Sarah Michelle Gellar is returning for Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot
Hulu's follow-up to the cult favourite '90s series is directed by Chloe Zhao.
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Sarah Michelle Gellar is grabbing her stakes and gearing up for an all-new Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
The series, a direct continuation of the cult favourite series that originally aired in 1997 and ran until 2003, is currently being developed by Hulu. According to an article by The Hollywood Reporter, it's "the next chapter in the Buffyverse."
Oscar-winner Chloé Zhao (Nomadland, Eternals) is attached as director, while Nora and Lilla Zuckerman (Poker Face, Fringe) are on board as writers.
Sarah Michelle Gellar attends iHeartRadio z100's Jingle Ball 2024 Sarah Michelle Gellar attends iHeartRadio z100's Jingle Ball 2024 Arturo Holmes/Getty Images for iHeartRadio
Gellar isn't the star of the new series, however. Her character, Buffy Summers, is said to be the mentor for a younger Slayer. That might go against existing lore stating only one Slayer could exist at a time, although it was already contradicted in the final season where hundreds of Slayers were awakened.
In the finale of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, called Chosen, Buffy teams with an army of Slayers and descend into the Hellmouth's cavern to defeat the First Evil's Turok-Han army. Buffy kills evil priest Caleb (Nathon Fillion), and reformed vampire Spike (James Marsters) sacrifices himself to save the world.
"I always used to say no, because it's in its bubble, and it's so perfect," Geller said of a reboot during an appearance on The Drew Barrymore Show. "But watching Sex and the City and seeing Dexter, and realizing there are ways to do it, definitely does get your mind thinking, 'Well, maybe.'"
Gellar plays Tanya Martin in Dexter: Original Sin, and is listed on IMDB as reprising her role in season 2, which airs in 2025. With no other film or TV projects to her name besides that, there wouldn't be any clashes preventing her from once again playing Buffy Summers.
It's not the first time a Buffy reboot has been in the works. 20th TV, which produced the original series, was working on a successor in 2018 alongside series creator Joss Whedon and writer Monica Owusu-Breen. It fell by the wayside, however, and Whedon is apparently not involved in the new show on Hulu in any capacity.
There's also a surprise producer for the show in Dolly Parton. She actually helped produce the original show, but the credit went to her company, Sandollar. Also attached as producers are Nora and Lilla Zuckerman,, Gellar, and the original show's EPs Gail Berman, Fran and Kaz Kuzui of Suite B.
With no official statement by Hulu and 20th TV on the Buffy reboot yet, there's currently no release date for the series.