New pilot for Dollhouse, now with Muay Thai

Joss Whedon, creator of the upcoming FOX series, Dollhouse, recently announced on Whedonesque that he'll be shooting a new pilot for the series and the first pilot will now become the second episode:

The fact is, I’m very proud of the ep we shot and the series is making me crazy with the excitement. But I tend to come at things sideways, and there were a few clarity issues for some viewers. There were also some slight issues with tone – I was in a dark, noir kind of place (where, as many of you know, I make my home), and didn’t bring the visceral pop the network had expected from the script. The network was cool about it, but not sure how to come out of the gate with the ep....

Well, the idea to do a new first episode wasn’t the network’s. It was mine. I understood their consternation, and saw the gap between my style and their expectations, and I suggested I shoot a new ep and make the one I’d shot the second. It isn’t going to be buried, like the pilot of Firefly. It’s simply coming after another, slightly cleaner ep. And because unlike Firefly, it isn’t a two hour epic which introduces everyone to each other, the onus isn’t on the new ep to explain a million things.

For another take on the news, see the Hollywood Reporter's video/interview with Joss, which captures Eliza Dushku's hilarious reaction to the news:

“And I didn’t get to wear my leather pants in the pilot, so that was a deal-breaker.”

In a boon for Tahmoh (and Tahmoh fans) the new pilot will include Paul doing some Muay Thai, as Joss reveals in a long, interesting interview with the Chicago Tribune's Maureen Ryan:

I’ve just finished the script of the new first episode, and I’ve really used the opportunity to really amp some of the characters and their introductions. [Cast member] Tahmoh [Penikett’s] going to do some Muay Thai. He’s going to be unhappy about the Muay Thai. “Do I hafta? Darn!” [Whedon was joking -- Tahmoh’s very into martial arts]

The downside to the new pilot is that there will be no new clips to show at Comic Con this weekend, as Joss explains in signature comic fashion:

R.D.A.: But how will this affect the foundation of the very turning of our precious earth, and by that I mean Comiccon?

Joss: Yeah. Unfortunately, we won’t have a new teaser to show, since we’ll start shooting after the con. People will have to settle for chatting with Eliza and Tahmoh. But they’re likeable folk. (Sadly, Tahmoh only speaks Canadian, though he has a lovely translator at his side, like Isabella Rosselini in “White Nights”.)

For more interviews with Joss from the TCA press tour of the set see:

• Alan Sepinwall - "Joss Whedon Talks Dollhouse"
• TV Barn - "Visiting Joss Whedon's 'Dollhouse'"