The film is based on Firefly, a television series that was canceled by FOX in December 2002, after 11 of its 14 produced episodes had aired.Whedon, Serenity: The Official Visual Companion, p.17 When attempts to have another network pick the show up failed, creator Joss Whedon decided to try and sell it as a film. Through a connection, he was introduced to Mary Parent with Universal Pictures, who immediately signed on after watching the episodes on DVD. By June of 2003, actors Nathan Fillion and Adam Baldwin confirmed this on the official Firefly forum, as did Whedon in several interviews.




After Universal Studios acquired the movie rights to Firefly from FOX, Whedon began writing the screenplay. Universal planned to start shooting in October of 2003; however, delays in finishing the script pushed the start of shooting to June of 2004. Universal, while on board with the movie, was not willing to spend the typical budget for a story set in space ($100 million), and Whedon convinced them he could do it for less, and without filming in Canada. And in 50 days, instead of the usual 80. On March 3, 2004 the movie was officially greenlighted to enter production and it was revealed to have budget of only $40 million. Typically, production of a movie would try and save money by not filming in Los Angeles, but Whedon insisted on staying local and hiring local, union crew.

Principal photography started on June 3 2004. Joss Whedon stated that the film would be released as Serenity, in order to differentiate it from the TV series. All nine principal cast members from the television series (Adam Baldwin, Alan Tudyk, Gina Torres, Jewel Staite, Morena Baccarin, Nathan Fillion, Ron Glass, Sean Maher, and Summer Glau) returned for the movie. On September 17 2004 Joss Whedon announced on the movie's official site that shooting had been completed.

Whedon's task was to take a television series that few people had seen and explain the premise, without boring the viewer, or the fans of the franchise. He achieved the exposition by constantly shifting the opening sequence: at first it is a traditional narrative, but then turns out to be a school room, which then turns out to be in River's mind, etc. The viewer is constantly fed information but at the same time it is unsettling. Whedon stated in the commentary that this works thematically as well, since it depicts River's fractured state of mind. When they reach the ship, Whedon uses a long tracking shot to establish "safety".Whedon, Serenity: Director's Commentary, track 1 "Living Weapon"


Since the budget was not very large, practical special effects were used as much as possible: if a CGI composite was called for, as many tangible sets and props were made to reduce the amount of CGI needed.Whedon, Serenity DVD, "What's in a Firefly" The most technically challenging scene was the mule skiff chase. For budget reasons, a gimbal (a hydraulic turntable) and CGI, like the pod race in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, were quickly ruled out and challenged the production team to find an alternative. Instead they built a trailer with a cantilevered arm attached to the "hover craft" and shot the scene while riding up Templin Highway north of Santa Clarita. As "Serenity" visual effects supervisor Loni Peristere stated in a Los Angeles Times article: "Traditionally this would have been, like, a 30-day shoot. I think we did it in five."

One item that could not be reused from the television show that would have helped save money, was the original set of the interior of the ship Serenity. It had to be rebuilt from scratch for the film, using frozen images from the Firefly DVD set. ZOIC, the CG-rendering company that produced the graphics for the series, also had to perform a complete overhaul of their computer model of Serenity, as its television model would not stand up to high-definition cinema screens (and future HD DVD resolution).

The set for the failed colony, Miranda, was filmed on location at Diamond Ranch High School in Pomona, California. (The building into which the Alliance ship is crashed is the DRHS Band and Orchestra's rehearsal room.)

Renowned comic book artist Bernie Wrightson, co-creator of Swamp Thing, contributed concept drawings for the Reavers. Other comic book artists who contributed to the production design include Joshua Middleton and Leinil Francis Yu (Visual Companion).

Five hundred years into the future, humanity has abandoned Earth and moved in masses to a new large star system. The system is controlled by the authoritarian Alliance, but away from the "core planets" outlaws like the crew of the interplanetary cargo ship Serenity can scrape out a living if they dodge Alliance forces and the Reavers - savage space-faring cannibals who raid the worlds of "the Rim." One of the Alliance's projects is the creation of a cadre of conditioned psychic warriors. The star "pupil" of this project is teenager River Tam. After her older brother Simon rescues her, the Alliance Parliament gives high authority to The Operative, who begins a ruthless search for the two fugitives.

