Whedon Throws Out Original Dollhouse Pilot

Fans concerned about Joss Whedon’s upcoming series “Dollhouse” may be able to breath a sigh of relief today.  Over the weekend, Whedon took a few minutes to update fans on the current status of his mid-season Fox series on his blog at Whedonesque. 

Whedon told fans that the original pilot has been “scrapped” and that the decision to do so was his.  The decision came after meetings with Fox execs, who wanted asked for changes.

“Basically, the Network and I had different ideas about what the tone of the show would be. They bought something somewhat different than what I was selling them, which is not that uncommon in this business,” Whedon wrote. 

Once Whedon took Fox’s notes to “up the stakes, make the episodes more stand-alone, stop talking about relationships and cut to the chase” he made the decision that a new pilot was needed for the show. 

The show was forced into a shutdown after the meeting that Whedon called “frustrating as hell,” but says that the changes have made the show better in the long run.

“This kind of back and forth has happened on every show I’ve done, so if you liked those, chances are that was a part of why. And the need to focus on the essentials of what makes this universe tick – and which wire to cut to make it stop – really does bring up our game,” he wrote. 

Whedon also assured fans that things are still on course for “Dollhouse.”

“Nothing essential has changed about the universe,” he said.  “The ideas and relationships that intrigued me from the start are all there (though some have shifted, more on that), and the progression of the first thirteen eps has me massively excited. The episode we’re shooting now I wrote as fast as anything I have before, not because I had to (although, funny side-note: I had to) but because I couldn’t stop the words from coming. Because I can feel the show talking to me; delighting, scaring and occasionally even offending me.”

“Dollhouse” is set to debut next year on Fox.