I still want to play Spike says James Marsters - BtVS

Just for the record, I was the first one to post on SpoilerTV after the conference call. :)

Anyway, I have to say that JM is just as charismatic on the phone as he is in person. I did feel bad for him that so many people asked him questions that he's answered only a hundred times before. But he managed to make it sound like it was the first time he's answered them. It did make me wonder if people actually do their homework before these interviews, though.

Anyway, I watched an advance copy of this Friday's episode of Caprica in preparation for the call, and let me just say JM is completely awesome and steals every scene he's in.

Deanna_Lynne | March 04, 08:43 CET

I really wish him and Joss would get the Spike movie off the ground. I love Season Eight, but it's been a few years since Angel went off the air and I need a live action Buffyverse fix.

This Is Eric | March 04, 08:45 CET

There is stuff from this conference call all over the net this morning. Very cool but it's going to make me late for work:)

One really nice thing on the Twitter feed

James praised Jane

"@syfy call w/James Marsters. Says all you(Jane) have to do is call me and I'm there. Now that's faith in your writers!"

And Jane praised James right back :)

"@CapricaSeven I adore James Marsters -- we were lucky to get him on Caprica and I would write for him any time, any place, any planet!"

[ edited by debw on 2010-03-04 09:48 ]

debw | March 04, 09:40 CET

I really wish him and Joss would get the Spike movie off the ground.

I think 20th Century Fox's penny pinching the first time round and perhaps the experience of JMS on the Babylon 5 DVD movie may ensure that it'll never happen. Sadly.

Simon | March 04, 09:56 CET

This is Deanna_Lynne's Spoiler Tv article, by the way :-).

The declarations of mutual appreciation between James and Jane made me happy, I can't wait to see what she wrote for him on Caprica!

JotheCat | March 04, 10:46 CET

I think 20th Century Fox's penny pinching the first time round and perhaps the experience of JMS on the Babylon 5 DVD movie may ensure that it'll never happen. Sadly.

That's really too bad. I'm not really into Babylon 5, so I'm not exactly sure what you're referring to.

This Is Eric | March 04, 11:21 CET

I'm so excited for his episodes on Caprica. What I've seenso far looks spectacular.

On playing Spike again...I don't know.

| March 04, 11:26 CET

I'm not really into Babylon 5, so I'm not exactly sure what you're referring to.

A couple of years ago, JMS made a new Babylon 5 DVD but he was put off from making another one. I'll quote you the relevant info from Wikipedia:

On July 13, 2008, Straczynski revealed that he had no plans to continue The Lost Tales. He said that although the studio was interested in another disc, they wanted to budget the next installment similarly to the first. Citing his disappointment with the first release due to the low budget, Straczynski said he did not want to dilute Babylon 5's legacy with further sub-par stories. He stated that he would only return to the Babylon 5 universe if Warner Bros. wanted to do a large-budgeted cinema release.

Simon | March 04, 11:37 CET

oops - posted in wrong thread!

[ edited by baxter on 2010-03-04 11:52 ]

baxter | March 04, 11:51 CET

I'm hoping that JM does on Caprica what he did on BtVS: give such an awesome performance that they promote his character from 'recurring' to full-time cast member. Early indications sound good!

SteveP | March 04, 11:51 CET

But B5 wasn't any good after season four.

There's always room for more Spike.

redeem147 | March 04, 13:19 CET

I am very eager to see another iconic character embodied by JM. Can't wait for Friday night!

baxter | March 04, 13:33 CET

Spike will always be my favorite vampire and James could play Spike at any age and I would be happy. If you like his voice check out the audio books of Dresden Files. He has a different voice for each character and it is like a movie playing in my head. Here is hoping that he can turn Caprica into another Buffy and stay around for the rest of the series.

rehabber | March 04, 13:44 CET

Hell yeah he can still play Spike. Hit the gym, buffing up makes you lose a lot of years. David B got in great shape on Bones and it made him look younger then in a few seasons of Angel.

Vergil | March 04, 14:12 CET

I would love to see James explode in another role and I hope that happens for him whether on Caprica or another show. But I'm very afraid now that he has reached George Clooney-like craggy handsomeness, that the Spike carton of milk has expired.

Tonya J | March 04, 15:04 CET

Give me my Spike & Illyria buddy-movie. They can be old, I don't care. Call it Grumpy Old Demons.

