The Joss Whedon Interview You'll Never See

MAIDA: What's the biggest difference between doing a comic and a TV series?
WHEDON: Biggest difference between doing a comic and a TV series? Is that it's very seldom that a character (in a comic) says, "I don't think I'd say that! I don't think I'd say that in bold!"

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MAIDA: you were once slated, or tapped or rumored - I don't know how you want to put it - to write a script for the "Iron Man" movie. Is that correct?
WHEDON: Yeah. I was in talks to do it. I had an outline, and it was good and solid, and I just stopped dead. Because I realized I just didn't want to have my first movie be something beholden to a lot of corporations.
MAIDA: Okay.
WHEDON: Marvel and New Line. All of whom were very nice and reasonable. I just realized, I didn't want to develop a script that was somebody else's property. I wanted to write something of my own. So, I put the kibosh on it. I thought it was terrific, and they really did like the story. But I just felt that I had to make my own mark.

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MAIDA: Um, you did a recent comic series titled "Fray", which told the story of a Slayer from the future -
WHEDON: Uh-huh.
MAIDA: - which was very well received. Is there any chance of bringing back that character, either in comic or live-action form?
WHEDON: Actually, I was approached about doing it as a video game, which I thought was sort of interesting. But yeah, I would love to bring back Fray in comics.
I don't see doing it live-action, because - uh - it's too expensive. I mean, I did it so far in the future so I wouldn't mess with the Buffy canon because "Buffy" was still on the air. But the fact of the matter is, that put it far enough in the future that it would be prohibitively expensive. 'Cause you wouldn't want it to look cheesy.
Whereas in a comic, we can do any damn thing we want - which is part of the appeal of them. So, I would love to bring Fray back into comics soon. Again, it's just a question of marshalling my time.
MAIDA: Right.

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MAIDA: Can...Especially with,you know, two of your TV series in the past two years (coming to an end) - well, three of them actually - um, do you see yourself doing a Marvel film script in the future? Is that still a possibility?
WHEDON: A Marvel comic movie or -
MAIDA: Yeah. A script for one. Yes.
WHEDON: Uh, I'm not gonna write anything that I don't direct ever again. Unless it's for a particular friend. Um, I had several times as a writer in Hollywood. Um, up to and including the rewrite I did on the movie of the X-Men. So, there are definitely characters I would love to make a movie about...but, I'm in the middle of making a movie and writing the X-Men. So I'm not thinking that far ahead. But yeah, it could totally happen. It would be great fun.

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MAIDA: All right. Are there possibilities for TV-movies, or even a theatrical release, possibly down the road?
WHEDON: It's al theoretical right now. Uh, I suppose there are possibilities. Nobody's really coming at me right now. Uh, so I don't know how real they are.

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MAIDA: Okay. What about it do you think is unique enough that, even though - like again, for whatever reason the show was unable to maintain - that you were able to get a movie greenlighted so quickly?
WHEDON: Well, you know, there's a couple of reasons for that.
You know, the show worked! And I say this because, you know, I have done things that didn't work, and I've done things that took a long time to find their footing, and I've done things that - you know - really had to be sort of hammered into place.
The show clicked in a way that nothing I have done has.
The cast - it was as if they were born to play those parts. The premise was fresh enough in what is the modern scheme of scienc-fiction. Because it's not - you know - "The Matrix". And it's not - you know - whatever came last, you know, which is a common problem with science-fiction movies.
Uh, and you know when, uh, I just believed in it so strongly, um, that you know, I got it to Universal. They absolutely responded the same way I did. They said, "This is a no-brainer. This is a potential franchise and definitely a compelling story and this cast is ready to be on the big screen."
They just completely understood it, whereas FOX just completely never did. And that's just - there's no way I can explain that. FOX didn't like the idea. They didn't like the pilot. They didn't like the show. They didn't know how to promote it. They didn't promote it. They did everything in their power to kill it, because they just didn't like it.
I don't understand why they gave me the money to make it! That part's just a little confusing! I think it had to do with the fact that I - you know - had a deal there and they were looking for product. But the fact of the matter is, it just wasn't their cup of tea.
MAIDA: Mm-hm.
WHEDON: So, uh - I believed, and still believe, that it was not just, you know, a failed experiment. I believed it was a story that needed to be told, and that I already had the people I needed to tell it. So, I went to Universal and they agreed.

