the Alliance". He is someone whose motives are to achieve a good end, a "world without sin". The Operative believes so strongly in this idea that he willingly compromises his humanity in furtherance of it—as he admits, he would have no place in this world. Mal is, at the movie's beginning, a man who has lost all faith.<ref>Whedon, ''Serenity: Director's Commentary'', track 2 "A Better World"; Whedon, Serenity: The Official Visual Companion, p. 21.</ref> By the end, Mal has finally come to believe so strongly in something—individual liberty—that he becomes willing to lay down his life to preserve it.<ref name="DC17" /><ref name="DC10">Whedon, ''Serenity: Director's Commentary'', track 10 "Posing a Threat".</ref>
Whedon has said that the most important line spoken in the film is when Mal forces the Operative to watch the Miranda footage at the climax of the film, promising him "I'm going to show you a world without sin". Whedon makes the point that a world without sin is a world without choice and that choice is ultimately what defines humanity.<ref name="DC17" /> According to Whedon, the planet "Miranda" was named for William Shakespeare's Miranda in ''The Tempest'', who in Act V, scene I says: "O brave new world, / That has such people in't!"<ref name="DC10" /> A spaceship found on the planet Miranda carries the code name "C57D", a reference to the flying saucer in the 1956 film ''Forbidden Planet''. The plot to ''Forbidden Planet'' is based on ''The Tempest'' and like ''Serenity'' features a character struggling with his subconscious.<ref name="Blichert2017">{{cite book|author-first1=Frederick |author-last1=Blichert|title=Serenity|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6kI5DwAAQBAJ&pg=PT114|date=November 28, 2017|publisher=Columbia University Press|isbn=978-0-231-54411-5|pages=114–}}</ref> The Alliance had hoped that Miranda would be a new kind of world, filled with peaceful, happy people and represents the "inane optimism of the Alliance".<ref>Whedon, ''Serenity: Director's Commentary'', Track 14, "Learning the Secret"</ref>
The Fruity Oaty Bar commercial shown in the Maidenhead spaceport bar, which carried the subliminal message that triggered River Tam, is partially inspired by Mr. Sparkle, the mascot of a fictional brand of dish-washing detergent, who was featured in ''The Simpsons'' episode "In Marge We Trust".<ref>Whedon, ''Serenity: Making of Fruity Oaty Bar on Serenity DVD''</ref> Whedon mentions in a DVD feature that when the Fruity Oaty Bar commercial was being designed, he constantly asked the animators to redesign it and make it even ''more'' bizarre than the previous design, until it arrived at the version presented on screen.
==Canceled sequel== Fans had hoped that if ''Serenity'' had been successful, it might lead to either a sequel or a film trilogy.<ref>{{Cite news |first=Daniel |last=Terdiman |author-link=Daniel Terdiman |title=Fans of sci-fi 'Serenity' follow their bliss |publisher=News.com |date=August 3, 2007 |url=http://news.zdnet.com/2100-1040_22-6085564.html |access-date=June 20, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060621222119/http://news.zdnet.com/2100-1040_22-6085564.html |archive-date=June 21, 2006}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |first=Rebecca |last=Murray |title=Nathan Fillion Talks About "Serenity": On Working with Joss Whedon and "Firefly's" Cancellation |publisher=About.com |date=December 6, 2004 |url=http://movies.about.com/od/serenity/a/serentynf120604.htm |access-date=January 30, 2008 |archive-date=September 25, 2005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050925163209/http://movies.about.com/od/serenity/a/serentynf120604.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref>