Roughly eight months after River and Simon have joined Serenity's crew, the ship's captain Malcolm "Mal" Reynolds overrides Simon's objections and insists upon bringing River and her talents along on a bank raid. The raid is interrupted by a Reaver attack. After the crew narrowly escapes them, Simon confronts Mal, who decides to leave the two fugitives behind at their next stop. At said stop, River starts a deadly commotion that is triggered by a subliminal message broadcast by the Alliance in a commercial. Mal allows Simon and River to continue traveling on Serenity while the crew contacts a reclusive techno-geek known as Mr. Universe. Mr. Universe discovers the subliminal message and also notes that River whispered the name "Miranda." Mal receives a call from Inara, a former passenger. Suspecting a trap, but mindful that she must be in danger, Mal visits her and is confronted by the Operative, who offers to let Mal go if he turns River over to him. Mal refuses, and thanks to Inara's quick thinking, they escape from the Operative and back to Serenity. Another of River's outbursts shows the crew that "Miranda" is an unknown outer rim planet, about which River learned something horrible when in contact with members of Parliament during an inspection visit of her training. Since traveling to Miranda would require a suicidal crossing into Reaver territory, Serenity instead goes to Haven, now home to another former passenger, Shepherd Book. On arrival, the crew discovers that the outpost has been ravaged by Alliance forces, fatally wounding Shepherd Book in the process. The Operative sends a message claiming responsibility, and promising more of the same until River is turned over.

Again overriding the crew's complaints, Mal orders that Serenity be made to look like a Reaver ship. They successfully sneak the disguised vessel through an entire fleet of Reaver warships. Upon reaching Miranda, the crew finds it has a completely habitable environment — but the sprawling cities are empty except for masses of badly decomposed corpses, all without apparent cause of death. The crew discovers a log recorded after the disaster by an Alliance expedition, which reveals that the Alliance administered a chemical substance designed to suppress aggression and thus render the planet free of violence. It worked so well that the populace stopped working, eating, or caring about anything and let themselves die. However, a fraction of the population had the opposite reaction, turning hyper-aggressive and mentally unstable: they became the Reavers. A sickened Mal plans to reveal this secret to all the worlds by using Mr. Universe's transmitter equipment, but the Operative has anticipated this and waits just outside of Reaver space with an Alliance fleet. During the return trip through the Reavers, Serenity opens fire upon a pursuing ship, causing the other vessels to chase it: Serenity emerges from Reaver space flanked by the entire Reaver fleet. A massive battle ensues between the Alliance and the Reavers, allowing Serenity's pilot Wash to fly down to Mr. Universe's planet. The Operative's ship is destroyed, and he also flees to the surface in an escape pod.

Serenity crash lands on the planet and while it suffers massive damage, the crew has survived. Just as everyone begins to relax, a Reaver harpoon impales Wash, killing him instantly. Fleeing Serenity, the crew sets up a last stand to give Mal the time he needs to get to Mr. Universe and transmit the message. Mal finds Mr. Universe murdered, but triggers a message revealing a hidden backup transmitter. The Reavers attack the crew, inflict several injuries and force them to retreat. The crew tries to close a blast door, but it will not seal completely, so River dives through the gap in the door and seals it from the other side trapping herself with the Reavers. Mal reaches the secondary transmitter, but then The Operative appears, leading to a final bloody showdown between the two men. Mal emerges as the victor but does not kill the Operative, instead leaving him to watch the recording from Miranda. Mal returns to his crew; just as he is told what River did, the blast door opens to reveal River standing unscathed amidst an enormous pile of dead Reavers. A squad of Alliance troops belatedly storm onto the scene, but the Operative, his faith in his mission shattered by the Miranda message, orders them to stand down. The crew buries Mr. Universe, Shepherd Book, and Wash and patches up Serenity. As they prepare to resume their travels, the Operative makes his own exit, promising Mal they will never meet again. Serenity blasts off with Mal in Wash's seat at the helm, and River acting as his copilot.