While Joss Whedon’s new show Dollhouse has been getting a lot of attention, he’s got another project that seems to be coming together. Whedon wrote The Cabin in the Woods, with Cloverfield (and Buffy and Angel) writer Drew Goddard. They describe the project as “a classic horror film” and Goddard will make his directorial debut with the film.
Today, The Hollywood Reporter says that the project has snagged a few cast members. Richard Jenkins, who was extremely busy this year in such films as The Visitor and Burn After Reading, is already on board and Aaron Sorkin alum Bradley Whitford is in final negotiations.
This sounds fantastic to me. I love both of these actors. They may not be big names, but they’re huge talents. It’s also interesting to see a Whedon project kick-start with some new faces. Don’t get me wrong, I’d love to see some Buffy/Firefly/Angel alum get jobs on Cabin in the Woods (if for no other reason that some of them seem to be having trouble getting work outside of the Whedon circle), but I like seeing the net widen a little. I’m looking forward to getting more details as this project fleshes out a little.
So, have you watched Act I of Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog yet? No, you say? Who is this Dr. Horrible you speak of, Jessica, I’ve been living under a rock and only recently discovered the many glories the Internet possesses?
See Joss Whedon (he of Buffy and Firefly awesomeness) decided he didn’t like sitting on his hands during the writers’ strike and teamed up with his siblings to work on a project outside of the Hollywood mold. He called up a few friends and lo, Dr. Horrible was born. The first act of the web series, featuring Neil Patrick Harris as Dr. Horrible and Nathan Fillion as his nemesis Captain Hammer, premiered midnight, Eastern time yesterday. The response was so great that the Dr. Horrible site, along with several other even remotely related sites all came tumbling down. But it’s back now and free for your viewing pleasure. Check it out:
Act 2 will premiere the same time tonight and Act 3 two days later. You can also purchase the episodes via iTunes. Do yourself a favor, and watch.
And if you’re twiddling your thumbs waiting for the next act to be available, check out Dr. Horrible’s leading lady Felicia Day in The Guild, a web series she wrote and stars in that pokes some good-hearted fun at those MMORPG players we all have in our lives.
Joss Whedon, Neil Patrick Harris and Nathan Fillion … in an online musical web series. Ladies and gentlemen, our first look at Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog:
With the Fox upfront taking place this week, all kinds of fresh buzz is floating around about Joss Whedon’s return to television. Here’s the first publicity still of the cast (note that the titular Dollhouse looks like a cross between a zen spa and the law offices in Eli Stone):
And if that doesn’t make you happy enough, the video played at the upfront is also making the rounds (though it does seem to getting pulled occasionally – hopefully this one lasts a little longer):
But wait, there’s more! I also found this other vid, a scene with star Eliza Dushku and Battlestar Galactica‘s Tamoh Penikett. This is definitely some new stuff from Ms. Dushku here. I mean, for crying out loud, she’s wearing pastels! Sadly, the site doesn’t provide embed code, so you’ll have to visit them to see it.
Dollhouse is set to air Monday nights on Fox, beginning in January 2009. It will serve as the lead-in for 24 (quite a step up from the graveyard of Friday evenings that Firefly received). In addition, Fox will be using Dollhouse and the new J.J. Abrams series Fringe to pilot a new less-commericals-are-better platform in which they intend the halve the amount of advertisements usually presented in an hour-long show. More show = better for me.
This week’s issue of Entertainment Weekly also offers a little bit of a closer look at the show. Fox likes the show because there is a promise of standalone episodes, but Whedon still promises larger (though perhaps subtle) arcs. The latter is hinted at in the article when its noted that, though Echo (Dushku’s character) and her fellow dolls constantly have their memories wiped and are essentially “blank slates”, apparently Echo is beginning to remember things that she’s not supposed to. I am intrigued.
While Whedon wrote and directed the pilot episode, Angel writers Elizabeth Craft and Sarah Fain (late of the cancelled Women’s Murder Club) are set to serve as the showrunners. Additionally, Whedon alum Tim Minear is also set to pen a two-parter around the episode seven mark.
Here’s hoping that this one makes it for the long haul and that Fox doesn’t kill it before it’s time like it so often does.
Who else besides me is totally psyched for Dollhouse, show of hands?
As if I needed any other reason to be excited, the Joss himself confirmed today that Angel‘s lovely and talented Amy Acker will be joining the cast in a recurring role. Huzzah!