Lyonaz | March 04, 15:10 CET

It's been a while since I've seen the 5th season of Angel, so forgive me if I'm wrong, but isn't there a little confusion over whether or not Angel is truly the one mentioned in the Shanshu Prophecy?

They could just gloss ahead, delegate the prophecy to Spike (seeing as Angel technically signed it away), and make it so that suddenly Spike is a living, aging human.

I don't know if they could make a movie out of it, but it's a thought.

caseygarret | March 04, 15:36 CET

caseygarret, that's what I've been saying forever. I'm glad that James isn't delusional about the aging process, but who's to say Spike isn't an aging vampire? Having a soul can put the years on a guy I'm sure... then there's the whole Kakistos thing. Just set the plot waaaay in the future. Spike: Space Vampire.

I'd see it. :)

Willowy | March 04, 16:00 CET

The stress from being in HellA made Spike look like he's aged a few years. Done.

That being said I always think people's caution over aging vampires is a little premature. Would anyone seriously turn down a Buffyverse movie just cause Spike looks a little older?

Matt7325 | March 04, 16:09 CET

"Grumpy Old Demons" Hah! Thanks for the laugh Lyonaz!

I think the aging thing doesn't matter much. I mean Boreanaz looks great on Bones but lets face it, he went from looking about 20 on Season 1 Buffy, to about 50 on Season 5 Angel. We all bought it, he was still Angel. Suspension of disbelief.

Xane | March 04, 16:13 CET

I'm sorry, but James as he is now, has a face that is too old to play the non-aging, eternally youthful, vampire Spike. Really, just put up any recent picture of him next to BtVS S2 or even AtS S5 Spike and the required suspension of disbelief is just too large IMO and would only occur with the aid of a pair of Rose Love Goggles ^TM.

That said... there are ways around that if there was truly a viable vehicle in the works. We're talking prosthetics here. Vamp face covers a multitude of years and of course on occasion, even vamps end up being permanently scarred or disfigured by the random magical demon/potion/spell when they've poked their nose into places where it didn't belong.

James did state years ago that he thought he had a seven year window (which has definitely passed) and that he didn't want to be playing Spike the aging vamp. Because after all, what's the fun in that? And human? --then he's not Spike. There's been more than a few AU fanfics that dealt with Human Spike! and you know... he's just not as fun that way.

BreathesStory | March 04, 16:13 CET

But B5 wasn't any good after season four.

Which is because JMS originally plotted out a five-season arc, was only given four seasons, then got a fifth at the last minute. Thus the his original vision for the show got crammed into four seasons, and by the fifth they had in a sense, run out of material.

deepgirl187 | March 04, 16:48 CET

Does anybody in here remembers James shower scene in Moonshot? That's fairly recent!

anca | March 04, 17:03 CET

I'd love to see a post NFA Shanshued Spike trying to come to terms with being Human in LA, together with Illyria.

Going that route It would allow James to have aged in the part and yet enable more development between these two characters.

Or even better how about teaming a grumpy human Spike with an even grumpier Giles? Two investigators of the supernatural set against a UK backdrop. Now that I'd love to see.

[ edited by sueworld2003 on 2010-03-04 18:03 ]

sueworld2003 | March 04, 18:01 CET

Just set the plot waaaay in the future.

Except, before he gets cloven hands or fruit-punch mouth, k? :)

jcs | March 04, 18:07 CET

Spike's always been a shadow creature. Just film JM in the dark.

ManEnoughToAdmitIt | March 04, 19:08 CET

Just set the plot waaaay in the future. Spike: Space Vampire.

Well Joss did want a Spike cameo in Firefly season 6 if that had happened.

From a 2004 Joss interview:

Could Serenity take place in the same universe as Buffy but the monsters were taken care of long ago?

I think you could make an argument for it, but I wouldn't. The only thing we ever thought of doing is having a drunken and very miserable Spike at a bar just sitting there going, "Nothing changes. Trust me, nothing changes." That would've been in our decadent era. That would have been like season six. But no, I have to think about them as totally separate because they have different sensibilities and they have different sets of rules.

Simon | March 04, 19:11 CET

It's all about the lighting, people. As proven by this picture of James from few weeks ago :)

Although I am now in love with Sueworld's idea about grumpy human Spike fighting demons with grumpy Giles... I would definetely pay good money to see that.

ruuger | March 04, 19:51 CET

He better hurry up, then, before we have to start calling him "Cane".

