This week's Sex and the City movie is hardly the first cinematic continuation of a TV show, but there really haven't been that many. Usually when we think of film adaptations of TV series, we're thinking of remakes. But there are a few movies that pick up where their respective show ends, whether as a resuming story, a prequel or something totally random and barely connected.

And of course, we keep hearing about other possible series-to-film resumptions: Lost, 24 and Arrested Development movies have all been discussed, and they may indeed happen. So, while there isn't a long list of predecessors to model their transitions on, I've compiled seven titles that did it right in some way or another. Hopefully, for the sake of the fans of Carrie and co., Sex and the City will be enough of a success to make number eight.


Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979)

People may enjoy the second installment best, but this is the one that started the film franchise, officially reigniting a series that had been canceled ten years prior. Though the original show had its share of fans, enough to eventually get this film produced, it wasn't initially considered a success. And interestingly enough, neither was the movie thought of as a complete hit, despite its $80 million gross and the fact that it spawned another ten film installments (and additional series).

In the event that an Arrested Development movie gets made, it could be seen as similar to Star Trek, since the TV show was initially a failure yet it has gained a larger following since its cancellation, enough to call for production of a feature follow-up. However, there's also a good chance that it will also be a failure on the big screen, like was Serenity, the cinematic continuation of the TV series Firefly.
tion more than simply an adaptation.

The ever-lovable, wonder-writer/director Joss Whedon needs to get a few projects on the go. After running himself ragged with Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, he brought the world a small helping of Firefly, a pretty kick-arse movie adaptation Serenity, almost made Wonder Woman, and continued the story of the slayers in comic form. Having handed over the reigns on that, what's left to do? It's not like Veronica Mars is still around for him to guest on! Well, he's still working on his supernatural Goners script after getting a bunch of studio notes, but Whedon never takes it easy, so it's not a surprise that after reviving his first beloved series, there's rumors of a Serenity 2.

Oh yes, the Browncoats might come back -- not necessarily to the big screen, but to DVD. While the film's box office didn't live up to expectations, it has, unsurprisingly, had a heck of a stint on disc. Moviehole recently chatted with Alan Tudyk (Wash), and he said: "They had to put [the new DVD] out because they've been selling out of the other one, and so Universal's like 'So, let's do another one.' And now... there's now a chance there's going to be another movie." Well, this is just about the most solid Whedon rumor you can get. While he always has a million potential projects swimming in his head, it's big news if the studios can see an audience and get interested in the idea.

So, does this make you giggle with schoolgirl-like glee? If so, keep picking up those DVDs and we might just see Serenity fly again! But heck, they could even keep the ship docked the entire time and show a lot of Summer Glau butt-kicking. Who wouldn't be up for more of that!?

A few months back we learned that a 2-disc special edition of Joss Whedon's Firefly spinoff, Serenity, was on the way. And now, because I'm such a pathetic nerd when it comes to this particular TV series / movie, I'm elated to share the news on what'll be included on that dual-platter release (which hits the shelves on August 21). Plus there's some pretty nifty cover art ... but let's focus on the extra goodies right now.

Here's what you'll find on the Serenity 2-disc special edition, and I'll italicize the stuff that was not on the single-disc release that you probably already own and have watched about 14 times:

• Audio commentary with writer/director Joss Whedon
• Audio commentary with Whedon and actors Nathan Fillion, Adam Baldwin, Summer Glau and Ron Glass
• Joss Whedon introduction
• Deleted scenes with optional Whedon words
• Extended scenes
• Outtakes
• Featurettes:
• "Take a Walk on Serenity"
• "Green Clan"
• "We'll Have a Fruity Oaty Good Time!"
• "A Filmmaker's Journey"
• "Future History: The Story of Earth That Was"
• "Re-lighting the Firefly"
• "What's in a Firefly?"
• "Session 416"

(Again, the italicized goodies are the "new" ones, unless you own all of the international Serenity DVDs, in which case the second commentary is the only truly NEW item. I think. I'm sure a smarter Browncoat than I will come along and correct any glitches I may have made.) And yes, this is the original theatrical cut: No "added scenes" or "director's cut" gimmickry here. Plus the cover art is pretty damn slick, albeit not exactly what I was expecting. I snipped a little section out for this post, but you can check out the full goods over at DVDActive.com. Pretty gorram shiny.

