These are the comics, TV shows and movies I’m most looking forward to in the year ahead:
COMICS
“Serenity: Leaves on the Wind” (Jan. 29, pictured) – Joss’ kid brother Zack Whedon will oversee what will essentially be Season 2 of “Firefly” in comic form, picking up the threads from the “Serenity” movie and the one major event in comics since then – the birth of Zoe and Wash’s child. The no-longer-crazy River, now the ship’s pilot, will be a character to watch, and perhaps Blue Sun will re-emerge as a villainous presence. Between this and Season 10 of “Buffy” and “Angel & Faith,” the Whedon-verse could be the centerpiece of Dark Horse Comics once Marvel takes over “Star Wars” in 2015.
TELEVISION
“24: Live Another Day” (April, Fox) – This project is exciting because it marks the return of a mostly very good series and because, if successful, it could introduce a new way of making TV. Usually, when a show is canceled, it can’t be resurrected due to the cast and crew having scattered to other projects. Maybe some popular-but-expensive franchises can continue with this film-style approach of getting the gang back together every few years for a new season. One oddity is that this ninth season of “24” will be 13 episodes, so while the plot will unfold in real time, we won’t see every minute.
“Star Wars: The Clone Wars” bonus content (early 2014, distribution method unknown) – Not all of the dangling threads from the end of Season 5 will be resolved, but some might be in this bonus content that essentially makes up Season 6. Most notable is the further exploration of the clones’ programming leading up to Order 66; this concept was teased in a clip revealed by Dave Filoni after the series’ cancellation by Disney. We also know there’s a Padme-and-Clovis arc floating out there, plus an arc about the mysterious Jedi Master Sifo-Dyas and another about the bounty hunter group led by Boba Fett and Aurra Sing.
“Star Wars: Rebels” (Fall, Disney XD) – It’ll be neat to see original trilogy-style ships in this series set soon before the events of Episode IV, especially since the producers promise to adhere closely to Ralph McQuarrie’s painting style, right down to the brushstrokes. The Inquisitor has already been announced as a major villain, and presumably cameos by Darth Vader or Tarkin or the Emperor or Boba Fett aren’t out of the question. Appearances by Ahsoka Tano and Darth Maul are longshots, but theoretically possible. The major difference between this series and “The Clone Wars,” though, is that we’ll follow heroes we’ve never met in previous stories; some fans have theorized they’ll be a hodgepodge crew like in “Firefly.”
MOVIES
“Veronica Mars” movie (March 14) – The Season 3 DVD included a test pilot episode for Season 4 that would’ve jumped ahead a few years and followed Veronica into the FBI academy. But that’s not necessarily canon, so it remains to be seen what has happened to Veronica, Keith and the others in the seven years since the TV series ended. That’ll be part of the fun of this Kickstarter-funded movie, and I think we can also count on a good mystery. Hopefully this will lead to a successful film series and stand as a shining example of how to finance a beloved franchise that the TV networks gave up on.
“X-Men: Days of Future Past” (May 23) – With some of the characters played by the older actors from the “X-Men” trilogy and some played by younger actors from “X-Men: First Class” and some played by both, one thing is for sure: Viewers’ minds will be spinning. With all the timeline inconsistencies introduced by “First Class” and the “Wolverine” pictures, hopefully this film will smooth things out while also being an epic yarn.
“Sin City: A Dame to Kill For” (Aug. 22) – This is the long-overdue follow-up to Robert Rodriguez’s masterful 2006 adaptation of Frank Miller’s highly stylized noir comics. There has never been a more perfect comics-to-film transition, nor has there ever been any movie quite like “Sin City.” Hopefully we won’t have an eight-year wait before the third installment.
“Wish I Was Here” (September) – Perhaps the second-most-hyped Kickstarter movie behind the “Veronica Mars” film, this looks like sort of a spiritual sequel to “Garden State,” my favorite movie of 2004 and all time, as writer-director Zach Braff plays an adrift 35-year-old.
“Dumb and Dumber To” (Nov. 16) – Harry (Jeff Daniels) and Lloyd (Jim Carrey) probably aren’t much wiser 19 years after they were introduced to film audiences, but I have a feeling this sequel will be a worthy successor to the smartest dumb comedy of all time.
“Barely Lethal” (late 2014) – I know Kyle Newman mostly as a mega-“Star Wars” fan – a regular guest on the “Clone Wars Roundtable” and “Clone Wars: Declassified” podcasts and the creator of the non-canonical (but quite good) audio drama “Smuggler’s Gambit.” It’s easy to forget that he also helmed the excellent 2009 comedic ode to “Star Wars” geeks, “Fanboys.” His big-screen follow-up, in addition to featuring Samuel L. Jackson, has a great premise: A teenage girl (“Ender’s Game’s” Hailee Steinfeld) trained as a lethal fighter by a government agency infiltrates a high school – and finds it to be more than she bargained for. Newman pitched it as ” ‘Easy A’ with action.”
What comics, TV and films are you most looking forward to in 2014?