'Dollhouse' screens unseen episode

Whedon teases horror flick 'Cabin in the Woods'

By LIZ SHANNON MILLER

Fans of "Dollhouse," Joss Whedon's little show that nearly didn't make it to a second season, got a look at the show's dystopian future at Comic-Con Friday afternoon with the screening of "Epitaph One," a previously unseen 13th episode.

Whedon also teased the upcoming horror film "Cabin in the Woods," which he produced and co-wrote with "Cloverfield" writer Drew Goddard, and announced a comic book featuring the character Shepherd Book from the "Firefly" series.

After claiming that he "doesn't care about playing favorites," Whedon announced that Alexis Denisof ("Angel") and Summer Glau ("Firefly," "Serenity") will both make appearances next year on "Dollhouse." They're also working with a new director of photography to "create a new look that's a lot more immediate, a lot less conventional." And one episode will be directed by John Cassaday, a comic book artist who previously collaborated with Whedon on issues of "Astonishing X-Men."

Frequent reference was made to the fact that "Dollhouse," which wasn't expected to survive to a second season, "kinda sorta forgot to cancel," meaning that the 13th episode occupies an odd place in the show's mythology.

Opening on an apocalyptic Los Angeles in the year 2019, a time when the technology has gotten out of control, Whedon promises that what was meant to be a coda to the show will in fact remain that way. "We will remain true [to this]," he said, even though "what we've seen here is not the whole truth."

Season One of "Dollhouse" comes out on DVD July 28 with "Epitaph."