Joss Whedon was on hand at Comic-Con this weekend to share in the festivities of Buffy‘s 10th anniversary and bask in the adoration of those who love him dearest/creepiest. Amidst talk of the comic book, an upcoming horror film and ballet (?), he also chose to make a most unexpected announcement: the long spoken of Giles-tastic Buffy spin-off, Ripper, may soon come to fruition.
Ripper, as it was originally envisioned, was supposed to chronicle Giles’ days fighting evil with more attitude before his tenure in Sunnydale. And almost seven years after the first talks, Whedon, Anthony Stewart Head and the BBC all seem to be game. BBC is planning to run the story as a 90-minute TV movie to be aired, I presume… sometime before most of us die.
The dark side of Giles was something frequently alluded to. Other than a few random glimpses of bad-assery, it was never really explored, so this is our chance to finally see how Whedon pictured his past. Head is getting up there in years though; gone are the days of that handsome rake brewing Taster’s Choice in the apartment across the way. They may have to do a little retooling to accommodate crow’s feet, but Botox and a leather jacket can do wonders.
My only complaint is inevitable frustration of having to pay for another ridiculously overpriced BBC DVD.