Buffy is coming back. The generation-defining TV show, which ran for seven seasons from 1997 to 2003, is reportedly returning for a sequel series with Sarah Michelle-Gellar returning as Buffy.
Variety is reporting that a pilot order is becoming closer to a reality at Hulu and that Gellar’s role in the series would be as a mentor to a new slayer instead of as the show’s central character.
Nora Zuckerman and Lila Zuckerman are attached to write, showrun, and executive produce. Chloé Zhao is attached to direct and executive produce under her Book of Shadows production banner. Gellar would also serve as an executive producer on the series.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer was originally created by Joss Whedon and was a movie before it ultimately became the successful show that it was. The series centered on Buffy, a once-in-a-generation teenage girl endowed with gifts that allowed her to battle vampires and other otherworldly demons.
Whedon is notably not returning for this new iteration, probably in light of the allegations of abuse and misconduct associated with him that came out a few years ago. It’s unclear who else from the original cast might be returning for this new iteration, but it seems very much like Gellar would just be one part of a new slayer’s story, and would serve more as a bridge to the original series.
Buffy has continued to accumulate cult status and gain new viewers in the decades since it went off the air. In an era when everything is being rebooted, this would be a fairly significant coup for Hulu.
