Buffy The Vampire Slayer Reboot — Will It Ever Happen?
When "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" hit The WB network in 1997, no one expected it to become a pop culture phenomenon. Much like the vampires, demons, and creatures who underestimated the titular feminist hero, Buffy Summers (Sarah Michelle Gellar), the television executives and critics who underestimated the series were dead wrong. Not only would "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" become wildly popular, but it would earn a fanbase many show creators would make a deal with the devil for.
Depending on where you fall in "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" fandom, you may have followed the years-long saga of a possible reboot, sequel, or film franchise with bated breath or utter horror. To some superfans, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" is sacred and should never be redone, while other fans believe the series is ready for an update with a more diverse cast. Regardless of where you stand on the issue, there is no denying this potential reboot has been a popular topic amongst fans and entertainment outlets.
"I think if you look in our library, 'Buffy' is probably the most ripe show we have for bringing back," Fox TV group chair Gary Newman stated at the 2018 INTV Conference in Jerusalem, as reported by Variety. "It's something we talk about frequently," Newman said. "When Joss decides it's time, we'll do it. And until Joss decides it's time, it won't happen." Despite rumors and announcements of a reboot, a project still hasn't been greenlight. Will a "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" reboot ever happen? Keep reading to find out.
Why isn't the Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot happening yet?
In 2018, 20th Century Fox Television announced a "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" reboot was in development with Monica Owusu-Breen as showrunner and Joss Whedon attached as an executive producer. Whedon would consult with Owusu-Breen on the script and the studio would cast a Black woman in the lead as a new slayer. Little progress had been made in the development of a reboot when allegations against Whedon came to light in 2020 when Ray Fisher posted about Whedon's unprofessional behavior on the set of "Justice League."
In 2021, Charisma Carpenter, who played Cordelia on "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Angel" came forward with allegations of Whedon's abuse of power on the set of both series. In a statement on X, formerly known as Twitter, Carpenter detailed the alleged abuse she experienced. Sarah Michelle Gellar followed Carpenter's allegations against Whedon with a supportive message on Instagram. Soon after, Michelle Trachtenberg came forward with her own claims, saying there was a policy on the set of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" that Whedon wasn't allowed alone in a room with the then-teenaged actress.
These allegations lent credence to the open letter Whedon's ex-wife Kai Cole published in 2017, suggesting Whedon isn't the feminist storyteller the world believes him to be. Reportedly, the reboot was paused indefinitely. Although no one explicitly stated it was on hold because of the allegations, the implication was clear. Conversely, the merger of Fox and Disney may also be responsible for Disney shelving the reboot.
What has Joss Whedon said about the Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot?
When there was talk of a Warner Bros. reboot of "Buffy" sans show creator Joss Whedon in 2010, he was vocally against it, as reported by Deadline. "This is a sad, sad reflection on our times, when people must feed off the carcasses of beloved stories from their youths — just because they can't think of an original idea of their own," Whedon explained, reflecting the distaste many fans feel for reboots. On a more personal level, however, Whedon said, "I don't love the idea of my creation in other hands."
When a later reboot was announced, Whedon still wasn't enthusiastic despite being attached to the project. "I see a little bit of what I call monkey's paw in these reboots. You bring something back, and even if it's exactly as good as it was, the experience can't be. You've already experienced it, and part of what was great was going through it for the first time," Whedon said to The Hollywood Reporter.
Considering Whedon's revelation during an interview with Vulture – that when he wrote "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" he was writing about his own experiences of feeling powerless — it makes sense he is protective of his creation. Still, by his own admission, Whedon is interested in exploring the show's themes despite his reservations about a reboot. "I came back to wanting to talk about what I always want to talk about: young women who have power and the burden of having that power," Whedon told The Hollywood Reporter.
What have Sarah Michelle Gellar and David Boreanaz said about a Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot?
Sarah Michelle Gellar supports a "Buffy" reboot despite some fans disliking the idea. "At the end of the day, it's all about great storytelling," Gellar told People. Gellar continues her support of a new series. "I am all for them continuing the story, because there's the story of female empowerment. I love the way the show was left," Gellar explained, as was reported by Collider.
However, the actress did have some reservations. "I'm not [going to return]. I am very proud of the show that we created, and it doesn't need to be done. We wrapped [Buffy's story] up." Gellar continued, "It's set up perfectly for someone else to have the power." The actress has made it clear, repeatedly, that she will not consider reprising her role as the iconic feminist hero. "I don't think I should be the one doing it," Gellar told Mario Lopez on his podcast. "[I'm] way too tired and cranky to put in that work again" (per US).
