(Image from Hulu)
Actress Sarah Michelle Gellar, best known for playing the titular role in the TV series “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” for seven seasons, confirmed a revival of the show is being worked on.
Gellar said in a statement posted on social media that she was contacted about a potential revival three years ago by former showrunner and friend, Gail Berman. Gellar then met with Oscar-winning director, Chloé Zhao, known for such films as “Nomadland” and “The Eternals,” the latter of which featured the first openly gay Marvel Cinematic Universe superhero. Zhao expressed interest in directing a reboot of “Buffy,” according to Gellar’s post.
“I was blown away that Chloé even knew who I was, but, as I’ve always done, I told Gail that I just didn’t see a way for the show to exist again,” Gellar wrote. “We’d always been aligned on that, but this time I heard something different in her voice. I eventually agreed to go (mainly just to meet Chloé) and our twenty minute coffee quickly turned into a four hour adventure. We laughed, we cried, but mostly we both talked about how much this show means to us.”
Although admitting to hesitancy in continuing the franchise, Gellar states she continued the conversation and eventually television writers Nora and Lilla Zuckerman joined the team in revisiting “Buffy.”
“I have always listened to the fans and heard your desire to revisit ‘Buffy’ and her world, but it was not something I could do unless I was sure we would get it right,” Gellar said. “This has been a long process, and it’s not over yet. I promise you, we will only make this show if we know we can do it right. And I will tell you that we are on the path there.”
“Buffy the Vampire Slayer” pioneered queer representation in media through the character Willow Rosenberg, played by Alyson Hannigan, and her storyline of self-discovery as a lesbian. The storyline led to one of the first prominent on-screen lesbian relationships in mainstream television at the time.
Gellar, Zhao and the team behind the reboot are currently working with Hulu, which is nearing a pilot order for the series, according to Variety. Variety also reports that Gellar is in talks to return to the series in a recurring role as the series would focus on a new slayer.
While no word has come out about other former cast members who may return, original series creator Joss Whedon has been noticeably absent from the talks of a reboot. Whedon has been accused by several actors in the last several years of creating a hostile work environment on his sets, including past cast members of “Buffy” and its spinoff series “Angel.”
