Caffeinated Clint
Whedonesque point the way to VeggieBelle’s live journal who attended the Wolfram and Hart Do [a party for “Angel” buffs] this week.
Fantastically enough, she caught up with Angel’s David Fury, who talked about the future of the Buffy-universe, now that “Angel” has got the dreaded axe.
“He chuckled about some of the internet rumors about what happened with the cancelation. Here is what he said REALLY happened. Joss went to Levin and basically said… look, don’t leave us hanging until after we wrap the season this time. If you’re cancelling us, tell us so everybody can find other work. If not, tell us so we can start working out next season. Levin agreed that he was right, they deserved to know one way or the other, since they’d been around for so long, they deserved that. The next day, they were told that they were canceled. They were NOT expecting that. Jaws dropped. He said that they were all shocked, especially after all the recent good press. So… that’s it, that’s how it happened.”
“The show isn’t going to be saved, no matter what campaigns pop up (not that the campaigns aren’t appreciated). Contrary to popular belief, Angel is one of the cheapest dramas on network t.v., despite the production value and effects. They do a lot with a little. However, the cancellation is still a money issue – a drama is more expensive than a reality show or a sitcom. Cable channels and the "netlets" really can’t afford to take it on. The major networks and HBO and their ilk won’t either. They might have had a shot with an HBO if the show was only two or three years old, but after five seasons? Won’t happen.”
“A lot of people are sending in postcards saying "Don’t have Buffy end up with Angel" or "Don’t have Buffy end up with Spike." These people are wasting their money. This issue will not be resolved. "Sarah is not gonna appear on the show," and even if she did, they wouldn’t resolve it.”
“He doesn’t know what he’ll do after Angel wraps – take some time off, probably, and then maybe write a movie or come up with a new television show. Or, he’ll work for some "crappy" show that’s on now.”
Meantime, word’s in that Eliza Dushku’s series “Tru Calling” has been picked up for a second season, so that means next to no chance of a “Faith” spin-off happening.
Meantime, Fury also talked to SciFi Wire about “Angel”.
"There were and are conversations going on with UPN," Fury said in an interview at the Wolfram & Hart Annual Revue fan charity ball on Feb. 21.
Fury added, "But in all likelihood they don’t have the financial wherewithal to continue the series. It’s less expensive than Buffy was for them, but trying to bring a show that’s … going to be going into its sixth season, it’s not really financially responsible for them to pick up a show that doesn’t really have much of a future beyond one more season."
Fury added that he wasn’t optimistic about future Angel movies of the week, which The WB has held out as a possible continuing venue for the show’s mythology. "I think there’s some time [that] would have to pass before we’d seriously start considering it," Fury said. Angel co-creator Joss Whedon will soon be heavily involved in a proposed feature film based on his canceled SF western series Firefly, Fury added. "Joss’ response to that offer was, ‘Who’s going to make [an Angel movie] for you?’ Because he’s going to be off doing a motion picture, Firefly, and he’ll be consumed with that for some time. And presumably everybody else on the show will have moved on to other projects, although we’d love to continue to work together, and we will try to, I’m sure, in our various capacities. But as far as the movies go, I don’t expect you’ll hear anything announced about that for another year. And by that time, again, everybody will have moved on, actors and writers. And it just may be a hard thing to actually realize."
As for Angel’s series-ending story arc, Fury said, he doubted that Buffy star Sarah Michelle Gellar will be making a guest appearance. "Well, that’s entirely up to Sarah, and frankly, I think she’s out of the country [in Japan] doing a movie [The Grudge], … so I’m very doubtful that she’s going to be able to come back. And the problem with her coming back anyway is that it sort of invites closure for Spike and/or Angel, which I’m not sure we ever want to do. I think it’s better never to quite know. … Whatever it is, it’s not going to be satisfying to somebody. So I think I prefer the idea that both men are still holding out hope and maybe it’s something for an Angel movie someday, or a Buffy movie."
Kristin at E Online says that Sarah is ‘considering’ the offer to do "Angel" though, so don’t give up yet.