David Boreanaz, who played Angel, will not reprise his role either. "I think it's a great opportunity for a reboot like this to show where we are with society now, what you can do with technology. How you can explore those relationships with the same kinds of metaphors," Boreanaz said during a panel at New York Comic Con, per The Hollywood Reporter. "I'm all for it. I think it's fantastic."
In response to his enthusiasm, Gellar told People, "I'm with David."
What has the rest of the cast said about a Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot?
Much of the original cast of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" has weighed in on a reboot. Most are supportive of a reboot, but they fall into two camps — those who would consider reprising their role and those who would not.
Amber Benson, who played Tara Maclay, was enthusiastic about a possible reboot in 2020. "I would pop in for a little cameo. Heck yeah!" Benson told Digital Spy. Likewise, Nicholas Brendon, who played Xander Harris, wholeheartedly supports a reboot and told Hollywood Life he would happily reprise his role with an emphatic "Hell yes!" Anthony Stewart Head, who appeared as Rupert Giles, is excited about a reboot and willing to reprise his role. "Maybe I'm the head of the Watcher's council now," Head told the NY Post. James Marsters, who played Spike, is interested in reprising his role too. "I think it is fabulous," Marsters said in comments reported by IndieWire.
Although Alyson Hannigan was not interested in a proposed "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" film franchise in 2009, by 2021 Hannigan was optimistic about a television reboot with Whedon producing. Hannigan would even consider portraying Willow again under the right circumstances. "I am always open to it but I am also very particular, especially with 'Buffy,'" Hannigan told an Australian news outlet. "I wouldn't want to tarnish what was so special to so many people."
What could be explored in a Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot?
With Sarah Michelle Gellar's firm stance on not reprising her iconic role, a new project would most likely be an updated reboot of the original series. This seemed to be what Monica Owusu-Breen had in mind when it was announced she would be the showrunner of a reboot with a more diverse cast. "Joss Whedon's brilliant and beautiful series can't be replicated. I wouldn't try to," Owusu-Breen told Digital Spy. "But here we are, 20 years later ... and the world seems a lot scarier. So maybe, it could be time to meet a new Slayer."
Another valid option is making a sequel of sorts, following the trilogy of novels penned by Kendare Blake. Disney Hyperion published the first book in the new series, "In Every Generation" in January 2022, laying the groundwork for a new installment to the Buffyverse. However, to bring this new chapter of the Slayer story to screens, Alyson Hannigan might need to reprise her role as Willow's daughter, Frankie Rosenberg, is the central character of a new Scooby Squad.
After a Slayer convention is attacked, Buffy, Faith, and the other slayers are presumed dead. Frankie and her new friend Hailey, whose sister was a slayer at the convention, just might be the next generation of slayers. They must contend with the supernatural while being students at Sunnydale High. The second and third book in the trilogy provides plenty of inspiration for a few seasons of a "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" reboot.
Who would star in a Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot?
When a "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" reboot starring a Black lead was announced in 2018, many applauded the choice. "I would very much like to see 'Buffy' in a diverse world," Amber Benson, who played Tara, told Digital Spy. "I think it would be a really amazing thing." Sarah Michelle Gellar went one step further with her support of the potential reboot and actually suggested an actor who should play the new Slayer.
As reported during an interview with Evan Ross Katz for his book, "Into Every Generation a Slayer Is Born: How Buffy Staked Our Hearts," Gellar has already chosen her potential replacement. When asked who should play the iconic role, Gellar responded, "I vote Zendaya." With the project paused and Zendaya aging out of playing teenagers, our chance to see the "Euphoria" star as a vampire slayer is rapidly vanishing. Still, that doesn't mean there isn't a new crop of up-and-coming young actors ready to sink their teeth into the iconic role.
A Buffy the Vampire Slayer Reboot could follow the comic book series
A new "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" series could be a sequel to the original series following the comic books produced by Dark Horse Comics, which picks up after the destruction of Sunnydale at the end of Season 7. The canonical comic series sticks to the television model with Season 8 through Season 12. Obviously, the cast would be played by new, young actors, but this reboot could continue Buffy, Willow, Xander, Dawn, Faith, and the new slayers' story after the original series ended.
Season 8 begins one year after the destruction of Sunnydale, with Buffy acting as general to her army of slayers, as she did off-camera in the last season of "Angel." In the Season 8 comics, the world finally learns vampires and slayers are real. The battles become epic and the slayer network goes worldwide. With numerous comics in each season, there's plenty of source material to build a multi-season reboot of "Buffy." There's even source material for spin-offs following Faith, Spike, and Angel.
Conversely, a new television series could follow the comics released by Boom! Studios after the license to "Buffy" was taken from Dark Horse after the Disney-Fox merger. A series based on the Boom! Studios comics would be a true reboot, taking the Scoobies back to Sunnydale High, but in contemporary times. This would allow a new series to explore the horrors of adolescence in our technologically advanced and socially connected times.
