24 years after it was canceled, Firefly is back – this time as an animated series

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Joss Whedon's short-lived space western is set to fly once more

The main cast of Firefly, from left to right: Adam Baldwin as Jayne; Jewel Staite as Kaylee; Ron Glass as Book; Sean Maher as Simon; Morena Baccarin as Inara; Nathan Fillion as Mal; Gina Torres as Zoe; Alan Tudyk as Wash, and Summer Glau as River.
(Image credit: 20th Century Television)

Browncoats rejoice, the beloved '00s sci-fi western Firefly is returning to TV, albeit this time as an animated series.

Star Nathan Fillion, who played Captain Malcolm Reynolds on the short-lived series, revealed the news at a live recording of his and co-star Alan Tudyk's podcast, Once We Were Spacemen, held at Awesome Con on Sunday.

The animated series, which appears to currently be working under the title Firefly: Still Flyin', will reunite all of the show's surviving cast. That's Fillion, Tudyk, Gina Torres, Jewel Staite, Morena Baccarin, Sean Maher, Adam Baldwin, and Summer Glau. Ron Glass, who played Shepherd Book on the show, died in 2016.

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The announcement follows several weeks of short Instagram videos showing Fillion reuniting with his old cast-mates one by one, prompting speculation that a new Firefly project was in the works.

The original show followed a gang of outcast renegades and outlaws on the beaten-up transport ship Serenity, and ran for a single season in 2002. Despite its now infamously short-sighted cancelation, the show sold well on home release and has always had a passionate and dedicated fanbase. A well-received sequel film, Serenity, was released in 2005. The new show takes place in the gap between the show and the movie.

The new project has been developed by Fillion's production company, Collision33, in partnership with 20th Television Animation and Disney. It will be showrun by the writer-producer team of Marc Guggenheim and Tara Butters, who have also written the pilot script. Concept art for the show has been developed with the Oscar-winning animation studio ShadowMachine. Deadline is reporting that the show will be shopped around to potential buyers shortly. Fillion has also released a short video urging fans of the show to share it and get the word out.

Firefly's creator, Joss Whedon, has given the project his blessing, but otherwise does not appear to be involved in the planned new series.

The news came just a day after it was revealed that another Whedon-based project, a revival of Buffy the Vampire Slayer starring Sarah Michelle Gellar, has not been picked up at Hulu.

While we wait for Firefly: Still Flyin', why not fill out your watchlist with our guide to the best new TV shows to watch in 2026, and beyond.

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Will Salmon
Will Salmon
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Will Salmon is the former Streaming Editor for GamesRadar+. He has been writing about film, TV, comics, and music for more than 15 years, which is quite a long time if you stop and think about it. At Future he launched the scary movie magazine Horrorville, relaunched Comic Heroes, and has written for every issue of SFX magazine for well over a decade. His music writing has appeared in The Quietus, MOJO, Electronic Sound, Clash, and loads of other places too.

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