Sarah Michelle Gellar Explains Real Reason Buffy Revival Was Cancelled, More Details on Pilot Revealed

Buffy the Vampire Slayer fans got some dreaded news over the weekend, as Sarah Michelle Gellar revealed that Hulu decided not to move ahead with the revival series, for which a pilot had been filmed. Buffy‘s return itself was a major surprise, and the cancellation even more so. In a streaming landscape where franchises and recognizable brands are the dominant force, this seemed like a no-brainer, so it had been taken as a given that it’d get a series order.

At the time, Gellar didn’t go into further detail about Buffy the Vampire Slayer: New Sunnydale‘s cancellation, but now she has opened up on what led to the decision in an interview with People. The actress revealed that she received the news right before heading onstage for the premiere of her new movie, Ready or Not 2: Here I Come at SXSW, and went on to elaborate on working on the revival with director Chloé Zhao, and how one executive was ultimately responsible for the decision.

“No one saw this coming, including the head of Searchlight [Pictures]. We had an executive on our show who was not only not a fan of the original, but was proud to constantly remind us that he had never seen the entirety of the series and how it wasn’t for him. That’s very hard when you’re taking a property that is as beloved as Buffy, not just to the world, but to me and Chloé. So that tells you the uphill battle that we had been fighting since day one, when your executive is literally proud to tell you that he didn’t watch it.”

Gellar did not name the executive; however, Deadline reports that it was Craig Erwich, Disney Television Group President, and the person responsible for overseeing Hulu Originals.

What Else Has Been Revealed About The Cancelled Buffy Revival

Although the show isn’t going ahead, Gellar spoke very fondly about her work on the series in the interview with People. Having previously told ComicBook why she used to say “never” to a Buffy the Vampire Slayer return, she spoke to the publication about how she loved Zhao’s vision and passion for the character, noting “it was like stepping back in time.” Discussing the on-set experience of shooting the pilot episode, she said:

“Chloé and I talked a lot. The dialogue flew off the tongue. When I was on set, it was craziness. It was like, ‘Oh, we’re here. We’re doing this.’ I loved the duality that we had this new, younger slayer who was where Buffy was when the show started, and then we would pick up with where Buffy was now.”

The Buffy star also made sure to give praise to the new Slayer, Ryan Kiera Armstrong. One of the saddest things about the cancellation is that she’s had that opportunity taken away, and Gellar calls her a “superstar,” adding that she is “gutted that no one will see her as a Slayer.”

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The pilot episode of Buffy: New Sunnydale may never see the light of day, but Deadline‘s report does have more details on it. The trade notes that the original version, which only had Buffy coming into things at the very end of the episode, had been reworked as the streamer had some issues with it, including that it played too young. Things were changed in order to change the tone, and give her a bigger role in things, as Nellie Antreeva, Deadline‘s Editor-in-Chief, writes:

“I hear the new script was 90 minutes. It was more adult, featuring a lot more of Gellar’s Buffy, and was described as a more of a streaming than a network show. According to sources, the rewrite was well received at both studios, 20th TV and Searchlight TV, triggering the internal talk of a pending pickup, with at least one executive in charge ‘putting everything on the line’ for it, as one person put it.”

Antreeva goes on to note that the exact reasons for Erwich not wanting to go ahead with the revival aren’t fully clear, with their sources varying from cost to not hitting the bar set by the original series.

What’s also unclear is what the future of Buffy the Vampire Slayer looks like. It has been reported that Hulu isn’t giving up on the IP, and still hopes to make a new series in some way. Whether that approach involves Gellar or not is another matter: again, she’s been very open about not wanting to return, and it being Zhao’s vision specifically that drew her back. Given that’s the case, it’s hard to imagine her returning for a pitch from somebody else, but if we’ve learned anything, it’s to never say never.

Personally speaking, it was Gellar’s involvement that sold me on the revival in the first place. Buffy‘s legacy should be protected because it’s an all-time great (and important) series, and having her involved is the best way to ensure that happens. So, if there is another attempt, hopefully she will come back, but it might well be a long time before it comes to that.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer is available to stream on Hulu.

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