Hack Master...

(Yes, it is time, once again, to comment on my favorite writing/directing/producing hack)

Joss Whedon-ites live in a bubble.  They feed off of each other and have built up his body of work, in their social circles, to be some of the best entertainment ever created.  Relying solely on the success of “Buffy”, Mr. Whedon has somehow networked with the right people in Hollywood to keep himself in business. 

 I recently read an article about what Sci-Fi sequels should be made and, sure enough, Firefly/Serenity was listed near the top.  One person posting in the comments added that it was one of the few on the list that had a fan base to support a movie sequel.  This comment is so inaccurate that it’s laughable.  Let’s look at the facts:

The television series, Firefly, did not pull the ratings in for Fox to even run all 13 produced episodes.  The show was CANCELED due to lack of viewership.  Yes, it may have had 3 million viewers, but that doesn’t cut it on network TV.  Then, somehow, Whedon was given a budget to make a motion picture, Serenity.  $39 million is getting off cheap for a feature and yet it failed to make its money back over its WORLDWIDE theatrical run, making it a box office flop.  My question, where is this fan base?  They’re probably at home watching "Xena" reruns.  It is a niche franchise and is not sustainable in the mass media.

Whedon’s follow up TV series, Dollhouse, suffered the same ratings fate and could not stay afloat on network television, despite all of the eye candy.  Again, fan base anyone?

The Avengers is poised to be the make or break moment in Whedon’s career.  He has taken on writing and directing duties that Marvel execs have graciously bestowed upon him based almost solely on his fan boy appeal.  They should take note of "Scott Pilgrim’s" failure to perform at the box office.  Its small but vocal audience just couldn’t fill up the theaters.  If The Avengers does not make some major cash, Mr. Whedon may have to go back to riding his brothers’ coat tails as he did on "Dr. Horrible" (the songs, by his brothers, and acting made that good, not the writing).  To its advantage, The Avengers has star power and character recognition, plus lead-in movies to help get it off the ground.  My fear is that the movie WILL be a box office success and help perpetuate the career of one of Hollywood's all-time hacks (Ronald Moore not withstanding, but that's another story)!