Buffy the Vampire Slayer‘s reboot will bring back Sarah Michelle Gellar’s Buffy Summers, but in a different role than what we’re used to. Over 20 years after the show ended, it was announced that Buffy would return, with a pilot episode ordered by Hulu. There’s no guarantee the show will eventually be picked up to series but with Gellar onboard, a strong creative team, and the chance for Disney to relaunch yet another major piece of IP, it surely stands a good chance.
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Alongside Gellar will be a young cast, led by a new Slayer played by Ryan Kiera Armstrong (who will reportedly be called Nova), with Kingston Vernes set to play the love interest. There are also rumors the show will return to Sunnydale but, aside from Gellar, it remains to be seen what elements from the original series will return. That could include several other cast members coming back, but Buffy herself is replacing one of them.
Buffy Summers Can Be The New Giles In The Reboot

Based on the cast and what’s been revealed about the revival, the new show will primarily focus on the new Slayer. That makes sense – it’s baked into Buffy the Vampire Slayer‘s very premise that this is a generational story, and so Nova (if that name sticks) being the main character is the right choice. The younger cast also supports this, as it gives the show a new take on the Scooby Gang. But if that’s the case, then it will make Buffy herself akin to Nova’s Watcher, and the rebooted show’s version of Rupert Giles.
The Watcher/Slayer dynamic was key to the early seasons of Buffy, and for her development not only as a killer of vampires, but as a person. Giles was a mentor and a father figure, and having Buffy take on a similar role for the new Slayer builds on Season 7. There, she was already training all of the Potentials – and it does remain to be seen just how all of them becoming Slayers factors into the reboot – so this is a logical progression.
The Watcher’s Council had previously been destroyed, and bringing it back may be a little too convoluted – and unnecessary. Instead, having Buffy fill that role, albeit not officially as “Watcher,” is a logical way to include Gellar in the reboot.
Buffy’s Role Will Be Unique For The Franchise

Buffy did train the Potentials, but this can take it to a new level – giving her a unique role in the series. We’ve not seen a Slayer trained by a significantly older Slayer, nor has it ever happened at any point in that history that we’re aware of, because it goes against the fundamental order of things. Before Willow’s spell to grant the Potentials power, Slayers were not supposed to co-exist (nor live so long). They did so twice in Buffy‘s timeline after she died but, on both occasions, they were of a similar age and not radically more or less experienced.
That should give Buffy and Nova a fascinating dynamic that can make the series feel simultaneously fresh and familiar. Striking that balance will be crucial for the Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot: it has to update it enough for new audiences and to avoid simply feeling like a retread, while capturing some of the look, feel, and magic of the original. It should also be great for Buffy herself, and will allow the reboot to show us how much she’s changed – and how much she’s stayed the same. The pairing should make for some humor, heart, and could be quite poignant if it gets into Buffy dealing with her past and now present role.
Giles Himself Will Hopefully Still Return For Buffy’s Revival

Buffy may be taking on a Giles-esque role – and it’s quite starting to realize Gellar is now older than Anthony Head was when Buffy the Vampire Slayer first started – but hopefully the reboot will find room for ol’ Ripper himself to appear. He was already a smaller presence in the final two seasons of the show, but still very much a vital one, and the person who provided the support and guidance Buffy needed, and may still need.
Beyond Gellar, no other original actors or characters are confirmed to return for the Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot, but it’s expected that some will. Head’s Giles would make a lot of sense, as Buffy turning to him for help on how she can be a teacher to the new Slayer would fit with the generational themes of the story, and it just wouldn’t feel right without him.