Jonnathan | March 04, 20:29 CET

Good grief ruuger, he looks about 19 in that pic! There's a portrait in that guy's attic looking really rough :)

debw | March 04, 20:50 CET

Bringing Spike back for something live action would be like bringing back the cast of Small Wonder with V.I.C.I.

didifallasleep | March 04, 20:58 CET

By the way, I realize that she got an upgrade in season three that allowed her to "age", I just think that some things are best left with an ending when it comes to "ageless" characters.

didifallasleep | March 04, 21:01 CET

Debw you beat me to it. Except I would have said 16.

barboo | March 04, 21:08 CET

"Which is because JMS originally plotted out a five-season arc, was only given four seasons, then got a fifth at the last minute. Thus the his original vision for the show got crammed into four seasons, and by the fifth they had in a sense, run out of material."

Also, season 5 was missing Ivanova. Ivanova is god after all.

Carmie | March 04, 22:06 CET

Ruuger, I *hearts* you! that is EXACTLY! the photo I was thinking of too.

I think he looks just stunning and could play Spike any day and be just as perty as ever!

Plz, networkie exec types, chuck some money at him. He always makes ratings climb when he is about. Spike, Caprica, whatever, put him on my tv regular-like.

nothereanymore | March 04, 22:18 CET

I am loving this Spike/Giles idea, and also anything that involves Illyria, hahaha. They could just make something with Marsters as Spike and not explain the aging; it's just like Xane said - "suspension of disbelief."

If you look at Angel in Buffy's first season side by side with how he looks in the 5th season of Angel, it's not even close, but never once when I was watching did I go, "Man, this guy looks old- I'm going to stop enjoying this now."

[ edited by caseygarret on 2010-03-04 22:42 ]

caseygarret | March 04, 22:41 CET

If it's a good story and a good performance, the aging doesn't matter all that much, IMO. I mean, there will be a point when it just becomes ridiculous (I doubt anyone wants to see Grandpa Spike) but we're still a long way from that. (He does look significantly older in Caprica, but in that show they're not trying to youthen him. As they presumably would in the ever-more-hypothetical Spike movie.)

erendis | March 04, 23:21 CET

I too love the grumpy demon fighters, but that pic makes him look too youthful choir-boy for that!

baxter | March 04, 23:58 CET

That's a nice picture of James up there but ... he decidedly did not look that youthful when he was on Smallville. I definitely don't want him hiding in shadows or any other tricks to make him seem what he isn't. Young.

Tonya J | March 05, 01:04 CET

Thanks for the gorgeous photo, ruuger. It reminds me why my huge crush on James Marsters is what actually brought me into the whedonverse online fandom. :) - along with his amazing acting chops, of course.

Re. the B5 quote from JMS, I'm so glad that he didn't go with more B5 DVD movies. The one they did looked like it had a budget of about $99.95. It was pathetic and a stain on the legacy of the first truly great TV SciFi epic.
Also proof that Joss made the right decision to pass on a super-low budget Spike movie.

Looking forward to Caprica tomorrow. I don't doubt that JM will steal every scene he's in, as he always does.

Shey | March 05, 02:49 CET

I'm willing to suspend all disbelief for oh, say, the next twenty years? The excitement of a movie will have me overlooking just about anything.

refrigeratorelf | March 05, 05:39 CET

Speaking of JMS and the status of B5, I found this quote from Feb. 22nd, 2010 interesting:

Q:"What would you say the current status of Babylon 5 and it’s future"?

J. Michael Straczynski: I've kind of drawn a line in the sand, saying no to any more low-budget DVD releases and the like. It's a big-budget movie or nothing. Oddly, WB -- which is being very nice to me at the moment, given how things are going film-wise -- has been coming around to say 'So how much money would you need to make this work?' so there may be something to this. We'll see.

And now back to your regularly scheduled James Marsters thread...

Risch22 | March 05, 09:17 CET

*Sigh*....My love for James Marsters really knows no bounds. I really wish they could have made the Spike spinoff/movie/whatever work, but them's the breaks! I'll settle for the character making a re-appearance (at last) in the Season 8 comics and watching the awesome JM in the increasingly compelling Caprica. Hopefully if they green-light a Season 2 we'll get much more of him. Alas, at least another week or two to wait for the JM arc in Caprica for me.

shazzam | March 05, 09:53 CET

March 04 2010