Sarah Michelle Gellar is set to return to reprise her most iconic role, Buffy The Vampire Slayer, in a new sequel/reboot series.
My fellow Slayers, this is not a drill. Buffy Summers is set to return to our screens and slay some more vampires in the near future.
That’s right, a new series of Buffy The Vampire Slayer is in the works. Deadline reports that Sarah Michelle Gellar is set to return as Buffy Summers, Sunnydale’s loyal vampire slayer, in a new sequel series that’ll also act as a reboot for the iconic 90s horror show.
If that piece of news hasn’t blown your mind yet, here’s another shocker. The series is reportedly being written by Nora and Lilla Zuckerman and Nomadland director Chloé Zhao is being eyed for directing duties for the pilot. Deadline’s sources also seem to think other old cast members might return to the series. Alyson Hannigan, Nicholas Brendon, Seth Green, Charisma Carpenter and Anthony Stewart Head were among the series regulars.
Gellar posted a selfie on Instagram wearing a pair of pyjamas that she wore more than 20 years ago as Buffy. The actress has also been very open about returning to the role if an opportunity arose.
Now, it seems that the series isn’t quite confirmed yet. According to Deadline, a pilot order from Hulu is expected soon and a writers’ room is being set up, but anything could still happen. This isn’t the first time a reboot has been planned, either: a new series was announced in 2018, but never made it past early development.
Buffy The Vampire Slayer was one of the defining television series of the early 2000s. Based on the 1992 film of the same name, the series began airing in 1997 and ran for seven seasons. Another five seasons were written in comic-book format, but it’s been seven years since viewers last visited Sunnydale.
The series followed Buffy, the Chosen One, her generation’s vampire slayer, as she battled the forces of evil in her hometown, which just happened to be on top of a Hellmouth, a gate to hell. The series was helmed by Joss Whedon, who also wrote the original film. Whedon will have no involvement with the new series due to the allegations of misconduct in 2021.
For Buffy fans, the news comes with a slew of worries as well as excitement. How can a modern sequel series ever match the unique, heavily camp tone of the original? Buffy’s story was always linked to her coming of age, so how will the series deal with an adult Buffy? Will they ruin our favourite series? I’m cautiously excited for the return of Buffy The Vampire Slayer and we’ll keep you updated on any further news on this.
Meanwhile, if the apocalypse comes, beep me.
