Now that Joss Whedon has wrapped upped his work on The Cabin in the Woods, he's starting to focus on his 2nd season of Dollhouse.

We've got different chunks of news for you today.  First, we chat a little bit about the new writers for the show then some character news.  Later on we make note on Joss' opinion on the new Buffy The Vampire Slayer project.

Writing Staff Added To Dollhouse

For any Reaper fans that have become fans of the writers from that show, you will be happy to know that the creators / writers from Reaper, Michele Fazekas and Tara Butters, have come on board the writing staff for season 2 of Dollhouse.  They've signed an exclusive deal with 20th Century Fox, and 20th Century produces Dollhouse.

Now don't be confused.  Yes, Joss was given a smaller budget for season 2 but they're not adding staff.  These two replace the spaces vacated by Elizabeth Craft and Sarah Fain.  Craft and Fain both moved over to the writing staff for Lie To Me.

Work On Dollhouse Is Getting Underway

The first thing we need to address are the rumors of who is or isn't showing up on Dollhouse because they may have been exaggerated.

According to Joss Whedon, despite reports saying that there was a good possibility of Summer Glau coming on board, there may have been a liberal dose of misinterpretation involved.

I've previously reported that he asked Summer if she'd consider coming on board.  More recently, Joss said that he first has to serve the work needs of the cast already assembled before anything can be worked out with Summer Glau.  Joss says that if something came up that fit her, he'd "... hound her.  But the rumors of her becoming part of the show are greatly exaggerated."  But you have to admit, the potential of her presence on the show is pretty exciting.

Cast, Where Art Thee?

As far as other cast members showing up in season 2, have you noticed a few folks are on other shows?  I did, and I was curious.

Continue reading 'Joss Whedon: Dollhouse & Thoughts On The New Buffy Project'

Alan Tudyk as Alpha on Dollhouse

Alan Tudyk is on ABC's redo of V and isn't immediately available to work on Dollhouse. As for Amy Acker, she is on ABC's Happy Town.

What's up with that?  My guess is that the actors were accepting gigs when the renewal chances of the show seemed bleak.  Especially if you considered how much fan support was evident for the return of The Sarah Connor Chronicles over Dollhouse, and yet Fox made a surprise decision when they renewed Dollhouse.

Joss says that Alpha is part of the equation and he just has to wait until Tudyk is available a little bit later.

I think it's a shame that Alpha isn't going to be a full time part of the story.  That was an incredible episode when the deadly and deranged Alpha did show up.  But as the saying goes, "Absence makes the heart grow fonder."  It will be very interesting and no doubt met with great anticipation to see when Alpha does show up again.

As far as Acker goes, Whedon's hoping to work out a time-share set up with ABC for her.

That too would be awesome since they dropped a bombshell on us last season about her.  (Nope, not gonna spoil the DVD viewers -  You'll just have to watch.)

Thoughts On Season 2

Whedon said that he is really proud of the 2nd half of the first season (Is that a subtle shot at FOX's manipulation of the episodes?) and that they're expanding on what happened in the 2nd half of that season for season 2.

The 2nd season will be seeing Echo wanting to find out more about Caroline, but Echo will also have a "weird super power" where she can become a different person.  I presume that means she can tap into different personality skill sets when the situation calls for it.  That would be cool, if my guess is right.

Joss On The New Buffy Project

During the interview with Entertainment Weekly they touched on the new Buffy The Vampire Slayer project.  Joss indicated that the producers from the project reached out to his agent after the reboot announcement.

Joss thinks that this new project is "something better left untouched by me.  So I wish them luck."

Ouch.  Did he just diss their project with the best professional smoothness ever?

I like the fact that Joss doesn't feel desperate enough to latch onto something just for the sake of past success.  He's got plans and has faith in his plans.  At least, that's what I'm seeing.

The real bad news for the project is that Entertainment Weekly held a poll and only 3% of the respondents were inclined to see the new project if Whedon was not attached.

It seems that Kuzui Enterprises may have tread on a type of holy-ground when they dared to ponder moving forward without Whedon.

In Recap

I think it's great news that Reaper creators Fazekas and Butters are on board the writing staff.  Despite both Tudyk and Acker landing roles in other series', I  hope everything can be worked out to get them both back on the show.  I feel it's imperative, considering recent developments of their characters.

It also sounds like season 2 of Dollhouse is going to kick some serious derriere.  That is, if Fox can resist the urge to muck with things.  They've proven time and time again that they aren't savvy enough to understand a fanbase of a program and they need to let the fans take care of their show.

And personally, I think it looks like the Buffy The Vampire Slayer project is on its own.  They might as well shelve the project now and move on with something else until they come to their senses.

Thanks for coming by.  Your thoughts on anything Whedon are always welcome here on Screen Rant.

Sources:  Entertainment Weekly, Whedon.info