The first major sequel rumor began on December 1, 2005, when IGN Filmforce reported that Universal had expressed an interest in making a ''Serenity'' television movie for broadcast on the Sci-Fi Channel. It was expected that commissioning of a television sequel would be contingent on strong DVD sales of ''Serenity''.<ref name="IGN_Seren_Sequel">{{cite web |author=IGN FilmForce |title=Exclusive: A Serenity Sequel? |date=December 1, 2005 |access-date=October 30, 2016 |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2005/12/01/exclusive-a-serenity-sequel |archive-date=October 30, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161030144036/http://www.ign.com/articles/2005/12/01/exclusive-a-serenity-sequel |url-status=live }}</ref> In a January 2006 interview, Whedon doubted the chances of a sequel.<ref>{{cite magazine |magazine=Empire |title=Serenity And Beyond – Exclusive: Whedon on Firefly's future |date=January 9, 2006 |url=https://www.empireonline.com/news/story.asp?NID=17800 |access-date=January 30, 2008 |archive-date=April 12, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070412093042/http://www.empireonline.com/news/story.asp?NID=17800 |url-status=live }}</ref> On October 1, 2006, Whedon posted a comment to the Whedonesque.com website, debunking a rumor that he was working on a sequel.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://whedonesque.com/comments/11487#143843 |title=Whedon Responds to sequel rumors @ Whedonesque |publisher=Whedonesque.com |access-date=October 4, 2006 |archive-date=December 15, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131215002813/http://whedonesque.com/comments/11487#143843 |url-status=live }}</ref>
In an interview at the 2007 Comic-Con, Whedon stated that he believes hope for a sequel rests in the sales of the Collector's Edition DVD.<ref>{{Cite news |first=Laremy |last=Legel |title=Comic Con: Exclusive Interview with Joss Whedon |publisher=ropeofsilicon.com |date=August 3, 2007 |url=http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/news.php?id=6846 |access-date=August 3, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070914054510/http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/news.php?id=6846 |archive-date=September 14, 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first=Emily |last=Christianson |title=Comic-Con 07's Fantastic Filmmakers: Joss Whedon Goes into 'Sugar Shock' |work=Hollywood.com |url=http://www.hollywood.com/feature/Comic_Con_07s_Fantatsic_Filmmakers_Joss_Whedon_Goes_into_Sugar_Shock/4512280 |access-date=August 6, 2007 |archive-date=October 11, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071011161836/http://hollywood.com/feature/Comic_Con_07s_Fantatsic_Filmmakers_Joss_Whedon_Goes_into_Sugar_Shock/4512280 |url-status=live }}</ref> In an August 2007 interview with Amazon.com prior to the Collector's Edition DVD release, Whedon stated, "It's still on my mind, I mean, but I don't know if mine is the only mind that it's on." He later said, "You know, whether or not ''anybody'' who's involved would be available at that point—everybody's working, I'm happy to say—is a question, but whether I would want to do another one is not a question."<ref>[http://anon.amazon.speedera.net/anon.amazon/upload/Universal-josswhedon/JossWhedon_Serenity.wma Whedon's August 2007 interview with Amazon] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110722122215/http://anon.amazon.speedera.net/anon.amazon/upload/Universal-josswhedon/JossWhedon_Serenity.wma |date=July 22, 2011}} (audio file)</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
==Further reading== * {{Cite book | last=Blichert | first=Frederick | title=Serenity | date=2017 |publisher=Columbia University Press | isbn=978-0231182331}} * {{Cite book | editor-last=Blichert | editor-first=Frederick | title=Joss Whedon's Big Damn Movie: Essays on Serenity | date=2018 | publisher=McFarland | isbn=978-1-4766-7199-4}} * {{Cite book | last=DeCandido | first=Keith R. A. | author-link=Keith R. A. DeCandido | title=Serenity | date=August 30, 2005 | publisher=Pocket Star Books | isbn=1-4165-0755-8 |url=https://archive.org/details/serenitynovel0000deca |url-access=registration }} * {{Cite book | last=Whedon | first=Joss | author-link=Joss Whedon | title=Serenity: The Visual Companion | date=September 1, 2005 | publisher=Titan | isbn=1-84576-082-4 | url-access=registration | url=https://archive.org/details/serenityofficial0000whed }} * {{Cite video | date=December 9, 2003 | title=The Complete Series: Commentary for "Serenity" | people=Joss Whedon | medium=DVD | publisher=20th Century Fox}}
==External links== {{Wikiquote|Serenity (film)|Serenity}} * {{IMDb title|0379786}} * {{ISFDB title|id=941969|title=Serenity}} <!-- novelisation -->
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