Question:...You're supposed to be our television golden god, but you have disappointed. I demand Spike movie info, or I shall toss my golden Smurf icon into the trash. Don't think I won't. — Rachel
Ausiello: Uncle! OK, here's the deal. WB president David Janollari instantly recognized me as "the Spike guy" when we met up last week at the Frog's upfront bash, so that allowed me to dispense with the pleasantries and cut right to the chase. I asked him, point-blank: "Should Spike fans just abandon this fight? Because if there's no chance of a Spike movie happening, let me know now and I'll tell them to give up." Well, Janollari insisted a William the Bloody telepic was most definitely not a lost cause, adding that it remains a "project of interest" for him. When I asked what the frick the holdup was, he told me a bunch of stuff off the record before revealing on the record that Joss Whedon has yet to pick up the phone to discuss the matter with him. And as you no doubt recall, Whedon hinted in the March 23 AA [see below] that he was thisclose to putting some feelers out to Janollari about Spike. Long story short: I think the ball's in Joss' court, folks.
Question: Are we getting any closer to a Spike movie? — Heather
Ausiello: Based on my conversations with both Whedon and WB entertainment president David Janollari last Thursday, it certainly sounds like we are. When I asked Janollari if he had given any further thought to the Spike telepic I pitched him at press tour in January, he said, "I have given it more thought since you brought it up. It's certainly something that I continue to get many fan letters and e-mails about, and it's something that we discuss a lot around here. But no decision has been made." Well, literally 15 minutes after I hung up with Janollari, Whedon called to weigh in on a William the Bloody revival. "I'm really for it, but I have never really spoken to David Janollari," he said. "I occasionally would bring it up with [execs at 20th Century] Fox, and they'd be like, 'Yeah, that would be cool.' And I'm like, 'Who do we need to talk to?' And then nothing has really happened. I've been really busy in post [-production] on Serenity and haven't been able to get the wheels turning, but I definitely intend to investigate it." When I relayed to him that Janollari had just told me that he was open to the idea, Whedon responded, "Well, that's something that I hope to get a chance to pursue." And what about his Wonder Woman commitment? Wouldn't that further delay things? "[Spike] is not necessarily something that I would write and direct myself," he suggested. "I have a lot of brilliant friends who worked with me for many years who might be able to take the helm — somebody who both James [Marsters] and I would trust." Whedon also revealed that the Spike pic would not be a prequel, thereby alleviating the age-related concerns Marsters recently expressed in Ask Ausiello. "For me, Spike is a very contemporary guy," he said. "It's sort of what distinguished him from Angel." So let me get this straight: Not only did I pitch this movie to Janollari, but I secured the participation of its star and creator. If that's not enough to land me a producing credit, then something's wrong with the system.
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