Talk about a guy who could use a hug (or three), Joss Whedon is doing his best to glue back together his broken heart following the severe beat-down his ego has received over the course of the past year. After opting not to replace Bryan Singer as director on X-Men 3 in order to dive head first into the shallow puddle that was Wonder Woman, Whedon now finds himself no longer attached to a comic adaptation, and content with moving forward on his next project -- an original flick called Goners, which he will write and direct.

In speaking with Wizard Universe, Whedon immediately addressed those rumors that pegged him as the leading contender to helm an X-Men 4. He says, "I haven't heard the rumor, but there is no rumor that is not swirling. I don't even know, are they even going to have an X4? I had been talking with [Marvel Studios] about X3, but the dates didn't line up. So I took on Wonder Woman, and that worked out great! Oh, no wait, I remember now, not so much." He goes on to admit that he "wouldn't say never," but seems more interested in telling his own stories right now, rather than "doing someone else's thing." After reading the interview (which, might I add, is quite good), you can't help but feel for the guy; prior to his work on Wonder Woman, Whedon had also pitched his own big-screen version of Batman, only to lose out to Christopher Nolan. He notes: "I still stay up late at night thinking how cool my Batman movie could have been, and I liked Batman Begins a lot. I thought it had some awesome stuff I would never have come up with, but I still think about what I could have done. That's the problem when you throw your heart into those things; it just stays there." [Cue Lisa Loeb's Stay -- Fade Out on lone tear sliding down Whedon's cheek.]

Even though I've never found myself attracted to his Firefly/Serenity/Buffy stuff, Whedon's original voice has landed him a pretty massive fanbase. You can sense he's passionate about the stories he wants to tell, if only someone, somewhere finally gives him the opportunity. For much more from Whedon on the Wonder Woman debacle and his new flick Goners, as well his thoughts on the big-screen Marvel vs. DC battle, check out the Wizard Universe interview here.

I'm sure I'm in the minority in thinking that Ender's Game would make a horrible film. Maybe I don't remember the book well enough, but I see it being awfully repetitive. Many devoted readers, though, are eagerly awaiting the arrival of little Bean to the big screen, so I hope for them that it isn't another disappointing adaptation. On the plus side, the book's author, Orson Scott Card, has written the script. On the minus side, Card thinks Serenity is the "best science fiction movie, ever" and in the past wrote that he wants Ender's Game to be the kind of movie that Serenity is or else never be made.

The author talked with IGN this week and had some more good and bad news for the fans. First the bad: the movie has stalled again, as Warner Bros. has put the project in turnaround. It isn't known why the studio changed its mind -- it seemed all set to go at the end of last year with Wolfgang Petersen directing -- but Card actually is happy they did. That is apparently the good news: the producers are now looking to bring the project to another studio or even finance it independently. I guess the benefit seems to be that the filmmakers will not begin the thing until they know they can make it right.

Card also dished out some other bits about the film, which are neither good nor bad. He says his script, which includes nothing of the past draft written by David Benioff and Dan Weiss, is an adaptation of both Ender's Game and its follow-up, Ender's Shadow -- though seemingly only includes parts of each. He also said that the film's producers aren't intending on making this into a franchise (I bet that is what turned off WB) and squashed rumors that Ridley Scott would be taking over from Petersen. Maybe Joss Whedon is a fan and could make Card's dreams come true.

The Browncoats strike again! The wacky fans of Joss Whedon's Firefly television series, and its feature film spin-off, Serenity, are continuing to show their strength on the internet, as SFX Magazine has declared Serenity the winner of an online poll, in which readers voted for the best science fiction film. This should be a big blow to George Lucas, whose Star Wars had certainly been the sci-fi fan favorite for most of the last three decades. Star Wars came in 2nd place with only 28% of the votes compared to Serenity's 61%. There was also a sad turnout for fans of Spielberg, Verhoeven and Star Trek, none of whom/which made the grade this time around. The winners, in order after Star Wars, are Blade Runner, Planet of the Apes (1968 version, I hope), The Matrix, Alien, Forbidden Planet, 2001: A Space Odyssey, The Terminator and Back to the Future.

Lucas and his Star Wars franchise also fared badly in CNN's list of best and worst movie battles. Not only did no Star Wars film make it into the best ten, but two of the films held spots in the worst. The Battle of Endor, with its Ewoks, from Return of the Jedi and the Battle of Naboo, with its Jar-Jar, from The Phantom Menace are grouped alongside awful sequences from King Arthur, Dune and Pearl Harbor. Also among the worst, though, is a sequence from The Lord of the Rings trilogy, which also features two battles in the best of group. Fortunately for Spielberg and Verhoeven, one film each of theirs was also highlighted among the greatest battle scenes of all time, which was topped by the helicopter attack from Francis Ford Coppola's Apocalypse Now.

