Over twenty years since she last wielded her stake, Sarah Michelle Gellar is prepared to resume her role as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, this time starring in a sequel series on Hulu. According to Deadline, Hulu is very close to approving a pilot for a new installment in the Buffy universe.
That said, Gellar’s Buffy won’t be the main focus this time around. Instead, her involvement in the show will serve to connect the original TV series with this fresh perspective. The new show creatively continues the storyline established in the finale of the original series, where countless potential Slayers were empowered, effectively allowing for limitless narrative opportunities.
But what makes this reboot particularly unexpected is Gellar’s change of heart about returning to the role. In recent interviews promoting her participation in “Dexter: Original Sin,” she shared how observing the successful revivals of shows like “Sex and the City” and “Dexter” shifted her viewpoint.
“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.’”
Set to direct the pilot episode is Chloé Zhao, an Oscar-winning director who is an avid Buffy fan. The pilot will be written by the Zuckerman sisters, Nora and Lilla, known for their work on Peacock’s “Poker Face.”
For those of us who grew up seeing Buffy vanquish vampires on The WB and UPN, the Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot pilot is currently being developed at Hulu, and Buffy fans have high hopes for an eventual series order.