It's just my luck that they'll start filming Ripper, just as I move away from the area. :-( (That's assuming they film locally to ASH as was mooted before)

I'm still really excited about it though. (More Giles is always good).

TheDivineGoat | September 10, 23:51 CET

Ha! I bet the entire article was written just so the author could write that line.

Lioness | September 11, 01:14 CET

What Whedon annoyingly failed to address here was whether Ripper would actually take place in the pre-Buffy days, which would surely mean a fair bit of hair dye for a certain Head, or follow on from the climactic events at the end of the Buffy’s seventh and final season.

I have tremendous respect for ASH, but I can't imagine him playing a teenager or early 20-something. The only way I can see this working is to have Giles "today" relating the various exploits of Ripper, starring a more appropriately aged actor as his younger self.

I know, Xander, Cordy, et. al. were played by actors far older than high schoolers, but not THIRTY YEARS older!

Hope it comes off, however they plan on doing it.

Chris inVirginia | September 11, 01:16 CET

Agreed, he can't possibly play a man in his teens or twenties, it'd just be ridiculous (and i'm sure ASH would be the first to admit that, with wry good humour).

I wouldn't mind the "Young Indy" type of set-up but I also don't see why 'Ripper' can't be set post S7 (or possibly during S6), that way we get to see ASH play the edginess rather than some stranger - in fact i'd speculate that Joss may have ramped the schedule up a bit because he's thought of a way he can tie it in to "S8" or possibly just because, now that he has a better idea what happens after S7 (he's already said IIRC that he knows how "S8" ends and "S9" begins), he knows how to fit it in without screwing with continuity too much.

Saje | September 11, 01:36 CET

It's got to be set in an age-appropriate time for ASH-it would be too disappointing to have "some stranger" taking up most of the screen time, Saje. I mean I'm mostly okay with having my expectations cleverly thwarted, but that would be too much for me.

Still, if it were to happen- who would you dream cast as the young Giles?

[ edited by toast on 2007-09-11 12:29 ]

toast | September 11, 03:00 CET

I'd rather see Giles today, post Season 7, with maybe some tie-ins to what's happening in the comics. The title "Ripper" doesn't necessarily mean it's got to be about a younger Giles. Rupert still has a bit of "Ripper" in him, and we've seen peeks into that from time to time. Remember "The Gift":

GILES: Can you move?
BEN: Need a ... a minute. She could've killed me.
GILES: No she couldn't. Never. And sooner or later Glory will re-emerge, and ... make Buffy pay for that mercy. And the world with her. Buffy even knows that... (reaches into his pocket, takes out his glasses) and still she couldn't take a human life. She's a hero, you see. (Giles puts his glasses on) She's not like us.
BEN: Us?

Giles suddenly reaches down and puts his hand over Ben's nose and mouth, suffocating him.

By the way, Giles hasn't paid for that last sin, even if it was necessary. I'd like to see if killing Ben still bothers him. I'll bet it keeps him up sometimes, late at night.

quantumac | September 11, 05:01 CET

Still, if it were to happen- who would you dream cast as the young Giles?

Hmm. Trying to think of young British actors. James McAvoy would do a decent job I think, he has a bit of a "fuck the world" air about him which the young Ripper really needs.

I could live with the odd flashback but i'd want it to be at least half ASH.

Saje | September 11, 13:59 CET

Oh, come on, we all know Joss would never do a half-ASHed show...
Sorry :)

miri47 | September 11, 17:56 CET

Hm, I thought they just meant ASH playing just a handful of years younger than he is now. (Like maybe telling the story of how he came to be Buffy's Watcher, not necessarily how he came to Watch in the first place.)

Are we sure that the second half will be fully accurate though? I have my doubts over some stuff they post, like Daniel Radcliffe becoming the next lead of Doctor Who.

orangewaxlion | September 12, 11:58 CET

Nope, we're not sure. And we're really not sure about Daniel Radcliffe becoming the next Doctor (personally I reckon that's up there with Mel Gibson playing the ninth Doctor, a rumour that was doing the rounds a few years back).

... we all know Joss would never do a half-ASHed show...

Ba dum dum ;).

Saje | September 12, 12:59 CET

I can't really see Daniel in the role (sorry, Daniel...). Nesbitt I could actually see (at least moreso than Radcliffe), though a large grain of salt is required for all of these.

zeitgeist | September 12, 17:32 CET