2008 Comic Con Dollhouse Panel

[Gin]

Ew.com report


What with reconceiving and reshooting the show’s pilot, Joss Whedon didn’t have much to present to the Dollhouse panel observers at Comic-Con on Saturday, other than an extended trailer for the Fox show (which debuts in January). But one thing about the new sci-fi/action show was certainly made clear: Man, do its stars have chemistry!

Dollhouse, about a shady cabal that strips its employees or "actives" of their personalities and imprints them with new ones (for a fee, obvs) to do whatever their clients want, stars Eliza Dushku (pictured) as Echo and Battlestar Galactica’s Tahmoh Penikett as an FBI agent who’s been looking into the illicit organization. Dushku and Penikett sat alongside Whedon for the entire Q&A session, looking very much like the will-they-or-won’t-they pair their characters will play on the series.

After Penikett explained to one questioner that there would be no shooting conflict between Battlestar and Dollhouse because he’d been written out of the Sci-Fi Channel series, Dushku interjected, "Thank you, Battlestar Galactica! You are a strapping and extraordinary man." And that left Whedon to joke sheepishly, "I’ll just be here," as Dushku scooted her chair closer to Penikett. The duo seemed fully at ease with each other, whispering and joking throughout the session. At one point, Whedon half-heartedly lamented his third-wheel status, joking, "This is like bringing your banjo onstage after the Stones play."

The love wasn’t just between the costars, however, with Whedon declaring himself in a full-on bromance with Penikett, and Dushku announcing her eternal affection for the man who’s guided her through three series (Buffy, Angel, and Dollhouse). "Joss makes me feel smart and sexy. He just fits — like a career brassiere."

The audience — clearly a houseful of Whedonistas — did their part in bringing the panelists back to reality, first with a question about fan sites dedicated to saving Dollhouse, which, we should remind you, does not air until 2009. Whedon clearly had mixed feelings about the sites, at once thanking fans for their affection while decrying the notion that "it gives people the perception that we’re somehow failing...that’s the part I worry about." But given the storied and occasionally painful relationship Whedon has had with television (Firefly, anyone?), "let’s face it," he added, the fans’ fear "is earned."

With 10 minutes remaining in the session, someone finally got around to asking about the reconceived pilot, now a "prequel" to the previously finished episode. "I know that scared a lot of people," Whedon admitted. But "the episode I shot had everybody already in place, so to go back just meant finding different aspects to these people that would lead up to what I shot, and give what I shot more resonance."

For what it’s worth, the sci fi auteur seems pleased with the new material and expounded on it at length, noting "it felt organic. It felt right — which I can tell you the [original pilot] kind of didn’t. I’m not going to sugarcoat it. I did some things that weren’t right for the network. That’s on me.... Also, I made the vital mistake of not giving Tahmoh shirtless scenes. That has been rectified."

[Gin]

Ign.com report

Ballroom 20 at Comic-Con filled to capacity, as fans eagerly listened to fandom’s demi-God, Joss Whedon, and Eliza Dushku share a few secrets about their latest collaboration, FOX’s mid-season sci-fi drama, Dollhouse.

Following the series’ teaser trailer, which made the rounds on the interwebs several weeks ago, Whedon and Dushku took the stage, eager to discuss Dushku’s character of Echo and her roll as an "Active" in the Dollhouse. Joining them was Helo himself, Battlestar Galactica’s Tahmoh Penikett, to share some insight into the latest addition to the Whedon ’verse.

"The show will explore, in ridiculously complicated detail, how the Actives [live] every personality in the world accept their own," Whedon explained.

Penikett, who just two weeks ago was shooting the BSG series finale, plays FBI Agent Paul Smith as a man "who wants to know where Echo came from, what the Dollhouse is." The actor continued by saying that he expects a "big, challenging arc ahead for his character", involving his professional curiosity toward the Dollhouse and his personal interest in Echo.

And how will that arc play out in the new "second pilot" Whedon will shoot for the series? The panelists were tight lipped about specifics, aside from what Whedon already shared with fans online. However, Whedon did tell the audience that we can expect "more iconic introductions to these characters, to Echo", without us knowing exactly how Echo ended up at the Dollhouse, but "why the Dollhouse wanted her there to begin with."

Here’s what else Buffy’s master let slip:

* Nine episodes are in various stages of writing and only the pilot has been shot. Whedon said they planned to develop 13 episodes, but decided to hold up and actually start "writing some first" (these first nine) to get a better handle on where things can go.

* Some of the ideas we can expect to see will revolve around "the ridiculously unstable relationships between all these people...life in the Dollhouse, workers, lab techs, salesmen, personality sale issues", etc.

* Each episode will explore, in one way or another, the Actives’ "search for a soul", preferably the one that is wholly theirs, Whedon said.

