We’ve got exciting news for fans of the iconic supernatural drama “Buffy the Vampire Slayer!” A new revival series is reportedly nearing a pilot order from Hulu. The best part? Sarah Michelle Gellar is expected to reprise her iconic role as Buffy Summers. Adding to the excitement, Oscar winner Chloé Zhao, a self-professed lifelong “Buffy“ fan, is attached to direct the pilot episode. Nora and Lilla Zuckerman (Poker Face) will pen the script.
The reboot hails from “Buffy’s” original studio, 20th Television, and Disney sibling Searchlight TV, where Zhao has a first-look deal. Deadline reports that sources indicate that a writer’s room is already being assembled. This suggests strong confidence from Hulu and the studios that the project will advance to a series. While it remains unclear whether other original “Buffy“ cast members will return, such appearances are likely.
This new chapter in the Buffyverse is executive produced by Gellar, Zhao, the Zuckermans, and original series executive producers Gail Berman of Jackal Group and Fran and Kaz Kuzui of Suite B. Dolly Parton, whose company Sandollar produced the original series, will also executive produce. Series creator Joss Whedon, who also wrote the 1992 movie that inspired the show, is not involved in the reboot due to his past legal issues.
If the Hulu pilot goes to series, it will be the third installment in the “Buffy” franchise, following the original “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” which spanned seven seasons, and its spinoff, “Angel,“ which ran on the WB for five seasons.
Berman, along with Fran and Kaz Kuzui, previously collaborated with 20th TV in 2018 on a potential Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot featuring a Black female lead, written by Midnight, Texas creator Monica Owusu-Breen, with Whedon as an executive producer. That project, however, did not come to fruition. Despite this, fans have continued campaigning for a revival, their hopes bolstered by occasional cast reunions.
Parton hinted at the possibility of a Buffy revival last year, stating in an interview, “They’re still working on that. They’re thinking about bringing it back and revamping it.”
Gellar, who was previously reluctant to revisit “Buffy,” even after a Golden Globe nomination, softened her stance in a December interview promoting her role in the new prequel series “Dexter: Original Sin.“
“It’s funny, I always used to say no, because it’s in its bubble and it’s so perfect,” she said. “But watching Sex and the City and seeing Dexter, and realizing there are ways to do it, definitely does get your mind thinking, ‘Well, maybe.’” When asked about the possibility of a Buffy revisit being a prequel, she replied, “No, it could be anything. It’s a universe. And it makes you realize that in this world, we need those heroes, I think, more so than ever.”
“Buffy the Vampire Slayer” has a legion of hardcore fans, including myself (I have a cat named after her). So, the new series has the potential to be a hit, but it’s a gamble. It’s hard to capture such an iconic series’ magic. We all know how the reboot of “Charmed” failed to impress. However, we’re keeping our fingers crossed. We’ll keep you posted. In the meantime, head over to Hulu to watch the original series now.