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MAIDA: Okay. Is there a possibility in the future, do you think, of a "Buffy" movie?
WHEDON: Um, right now, I have to say no -
MAIDA: Okay.
WHEDON: - since Sarah has shown no interest in reprising the role of Buffy, even on "Angel". She has always been firmly adamant from Day One that she would never want to do a Buffy movie.
For a long while, I thought that might change. I wasn't encouraging it to change. I mean, she's her own person; she should do what she thinks is right. But I thought - you know - that it might...it might swing the other way.
But at this point...You know, I think anything is possible. These things happen. Um, but it's certainly not anything that's being talked about right now.
I think everybody else is doing their own thing, and it may be in five years' time, we all get nostalgic and there's a cry for it. But I don't see it happening soon.

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MAIDA: All right, and I just have to ask you this question, since there's another movie coming out in December with another vampire slayer: Who would win in a battle between Buffy and Blade?
WHEDON: Who would win in a battle between Buffy and Blade?
Um, you know...Gosh, let's see. Buffy and Blade. Blade is - Blade is badass. Now are we talking ... are we talking '70s comic book Blade or Wesley Snipes Blade?
MAIDA: Um, they are kind of two different characters. So, if you want to take each...
WHEDON: I'll tell you right now, I think Buffy could take him ... could take the modern movie Blade, I think because he's just not gonna see it comin'. He's gonna hold back at the wrong time. She's gonna take him down. It's just the way of it. He's conflicted. She's not.
But '70s Gene Colan comic book Blade? I don't think she could handle him. He's badass.
MAIDA: (laughing) Okay.

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MAIDA: Okay. Um, now when "Buffy" went off the air last year, two of the possibilities that were kicked around - you can correct me if I'm wrong - for a spinoff would be either a Faith spinoff or a Dawn spinoff.
WHEDON: There was not actually talk of a Dawn spinoff - uh, as a solo character. There was talk of a spinoff that would feature her as one of the principals of an ensemble.
MAIDA: Okay.
WHEDON: We were never gonna make her a Slayer or anything like that.
MAIDA: Oh, okay. Okay -
WHEDON: But -
MAIDA: All right. Go ahead.
WHEDON: But there was talk of a Faith spinoff, and there was talk of another spinoff featuring Dawn, so -
MAIDA: What was that? I'm sorry. I missed that.
WHEDON: I said there was talk of a Faith spinoff and there was talk of a spinoff featuring Dawn.
MAIDA: Okay.
WHEDON: Dawn as a sort of - you know, of - an...Everyman mix of heroes.
MAIDA: Okay. And as far as Faith, from what I understand, would it be like she was... almost like "The Incredible Hulk" type thing? Like the loner? Going from like town to town? That's like one rumor i heard.
WHEDON: Well, yeah. The original vision was that she - uh - she was going from town to town, just to try to give her a different feel than either "Buffy" or "Angel". And then her companion would be the ghost of Spike. But that was before - uh - Spike got the gig on "Angel" and had to be brought back to life.

MAIDA: Okay. Um, now Eliza Dushku's going to be in town this month. So I was gonna - I just thought I'd ask you: "Can you describe how you feel about Eliza as an actress?"
WHEDON: I didn't hear you.
MAIDA: Oh. I'm sorry. Could you describe how you feel about Eliza Dushku as an actress? And what she brings to the table?
WHEDON: Eliza is one of the most extraordinary actors I got to work with. She - apart from being, you know, more or less sexy - she has a great range, a great depth, and an X-factor. Which is something a lot of TV stars don't have; this sort of wildness about her that means, in a performance, she's gonna go to a place you might not expect.
She's gona give you more. She's gonna give you a little anarchy.
Uh, she's also like that in person. She's very funny. She's very interesting. And a little crazed. And, uh -
hold on one sec. Okay. Uh, I'm sorry. In talking to you, I've driven to the wrong place.
MAIDA: Oh.
WHEDON: Completely the wrong way on the freeway. So I had best figure out how I'm gonna make up for that.
So anyway, she's...uh...she's one of the first people that I really thought "I'm looking at a movie star" when I worked with her. She's got the professionalism that you need, but she's also got that thing - which I always refer to as X-factor - which means that rawness that means you can't predict how she's gonna be, and that's - that makes her constantly exciting to watch.
I mean, there's lots of girls out there who are pretty.

MAIDA: Mm-hm. You know, there was also - it's been rumored for a while -
WHEDON: I can't hear a thing. You're gonna have to - you know - give me your opera voice.
MAIDA: What?
WHEDON: You're gonna have to give me your opera voice!
MAIDA: I'm sorry. Another rumored project that's been... rumored for a while has been "Ripper", based - with Giles as the star.
WHEDON: That's another thing that I'm anxious to do. I'm more interested in doing a sort of BBC movie version of it than I am necessarily a series, just based on how much time I have. But I've wanted to do "Ripper" since I thought of it, and it's just been a victim of circumstance.
MAIDA: Okay.

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