For a long time, Sarah Michelle Gellar has denied any desire to return to her role Opens in a new tabas “The Chosen One,” Buffy Anne Summers. But recently, Gellar said she might be interested, thanks to the success of legacy sequels like Dexter: Original Sin, in which she stars. Now, it’s official — Buffy the Vampire Slayer is coming back to stake the undead, in a new sequel series reboot from Hulu.
The Buffy the Vampire Slayer Reboot Will Take Place 25 Years Later on the Buffy Timeline
Director Chloé Zhao recently shared that the new “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”…is set 25 years later.” That’s more or less adjacent to the amount of time that has passed in our world since Buffy stopped airing in 2003.
The Buffy Reboot Has Officially Wrapped Production
Via VarietyOpens in a new tab, we’ve learned that the pilot has an official order from Nora Zuckerman and Lila Zuckerman. The former Poker Face showrunners will write, show-run, and executive-produce the Buffy reboot. As mentioned, Oscar-winner Chloé Zhao is attached to direct and executive produce the Buffy reboot. However, that’s likely just for the pilot episode. Zhao recently revealed that for now, her directorial work on the series is done, offering, “I just wrapped the pilot on the new Buffy the Vampire Slayer series, which is set 25 years later. My company is part of developing it. The fandom is so special to me, and I’m excited about how that’s going to go into the world.”
The Buffy reboot has officially kicked off its production on July 22—and appears to have filmed for about 6 weeks. But given that only the pilot episode was ordered at this point, that makes sense. Our fingers are crossed that a full series order will soon come. We can’t help but feel this makes everything in the world just a little bit better.
It was Sarah Michelle Gellar who broke the initial news that the series was in production. And, according to a recent DeadlineOpens in a new tab interview with Disney TV executive Eric Schrier, Gellar is an executive producer for the Buffy reboot, along with the showrunners, and her sister, who is a writer, penning the scripts.
“Sarah Michelle Gellar has been a part of it from the get-go as well; she is an executive producer,” he affirmed. “[Executive producer] Gail Berman is back; she’s been behind the scenes trying to pull it all together. We have Nora and Lilla Zuckerman writing it, whom we have a deal with; they’re great.”
Gellar is, of course, a priceless resource for the Buffy reboot in many capacities. Chase Sui Wonders sharesOpens in a new tab, “It’s the dream to bring back a show like this, to have someone who was there day in and day out and through the origin of the series, be the consultant. She’s the on-set consultant for all kinds of things, like how do you react to these types of vampires, or how does someone react to a bite, and all the lore she’s got stored in her brain. So, it’s very helpful.”
The Buffy the Vampire Slayer Reboot Sequel Series Will Focus on a New Slayer
Although the series will still use the title Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the Buffy sequel series will focus on a new Slayer. Gellar will appear in a recurring role rather than leading this reboot series. The original Buffy the Vampire Slayer series finaleOpens in a new tab in 2003 ended with girls all over the world activating their Slayer powers. So there will now be a generation of Slayers who might need Buffy Summers, the Prime SlayerOpens in a new tab, as their mentor. We can easily see that as the premise of this Buffy the Vampire slayer reboot sequel series. We’ll just have to wait and see to know for sure, though.
TVLineOpens in a new tab reports that this new Slayer will be more like Willow than Buffy. The publication reports, “That new Slayer, TVLine can exclusively report, seems to skew more Willow than Buffy. Per preliminary and subject-to-change intel, she’s a cerebral 16-year-old named Nova (though we’re fairly certain that name is just a placeholder) who is very smart and a bit of a loner….Her buddies, aka those who would’ve been considered the “Scoobies” in the original series, will include Hugo, an out-and-proud nerd who comes from money, and Gracie, a young expert on vampires who’s an acolyte of Gellar’s Buffy.”
Ryan Kiera Armstrong has been cast as this new character.
But Sarah Michelle Gellar Will Absolutely Return as Buffy Summers
Although she may not be the main character anymore, Sarah Michelle Gellar will always be the main character in the hearts of Buffy fans. And we’re so glad that Gellar will return as Buffy Summers in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot sequel series. We couldn’t have done it without her. Sarah Michelle Gellar recently spoke out on her Instagram about returning as the iconic character. Here message was both heartfelt and gorgeous, focusing on how right this reboot is for Gellar, Buffy fans, and the world of Buffy the Vampire Slayer as a whole.
Nine Actors Join Buffy the Vampire Slayer Reboot Series Cast
Now, there are a few cast members joining Sarah Michelle Gellar as Buffy and Ryan Kiera Armstrong as the show’s new teenage vampire slayer, Nova. Faly RakFotohavana, Ava Jean, Sarah Bock, Daniel Di Tomasso, Chase Sui Wonders, Merrin Dungey, Audrey Hseih, Audrey Grace Marshall, and Jack Cutmore-Scott will all join as series regulars in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot.
Rakotohavana will play Hugo, a geeky yet privileged student who will likely be in Nova’s friendship circle. Jean will play Larkin, a “chronic do-gooder” kid. Bock is Gracie, the leader for a collective of church-going students. Di Tomasso will portray Abe, Nova’s single dad and a photojournalist. Scott is Mr. Burke, a popular high school teacher.
Chase Sui Wonders is supposedly playing a one-off character named Shirley, who is a vampire. Dungey will play Ms. LaDuca, the college counselor at New Sunnydale Academy. Hsieh and Marshall are portraying Keiko and Jessica, respectively. They are high school students and members of the academy’s Evangelical Christian group. It sounds like they will all be recurring characters in the series.
More New to Come on Buffy‘s Return
One name you’ll notice not attached is that of original Buffy creator and showrunner Joss Whedon. Once upon a time, the notion of a Whedon-less Buffy series without its creative voice would have been blasphemous. But in the last few years, Whedon’s name has become toxic. Several of his former Buffy cast, as well as several Justice League cast members, have accused him of running an unpleasant set to say the least. Regardless, as the series creator, he’ll probably cash some form of check for the series even if he has no creative involvement anymore. Additionally, except for Sarah Michelle Gellar’s exciting return, we have no confirmation about other former cast membersOpens in a new tab or writers coming on board for the Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot sequel series. But we expect a lot more news on this one in the months ahead.
Originally published on February 3, 2025.
