Joss Whedon's 'Horrible' Web Show

The Internet has been known to host anything and everything, but did you ever think there would be a musical exclusive to the web?  Okay, maybe you did.  But what about a musical exclusive to the web by the brilliance behind Buffy the Vampire Slayer?  Didn’t think so. 

“Neil Patrick Harris Is Coming to a Computer Near You” says Lindsay, for this trailer of Joss Whedon’s upcoming Internet musical, Dr. Horrible’s Sing Along Blog:

Teaser from Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog on Vimeo.

Whedon wrote this script with his brothers during the writers strike, and then produced it and made it in six days, sans the help of major studios (I guess writing best selling comics wasn’t enough of a distraction).  The show, which will premiere on July 15, already has its own fansite, and will consist of three episodes of about ten minutes each. 

I have high hopes for this series.  The web’s a great venue for a small scale musical revue, which doesn’t have the length for TV or a feature film, and is probably more offbeat than you could get away with in those formats.  The trailer has the look and feel of internet short, but the production value of a theatrical release and comes ready made with star power, including the resuscitated Neil Patrick Harris

and The Guild‘s Felicia Day, who knows Whedon from her work in Buffy.

This is not Whedon’s first foray into Internet video, though it is the first Internet production that’s not supporting a feature film.  In 2005 he created the R Tam Sessions, which appeared on iFilm.com, which has since become Spike.com, which claimed to have found the clips on a file sharing network.  It is believed that Whedon, who plays the role of the interviewer in the clips, released as viral marketing for his film Serenity.

Whedon has a clear interest in genre writing, with successful animated features, network television shows and comics and a fantastic musical episode of Buffy in his portfolio.  It’s super cool to see him add the web to his resume.  In a space where genre is more fluid and less restricted by the conventions of major production companies, it’ll be interesting to see what he can come up with. 

Regardless, Whedon’s a fan of the medium already.  He’s speculated on creating a Dr. Horrible sequel, excited about doing work on a smaller scale that’s not purely motivated by profit.