#SaveOURWarriorNun: The New Fight to Save A Cancelled Netflix Show
Is Warrior Nun saved?
Following months of campaigning from fans of the show (including me), series creator Simon Barry announced on June 28 that the show would be returning in some capacity. In August, it was revealed this return would come in the form of a trilogy of films—seemingly as a continuation of the story that ended with Season 2. Executive producer Dean English also teased the idea that the films would lead into an expanded cinematic universe, following different characters in their own movies and TV spinoffs. The fanbase that had rallied around Warrior Nun to save it were ecstatic. Finally, it seemed everything we enjoyed about the series would be returning, this time to either a new streaming home or the big screen. Ava and Beatrice’s relationship, Reya’s dimension, Lilith’s ominous warning of a religious war. All of it would continue to be developed as the franchise’s future rose upon new horizons.
But then things got…strange.
In early October, a new countdown began on warriornunsaved.com. Since Barry announced Warrior Nun’s return, the website has been the core hub of everything having to do with the show’s revival. It’s where English first announced the film trilogy, also offering an email subscription for those who wanted to be notified about upcoming announcements through their inbox. So, as the countdown began, fans of the series started to get excited. What “Big New Announcement” was about to take place, as had been advertised in the emails sent out to enthralled subscribers? It appeared the news was going to be something vital to the continuation of the series. Something everyone would want to tune into.
But then, something odd happened about a day before the countdown ended. Barry revealed that he was, in fact, not involved in the upcoming Warrior Nun movie trilogy. He indicated whatever news was coming, it wasn’t something he had any knowledge of. This resulted in other behind-the-scenes crew members revealing they too were not involved in the upcoming project. This includes writers Amy Berg and David Hayter, who confirmed they were not involved in replies to Simon’s post. A nervous shudder chilled the fandom, who began to wonder what the upcoming Warrior Nun films would be about. Barry’s vision had been the guiding light behind the series so far. But now, it seemed, he would no longer be holding the torch.
Then came the night of the announcement. Or, for some in Europe who were curious enough to stay awake, the early morning. Seven minutes after the countdown ended, a video appeared from the creator of the original Warrior Nun comic series, Ben Dunn. Dunn unveiled a contest which would see the Halo redesigned for the upcoming film trilogy. This redesign would be decided through a fan competition, with the winner receiving a signed drawing from Dunn, valued at $200. However, despite the global campaign launched to save the series, the rules were quite strange. Entrants had to live in the US or Canada, despite how global the push to save the show had been. The contest’s Official Rules also contained some elements that were rather off-putting too. Whoever designed the Halo would be signing over design rights to the company running the contest, as well as be unable to utilize the design themselves for five years.
Needless to say, the combination of these many different attributes have left fans anywhere between confused and incredibly angry. Due to the focus being put on Dunn’s involvement, Barry and his team’s lack of involvement, and a redesign for the Halo, it’s led to a lot of speculation surrounding what the movie trilogy actually is. In summation, many have come to the conclusion that the upcoming Warrior Nun project is not based on the Netflix series, but rather Dunn’s original comic. This has been further exacerbated by statements from Dunn saying he hopes to have an adaptation of Warrior Nun that stays true to the “actual source material.”
(Note: This quote from a podcast has been debated online, with some believing Dunn said “sexual source material.” However, after listening to the clip on loop, it sounds to me like he’s saying “this actual source material.” Either way, the point about Dunn wanting a more faithful adaptation of his original comic still stands).
Other points of proof can be found in this Google doc from CocoCat38 on Twitter. Dunn mentions multiple times that Productivity Media, the company behind the Warrior Nun trilogy, wanted him involved as a spokesman for the Halo competition. He also mentions plans for a “Dunnverse” of adaptations surrounding the universe shared between his original Warrior Nun comics and two others he’s created, Ninja High School and Heaven Sent. When asked in DMs following the contest announcement just how involved in the production he is, Dunn said he was merely acting as the figurehead for the contest. He also says he has no control over how the upcoming Warrior Nun project pans out—which, given the many drastic changes from the source material to the Netflix adaptation, may be true here as well. Though that doesn’t disprove the running theory that the upcoming Warrior Nun trilogy will be adapting the comic instead of continuing the Netflix series.
The investigation into what’s going on with the Warrior Nun trilogy has spawned a new hashtag, “#SaveOURWarriorNun,” which has fans fighting to ensure the continuation of the Warrior Nun world they wanted to save. As of writing, this new fan campaign has been met with silence. There have been no updates about the show from English, Dunn, or Productivity Media. While there have been some confusing, speculative elements coming to light in the last few days (such as a possible Shotgun Mary spinoff being in the works), nothing is substantial. Nothing is really set in stone. But it’s clear that something is going on with the way Warrior Nun is planning to progress into the future—and it’s something the fanbase that’s currently been cultivated around the show may not be supportive of.
Without any concrete information about the direction the film trilogy is being taken, it’s hard to say for sure what’s coming next. But all circumstantial evidence points to a trilogy more in line with the comic book series than the Netflix series. Because both the comic and the show are very different in their material, this has led to a new pushback toward what Productivity Media may be planning. The Netflix series cultivates a thematically-layered story surrounding religion, science, and truth, underscored by a focus on character dynamics. The show also features an original storyline in its protagonist, Ava Silva, as well sapphic representation in her romantic relationship with another nun, Beatrice. The comic series is a more action-centric story, akin to a flashy superhero tale. Its story centers around the general idea of protecting Earth from the forces of Hell, with a heightened lens on explosive fight scenes and sexualized character designs. Both pieces of media are very different. Which is what makes the lack of answers surrounding the franchise’s revival so frustrating.
The Warrior Nun comic isn’t the version of the series fans fought to revive. The fandom simply wouldn’t be engaged in a retelling of Dunn’s original comic storyline. While his stories provided the framework for the Netflix series, they were not the selling point for the show, nor what drove it to have such a dedicated group of fans. We want to see Ava’s story finished. We want to know what happens to Beatrice after she leaves the OCS. We want to understand what Lilith’s cryptic warning about a holy war actually means. None of this may have been part of Dunn’s original story, but it’s the story fans want to see completed. It’s a story whose quality shines in a way unique to itself, and which has drawn so many to become part of an ever-growing fanbase. To claim that story has been saved, only to begin doing things that make it seem like that story truly wasn’t saved, is disingenuous. It’s how you lose people who have been loyal to your story from the start. And it’s why any attempt at making a Warrior Nun adaptation without finishing the Netflix show’s story is doomed to fail.
I believe the ongoing silence from English and those in production is—while frustrating—a possible good sign for the future of the Warrior Nun story we want to see completed. Even the fan contest, which was intended to be updated on October 15th, hasn’t been touched as of writing. The lack of updates likely means fan responses are being considered internally, as plans are being drawn up for how to proceed. Whether they try and make fans accept a new version of Warrior Nun or begin negotiating rights to designs and characters from Netflix is anyone’s guess (it’s even a guess as to whether such negotiations need to happen). But what’s clear is that, even 10 months after Warrior Nun’s cancellation, the fandom continues to have the same level of tenacity as it did at the start. We want the conclusion to the story we became invested in, not a new beginning with a story many won’t enjoy. It truly is that simple. And I hope, despite how many uncertainties and frustrations have cropped up since the Halo contest, English and other producers will listen to what fans have to say.
May the fight for the story we fell in love with continue. #SaveOURWarriorNun.
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