A Buffy the Vampire Slayer Reboot could follow the comic book Fray
An excellent way to sidestep the complications of a direct sequel is for the powers that be to make an adaptation of "Fray," a Dark Horse comic written by Joss Whedon. "Fray" is a cyber-punk, sci-fi story from the Buffyverse, taking place hundreds of years into the distant future. This eight-edition comic miniseries follows Melaka Fray, a thief with a twin brother named Harth, and an older sister, Erin, who is a cop. When Melaka finds the mystical scythe Buffy recovered from Caleb in Season 7 of the television series, she rises as the first slayer in centuries.
With slayers extinct and the Watcher's Council disbanded, Mel Fray must learn about the history of slayers from the watcher journals she finds while searching for her brother. Without a watcher or slayer to mentor her, Mel accepts the help of a demon named Urkonn, who just might have ulterior motives.
This post-apocalyptic series, about a new slayer rising to combat the vampires who freely feed in the slums of Manhattan, is a dystopian vision similar to the "Buffy" episode where Cordelia wished Buffy never came to Sunnydale. Boom! Studios' "Buffy the Last Vampire Slayer" also has interesting plot points that could be incorporated into this new series, like vampires who walk during the day because the sun was blotted out in a magical accident. This concept would only intensify the dystopian elements in "Fray."
A reboot could explore the lives of historical slayers in an anthology series
Disney could also continue the Buffyverse by making a limited series exploring Nikki Wood's life and death as a slayer using the Season 5 and Season 7 episodes where she appears as inspiration. Some fans absolutely loved the episodes exploring Angel, Spike, Drucilla, and Darla's origin stories. In the Season 5 episode "Fool for Love" Spike recounts how he killed two slayers when Buffy asks. The episode takes us back to New York in 1977 and we learn how Nikki Wood died and how Spike got his signature black leather jacket.
If Nikki Wood's limited series was popular, the creators could expand it into an anthology series. Each season would be dedicated to the lives and deaths of other slayers in the long line leading to Buffy, as the short story anthology "Tales of the Slayers" does. One season could explore the life of the Chinese slayer Spike killed during the Boxer Rebellion, also seen in "Fool for Love," and the slayers that Angel killed.
We saw the deaths of previous slayers in Buffy's dreams in the original 1992 movie "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" starring Kristy Swanson. These snippets could be expanded into entire seasons and could provide a perfect way to expand the "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" universe while leaving the original series unchanged.
A prequel about the first Slayer would be spectacular
The episodes exploring the first slayer's tragic story in "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" were fascinating. We first meet Sineya in the Season 4 finale, "Restless," when Xander, Willow, Giles, and Buffy's dreams are haunted by a menacing force after they cast the enjoining spell used to beat Adam. In the Season 5 episode, "Intervention," Sineya tells Buffy death is her gift, leading Buffy to sacrifice herself in the season finale to save the world.
In the Season 7 episode "Get It Done" we learn how the Shadow Men created the first slayer using powerful magic to imbue Sineya with the strength, speed, and heart of a demon. A prequel series exploring how the Shadow Men created the first slayer and how Sineya felt about being turned into a weapon would be a welcome addition. This series would explore how being the slayer makes Sineya a protector of humanity but also isolates her from the people who grow to fear her because she is part demon.
The prequel could explore how Sineya becomes detached from her own humanity as she lives "in the action of death, the blood cry, the penetrating wound." This series could build upon the slayer mythos while exploring how one doesn't become a monster while hunting them, which is something Buffy and Faith struggled with. Plus, a prequel starring a woman of color could go a long way to repair how clumsily "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" dealt with race.
There is a new audio series centered on Spike launching on Audible
While we may never see a "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" reboot on television screens, fans of the original series can enjoy a new audio series "Slayers: A Buffyverse Story." This audio series is centered on everybody's favorite bad boy, Spike, played once again by James Marsters. Amber Benson, who played Tara in the original series, is the writer and director of this audio series, and this isn't her first foray into writing for the Buffyverse, having also written comics for Dark Horse. Benson is a sci-fi and fantasy author in her own right, having published multiple novels.
The new audio series takes place in an alternate universe where Buffy never existed. Cordelia Chase (Charisma Carpenter) crosses dimensions to get Spike's help in her dimension, where Cordi is the slayer and Drusilla is the big bad. Numerous members of the original reprise their roles by lending their voices to the Audible series.
Marsters had plenty to say about the new series, as shared by Deadline. "I'm ecstatic to be back with my dear friends for this next chapter in the Buffyverse, as we take listeners on a familiar but unexpected journey chock full of horror, passion and mischief. I'm excited for old and new fans to experience this beloved world of vampire slaying like never before, brought to life through immersive audio storytelling."