Bad news, Buffy fans, the long-awaited resurrection of Buffy The Vampire Slayer isn’t quite the dead cert we thought it was. The revival series was planned to arrive on Hulu either in late 2026 or early 2027 and had assembled a cast headed by original star Sarah Michelle Gellar and with Ryan Kiera Armstrong (as the new slayer), Faly Rakotohavana, Jack Cutmore-Scott, Ava Jean, Sarah Bock, and Daniel Di Tomasso alongside her.
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Sadly, Sarah Michelle Gellar has just confirmed that Hulu have killed the Buffy the Vampire Slayer: New Sunnydale revival series before it even got off the ground. The pilot episode was written by Nora and Lilla Zuckerman and directed by The Marvels‘ Chloé Zhao. The star took to Instagram to deliver the painful news:
“I am really sad to have to share this, but I wanted you all to hear it from me,” Gellar said in a video. “Unfortunately, Hulu has decided not to move forward with ‘Buffy: New Sunnydale.’ I want to thank Chloé Zhao because I never thought I would find myself back in Buffy’s stylish, yet affordable boots, and thanks to Chloé, I was reminded how much I love her and how much she means, not only to me, but to all of you. And this doesn’t change any of that. And I promise if the apocalypse actually comes, you could still beep me.”
There could be a break in the clouds immediately, though, because Deadline is reporting that Hulu had discussed reworking the pilot and “remain high on the Buffy IP” with “plans to regroup and mull a possible new incarnation of the beloved franchise.”
Sarah Michelle Gellar Actually Turned Down The Revival Several Times
Only this week, Sarah Michelle Gellar told ComicBook that she had been resistant to even sign on to the revival, turning it down multiple times (including, apparently, after agreeing to it more than once). We asked about her earlier comments that she’d “never” go back to the show:
“…I truly thought that’s where I was at. I never heard a take or a reason to do it. Then Chloé Zhao came to me, and she had the reasons, and she had the take. Also, I was in a different place. The world was in a different place. With that being said, it’s still taken us four years to get to this place because I would say, ‘Yes,’ and then I would call a month later and say, ‘No. No, no, no. I can’t.’ I’m Cameron Frye from Ferris Bueller. ‘Again, again, again…’
“I just asked people to give me the time and understand that it took us six years to get a sequel to Ready or Not. When you want to do things right, it takes time. Mind you, I also said no to Chloe many times in the beginning, as well. Her passion, and her reasoning for wanting to do it, and why now, and why it is necessary.”
Zhao confirmed that the New Sunnydale pilot wrapped filming months ago, which makes the timing of this announcement – as Sarah Michelle Gellar is in the middle of the Ready or Not 2 marketing run, no less – is a little strange. And whether we ever get to see the pilot remains to be seen. I wouldn’t count on it, sadly. And as for whether we might get to see it picked up elsewhere that too is unclear, given it’s a Fox property. That said, Variety have added a note to their initial reporting to say a source close to the show says there is still a “lot of love” for Buffy, and “Basically, the door is still open.” So there may still be hope for a different revival, even if this one’s dead. Given Zhao was the one to convince Sarah Michelle Gellar to return, whether that part of the formula will be captured again may now be a hurdle. At least she says she’s beepable…
What do you think? Leave a comment below and come and discuss the Buffy revival’s cancellation now in the ComicBook Forum!
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