Whedon To Reshoot Dollhouse

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.