Fox still committed to Joss Whedon's 'Dollhouse'
Staging a much-anticipated comeback to television hasn’t been that easy for
TV producer Joss Whedon, creator of longtime cult fave Buffy the Vampire
Slayer. First came the disconcerting news in July that he’ll be creating an
entirely new pilot for Dollhouse, his midseason drama for Fox about a
creepy organization that strips employees of their personalities and
assigns them new ones. (“I’m not going to sugarcoat it,” he told fans at
Comic-Con in July. “I did some things that weren’t right for the
network.”) Then, Whedon halted production on Dollhouse last week so he can
write the script for its fourth episode ― one of seven that he’s contractually
obligated to deliver. The shutdown comes amid press reports that Fox isn’t
happy with the drama’s creative direction, which likely demands a lot from
lead actress Eliza Dushku (also a Buffy alum). And after the bow of Fringe
(9.1 million viewers), there’s a growing fear that shows with dense
mythologies may have a hard time succeeding. (Bear in mind that very few of
Fox’s sci-fi series from the past decade have lasted beyond one full
season.)
According to multiple sources, Fox remains committed to airing Whedon’s
high-concept series and believes the work stoppage will allow the already-busy producer (he’s working on a horror movie with Buffy alum Drew Goddard) to
fully flesh out his characters. “With months before our broadcast premiere,
we have the rare luxury of extra time,” says a 20th Century Fox TV spokesman
of the show’s planned January debut. “We believe in this show and want to
give it every opportunity to succeed.”
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Joss Whedon and the stars of ‘Dollhouse’ at their Comic-Con 2008 panel
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