Buffy the Vampire Slayer enthusiasts might have a glimmer of hope as Sarah Michelle Gellar softens her stance on revisiting the beloved series that defined a generation of supernatural television. During a recent appearance on The Drew Barrymore Show, the iconic actress expressed newfound openness to the possibility of returning to the Buffyverse. “It’s funny. I always used to say no, because it’s in its bubble, and it’s so perfect,” Gellar shared. “But watching Sex and the City [sequel series, And Just Like That] and seeing Dexter, and realizing there are ways to do it, definitely does get your mind thinking, ‘Well, maybe.’”
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This marks a significant shift from her previous position. Just last year, Gellar firmly dismissed the idea in SFX Magazine: “I am very proud of the show that we created and it doesn’t need to be done. We wrapped that up. I am all for them continuing the story because there’s the story of female empowerment. I love the way the show was left: ‘Every girl who has the power can have the power.’ It’s set up perfectly for someone else to have the power. But like I said, the metaphors of Buffy were the horrors of adolescence. I think I look young, but I am not an adolescent.”
The actress, currently starring in Paramount+’s Dexter: Original Sin as CSI Chief Tanya Martin, now sees broader possibilities within the supernatural universe she helped create. “It could be anything,” she explained to Barrymore. “It’s a universe. And it makes you realize that in this world, we need those heroes, I think, more so than ever.”
Gellar’s evolution on the topic comes with important context. In an April 2023 interview with Variety, she elaborated on how the series finale actually laid groundwork for future stories: “That’s an interesting question. I think that the way we left the show was set up for that. There was a reason why the idea was that instead of ‘into one generation there is one Slayer,’ why not share the power among women.”
However, while supportive of continuing the narrative, Gellar maintains she shouldn’t be the one wielding the stake. “I just don’t think it should be me because of those inevitable comparisons. But I think that if somebody has a way in through those other Slayers – like, we left that there for a reason. We could have just ended it, but we didn’t. So I’m all for it; if someone has that story, I just don’t think I’m the person that’s – no, let me rephrase that. I know I’m not the person to tell that story.”
The cultural impact of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, which ran from 1997 to 2003 and switched from The WB to UPN for its final two seasons, continues to resonate. At a recent Dexter: Original Sin premiere, Gellar acknowledged this lasting influence: “It’s incredible. As an actor, you hoped, dreamed to be a part of something that stands the test of time, that new generations and new generations want to discover and find… they still find it’s not only relevant to them, but it’s meaningful to them. And I’m incredibly fortunate and incredibly spoiled.”
While fans might be excited by Gellar’s softened stance, it’s worth noting that a previous attempt to reboot the series with a Black actress in the titular role was announced in 2018. However, by 2022, executive producer Gail Berman confirmed the project was “on pause.”
For now, the possibility of returning to Sunnydale remains just that – a possibility. But with the original Slayer’s blessing and a finale that intentionally left the door open for new stories, perhaps the time is right for another generation to discover what goes bump in the night.
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