Joss Whedon To Reshoot Dollhouse Episode 1

Joss Whedon, who is readying his new SF series Dollhouse for Fox, told
fans on his official blog that he is shooting a new first episode to
clarify the series' setup.

The original pilot episode, which some viewers found confusing, will
now become the show's second episode.

"The fact is, I'm very proud of the ep we shot, and the series is
making me crazy with the excitement," Whedon wrote. "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."

Whedon was quick to point out that shooting a new first episode was
his idea, not the network's. That was perhaps an effort to deflect
comparisons with Whedon's previous series on Fox, Firefly, for which
the network ordered Whedon to shoot a new first episode and use the
pilot later in the show's initial season. Airing the episodes out of
sequence was credited in part for that series' poor ratings.

Whedon said that he won't show clips from Dollhouse as originally
planned at Comic-Con International, which starts on July 24, as a
result of the reshoots.

As for the original pilot, it will air as a second episode relatively
intact, Whedon said.

Dollhouse, starring Eliza Dushku, is slated to air starting in January
2009.