A Buffy Star Just Teased the Perfect Story for Their Character in the Reboot

A beloved franchise is finally returning to TV courtesy of Hulu, as the streamer will be reviving Buffy the Vampire Slayer with Sarah Michelle Gellar returning as both star and Executive Producer. It gets better, though, as Oscar-winning director Chloe Zhao will be directing the pilot while Nora and Lilla Zuckerman of Poker Face fame will be the revival’s showrunners. Few members of the cast have been revealed so far, but fans are certainly hoping for a few returning favorites, and that wishlist obviously includes villain-turned-fan favorite Spike. At HellmouthCon, Spike actor James Marsters reunited with Drusilla actress Juliet Landau, and during a Q&A, Marsters teased the perfect story for Spike if he returns in the reboot (via Nerdist).

Videos by ComicBook.com

Marsters teased what a post-soul existence would look like for Spike, and he feels that Spike would be trying his best to do good in the world and hunt demons. Granted, it doesn’t always go according to plan, and at times, he does end up making things worse. There is also the ever-looming scenario where he runs into the one person he absolutely can’t be around, and that’s Drusilla.

“I think Spike is probably a demon slayer now. He’s got a soul. He’s probably traveling town to town, looking for evil, because he does like to kill. [Speaking to Juliet Landau] He’s probably avoiding you [Drusilla] very much, because he would never kill you. I could see Spike trying to do good in the world, very aware that A: he couldn’t kill you, and B: He couldn’t watch you do what you do, which is killing innocent people. He knows that if Dru is in Atlanta, then he’s not in Atlanta,” Marsters said.

When asked if this meant Spike was on a redemption arc, Marsters said, “Yes, but it’s a very rocky road. I think he’s trying not to give up, he’s trying to help out in this world. But I think he’s often making it worse. That’s the problem. He’s thinking ‘Buffy always finds a way to do the right thing’, and he just doesn’t have that magic. He tries to do the right thing, loses his temper, and blows it up. That’s what I think.”

Marsters also spoke about the revival itself and the talent involved, but he did admit that he should probably say less about it. “I’ve been told, in no uncertain terms, that I need to shut my damn mouth. And I would not say that you should take anything from that. It’s just that we are trying…. [Marsters then corrects his pronoun usage] what I will say is that the people behind the camera are some of the best people in Hollywood. Chloe Zhao who is directing the pilot, directed Nomadland, and understands all about intimate character-driven drama. And she also directed a Marvel movie, man! She’s one of the most sought-after directors in Hollywood,” Marsters said.

“And the showrunners for the show, their current show is Poker Face, which is one of my favorite shows on television. And a screenwriter friend of mine said, ‘James, every screenwriter friend of mine is a Buffy fan. A lot of us decided to become screenwriters because of Buffy.’ There is a feeding frenzy in Los Angeles right now, everyone is trying to get on the show, and they are going to have their pick of anybody that they want,” Marsters said. “So there are a lot of reasons to be excited… but there’s also a good reason to just wait till it’s on television.”

A New Era

The Buffy the Vampire Slayer revival is now in pre-production, and while Gellar will reprise her role as Slayer extraordinaire Buffy Summers, she won’t be the only Slayer. That’s because there will also be a new Slayer protagonist played by Ryan Kiera Armstrong, though it’s not known if there is any other connection between Buffy and the new Slayer.

Buffy won’t be the only returning character, though, as Alyson Hannigan is also reprising her role as Willow in the series, and in an interview with SiriusXM Hits 1’s The Morning Mash Up, they revealed what drew them to the revival and how it stands apart from previous attempts to reboot the series.

“Everyone was just trying to redo it. And they [the Zuckermans] had a continuation of where it goes now,” Gellar said. “And, you know, as Alyson and I now have teenagers, and it’s – you see the circle of what’s needed.” Hannigan agreed, saying, “Absolutely. We used to play teens, and now we have teens.”

Are you excited for the return of Buffy the Vampire Slayer? Let us know in the comments, and you can talk all things Buffy and TV with me on Bluesky @knightofoa!