* A fan asked if we will see a musical episode in Echo’s future, to which Whedon answered with a wink: "I have never thought about Eliza singing on Dollhouse, true or false?" Dushku seemed very keen on the idea, as did Whedon, as long as "we ease into it", implying that they would work the music angle organically into the story, in concert with the personality Echo is wearing that week.

* Another fan asked if there would be webisodes? Whedon says: "Yes, gonna rock some webisodes. Some will be one-shots, some have [story] arcs in them, but definitely doing it to make dozens and dozens of dollars."

[Gin]

Newsarama.com report

The fan-favorite mind behind ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’, ‘Angel’, and ‘Firefly’ Whedon Whedon paid a visit to the San Diego Comic Con on July 26 to discuss his upcoming FOX television series, ‘Dollhouse’.

Joining the discussion were ‘Dollhouse’ stars Eliza Dushku (‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’) and Tahmoh Penikett (‘Battlestar Galactica).

The Q&A session started with a look at the ‘Dollhouse’ trailer. In the footage, Dushku stars as Echo, an "Active" who is programmed to fulfill certain duties. In the trailer she was shown portraying both an assassin and a man’s date whose purpose is to make a bride jealous. However, once her duty is performed, her mind is erased.

After the trailer, the trio made their entrance to thunderous applause from the packed ballroom.

When Whedon was asked where he got the concept from, he said he had come up with the idea when discussing the level of range an actress needs to fill different roles.

Penikett was asked how he learned that Whedon wanted him for a role. Penikett laughed and said his agent called him, Penikett brushed it off by thinking, “Whedon is probably mad at me for not getting rid of the Cylons with a biological weapon.”

Whedon then said, “Penikett is someone I’ve had a man crush on.” He then corrected himself by saying, “Oh wait, the term now is bro-mance.’” Whedon then described how interested he was in Penikett’s character by saying, “He keeps getting closer and closer to Echo, and when he does, she’s someone else.”

When asked about websites already being devoted to saving the show, Whedon said, “The enthusiasm behind it, I adore. And, the wariness of it, is well deserved.”

Dushku described her favorite ‘Buffy’ moment as a time she was in a bar, dancing and fighting five different people.

Whedon was quick to correct her, reminding her that the scene she was describing was actually an ‘Angel’ moment.

Whedon and Penikett joked about never knowing where Dushku would wind up. Including receiving emails from her from Peru or Iran. She joked that she was always somewhere weird, saying, “I was elk hunting, sorry PETA. It’s a part of life. I eat what I kill.”

Whedon was quick to correct her again, saying, “The proper phrasing is ‘I eat whom I kill.’”

Penikett was then asked how his participation on ‘Dollhouse’ would affect shooting on ‘Battlestar Galactica.’ Penikett let it be known that he’d been released from his ‘Battlestar’ contract to work on ‘Dollhouse.’ This announcement was met by a chorus of ‘Awww’s from the capacity crowd.

In an odd moment, a question-asker called the trailer ‘mundane’ compared to work like ‘Buffy’ and ‘Firefly’. Dushku took offense to this threatening, “I’m gonna bring some Faith down on the floor.”

Whedon defended his upcoming series saying there would be no vampires, no space ships, no werewolves, it’s just people. But, “I hope most people know that everything I do is just people.” This was met with applause from the fans in attendance. He followed that up by saying, “Believe me when I say it’s going to be really exciting.”

When asked why his ‘Dr. Horrible’ Web series wasn’t brought to network television, Whedon responded, “I didn’t think there was a network that would create a superhero musical.”

In response to a question about ‘Buffy’ alumni in ‘Dollhouse’, Whedon said, “You can definitely expect to see Amy Acker, because my mama didn’t raise no fools. Well, except for my brothers.”

Dushku laughed and added, “Bring that Nathan Fillion to the show!”

A fan then asked who Whedon was planning to kill of first. Penikett sheepishly raised his hand. Whedon laughed and replied that he doesn’t have any deaths planned, but it usually comes down to “Who pisses me off first?”

When Whedon was asked why he writes such strong female characters, he said, “I was raised by one, I married one, and I surround myself with them. I can’t help it.”

The topic of more ‘Buffy’ pieces came up, to which Whedon responded, “It’s crossed my mind, but since I’m doing the comic book I’m getting my fix. But, I never rule anything out.”

When asked about a ‘Dollhouse’ comic, Whedon said he didn’t see one in the future because, “It’s very interesting to see Dushku become these different people. I don’t know how exciting it would be to see that drawn.”

Finally, on the topic of ‘Dollhouse’ webisodes, Whedon said there would definitely be some. “And we’ll make dozens and dozens of dollars.”

Currently, ‘Dollhouse’ is slated to air starting January 2009 and is contracted for 13 episodes.