Nathan Fillion posted a video yesterday, teasing that an animated series based on Firefly is in the works—just needs a streaming home.
The Rookie and Deadpool & Wolverine star Nathan Fillion shared a major update on his social media on Sunday, March 15, 2026. A new Firefly animated series has been finalized for pitching out to buyers, the story being set between the original live-action show and the Serenity movie. However, they still need a streaming home to bring it fully into fruition. Fillion and members of the original cast broke the news during a panel at Awesome Con 2026 in Washington D.C., this past weekend.
Fillion and the rest of the cast showed and talked about concept art of the lineup of the beloved characters. Gina Torres, Jewel Staite, Morena Baccarin, Sean Maher, Summer Glau, and Adam Baldwin all confirmed they will be reprising their roles. Ron Glass, who played the Shepherd Book, died in 2016 aged 71. Everything from the showrunning team, cast, and script appeared to be greenlit—based on Fillion’s video post. He even mentioned they got Firefly creator Joss Whedon’s “blessing”, despite Whedon not being a part of the new animated series. The last piece of the puzzle is finding a streaming platform buyer.
For those who do not know about the 2002 space western show Firefly, it was essentially an American live-action version of Cowboy Bebop. Set 500 years in the future, it had a motley crew aboard a transport ship taking on any odd jobs they stumble upon. Their only goal was to survive and hopefully live their best lives, but Reavers—flesh-eating humans who went insane in space—and other challenges stand in their way. Sadly, the show was cancelled after one season, and the movie Serenity skipped ahead to the end of the crew’s journey.
Fillion, who played Captain Malcolm “Mal” Reynolds, mentioned in the social media post that even the Firefly rights holders 20th Century Studios and Disney “got excited” and said “yes” to the series. He went on to share that the two showrunners include married writing-producing team Marc Guggenheim (DC’s Arrow, Flash) and Tara Butters (Agent Carter, Dollhouse), who met through Firefly. ShadowMachine is in place as the animation studio, known for producing Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio, BoJack Horseman, Robot Chicken, and more.
In the video, we also get a quick glimpse at the script of the pilot episode, titled ‘Athenia’ and labelled ‘Episode #1, 201,’ which could mean that this new animated series is essentially season 2 of Firefly. The animated format “provides an opportunity to revisit the franchise’s original ensemble dynamics while allowing for expanded storytelling within the established timeline,” a note to press reads. This huge social media post was a way to get fans riled up, but also to show their support and engagement to help convince buyers that this animated sequel series is worth it. Fillion ended the video by saying he is going out to pitch the show, and the other cast members wish him luck.
“The word is out. To keep Firefly flying, we need a home,” Fillion posted. “And for that, we need you. Like this post, comment on this post, repost this post. Tag a friend, tag an enemy, even tag a Reaver. Give us some ‘quantifiable analytics’ that we can use to convince folks that this is something people want.” As a recent fan of the cult classic, I immediately liked the cast and found their chemistry charming. It also let me see most of these actors and actresses earlier in their careers, where I know them for bigger roles now. So, go do what Fillion said and engage with the post.
