A revival of the
"Buffy the Vampire Slayer" series is in the works and nearing a pilot order from Hulu.
Sarah Michelle Gellar is expected to return in the lead role, and Oscar winner
Chloé Zhao (
"Nomadland"), a lifelong Buffy fan, is set to direct the pilot from a script by
Nora and Lilla Zuckerman (
"Poker Face").
The original show ended its seven-season run in 2003. The first five seasons aired on WB, the moved to UPN for the final two seasons. It also spawned the spinoff
"Angel" which ran on WB for five seasons between 1999 and 2004.
Gellar initially rejected the idea of revisiting Buffy as recently as 2023, but seemed eager to reprise the role in a December interview promoting her latest series, the
"Dexter" prequel series "
Original Sin", on which she is a special guest star:
"It's funny, I always used to say no, because it's in its bubble and it's so perfect. 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.'" According to sources, negotiations with Gellar had started when she made those comments, and they are now in their final stages.
The reboot hails from 20th Television and Disney's Searchlight TV where Zhao has been under a first-look deal. Reportedly, the reboot is starting a writers room soon, a sign that Hulu and the studios have high expectations for the project going to series. It is unknown at this time if other cast members from the 1990s series will return, but it seems highly likely.
The new show is executive produced by Gellar, Zhao via her Book of Shadows banner,
Nora and Lilla Zuckerman as well as the original series' executive producers
Gail Berman of the Jackal Group and
Fran Kuzui & Kaz Kuzui via Suite B. Also executive producing the pilot is
Dolly Parton who was an uncredited producer of the original 1990s series.
Buffy creator
Joss Whedon, who also wrote the 1992 movie the series was based on, is not involved in the reboot, most likely due to the 2021 misconduct allegations that pretty much ended his career.
A failed
"Buffy The Vampire Slayer" reboot was planned in 2018 and it would have beeen written by
"Midnight, Texas" creator
Monica Owusu-Breen. Whedon was an executive producer, and the project aimed to cast a black woman as the lead.
This marks the second high-profile series revival Berman is executive producing for 20th Television, along with
"Malcolm In The Middle" for Disney+, as part of her overall deal at Sony Pictures TV. Additionally, 20th TV also a
"Scrubs" reboot in the works at ABC.