[via Fark.com]

Universal Home Video is generally known for a) producing fine (and generally goody-soaked) DVDs for all their beloved (and not-so-beloved) movies, and b) double-dipping like nobody's business. This is the outfit that gave us three or more DVDs for The Mummy and The Fast and the Furious ... and I can't even count how many of the American Pie DVDs are littered throughout Best Buy. But here comes some double-dippage news that fills me with much enthusiasm.

According to Nerd Lord Joss Whedon, we will soon have a shiny new Serenity Special Edition to wrap our gorram mitts around. (And please don't think I'm mocking the geeks here; I've watched my Firefly/Serenity DVDs more times than I care to mention.) According to JW, he's hoping and expecting the SE to include a full-bore cast commentary (which will ndoubtedly be awesome), the "Tam Session" videos, all of the Aussie DVD's extras (which look like a lot of stuff!), and (yes) new cover art. I'll say it again: shiny. Guess that "flop" of a movie sold enough digital platters to warrant a second edition, eh? That's gotta make the fans feel pretty good. (Yep, actually it does.) No firm release date for this 2-disc treat, but my sources tell me (and this is off the record) "August."

Yesterday, I told you about a quote from Joss Whedon which seemed to strongly indicate he was finished with the Firefly universe after the short-lived TV series and one feature film. However, a few hours later alter reader Sheridan pointed out a thorough explanation from Whedon via the Whedonesque website. As it turns out, Whedon is only done with the Firefly world for now, and has no idea what may possibly become of it in the future.

If I read what he is saying correctly (and feel free to help me out fans, as you know him better than I do), the basic situation is as follows: Joss Whedon loves to create, and once he creates, he never truly lets go. His mind is a treasure trove of stories, characters, and worlds, and once he introduces a new one, he will never truly abandon it. In his head, there are always more stories and there is no guarantee on which ones will be created. However, the man is ridiculously busy, and wonder of wonders is actually tiring himself out. Who knew he was mortal? The failure (such as it was) of Firefly hit him pretty hard, and he has other projects on his plate right now, so he doesn't want to think about a return to the universe. For now. Fans, does this sound like an accurate read?

When Joss Whedon's Firefly television show met an early, unfortunate demise after only one season, his fans roared their disapproval. The combined strength of their voices was heard, and the result was a continuation of the series via a theatrical feature film called Serenity. Fans rejoiced.

Unfortunately, very few others rejoiced, and the movie was met with a very lackluster box office performance. Despite this, rumors of a second season (licensed by another studio or some outside financing group) or even a second film have persisted -- perhaps because of the successful fan uprising the first time around. Joss Whedon has finally met those rumors head on, and flatly denies any hope for a return to the Firefly universe. Whedon bluntly declared: "There's no sequel, no secret project regarding Serenity or some such and I'm not even sure how anyone thought there was talk there. So let's put that to bed and smother it with a pillow." Sorry, fans, it looks like the movie was your last hurrah. Well done on bringing the first film about, though, and congrats on being truly dedicated, exciting fans. All directors should be lucky enough to land fans like you.

Back in February Mark reminded you Firefly / Serenity supporters that a feature-length fan-doco was nearing completion ... and now it's finished! If you'd like to get your very own copy of Done the Impossible, which covers the period of history from pre-Firefly to post-Serenity, you can order the DVD at the movie's official site.

Ah, but what's this? Someting called a "free torrent" is available? The filmmakers DON'T MIND if you download their movie without paying for it? What kinda crazy, mixed-up 'verse are we living in here? Yep, provided you have the software required to download torrent streams, you can settle in and watch the 80-some minute Done the Impossible at no cost to you, the viewer. How nifty.

The Impossible filmmakers have several good reasons for allowing the free download, but they promise that the DVD version will have more extra goodies than the Firefly & Serenity DVDs combined, which sounds pretty impressive. Having just enjoyed the feature quite a bit, I'm definitely looking forward to flicking through the supplemental material. Needless to say, if you're someone who simply doesn't dig Joss Whedon's "cowboys in space" epic, then you needn't bother with any of this stuff. But if you're a diehard Browncoat who's looking for an affectionate and irreverent love letter to the fans from the fans, this passion-project comes highly recommended by yours truly.