Between sequels, prequels and reboots, is a show ever truly over? Twenty-one years ago, the world said goodbye to Buffy the Vampire Slayer when the entire town of Sunnydale collapsed into the Hellmouth cavern, leaving a large crater. As new Slayers watch the destruction, Buffy smiled, knowing she was no longer alone in the world and that the burden of being the one chosen Slayer was no longer on her shoulders.
According to Variety, a sequel to Buffy the Vampire Slayer is about to get the green light for a pilot order at Hulu with Sarah Michelle Gellar set to return as Buffy Summers. While the new series is planned to focus on a new Slayer, Gellar would return in a recurring role.
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 executive produce along with Gail Berman. Fran Kuzui and Kaz Kuzui will executive produce via Suite B, while Dolly Parton will executive produce via Sandollar. 20th Television and Searchlight Television will produce. Berman, the Kuzuis, and Parton were all executive producers on the original Buffy series.
An interesting name missing from the reboot is Joss Whedon who created the character for the 1992 Buffy movie starring Kristy Swanson, then created the show and its spin-off, Angel. However, he has found himself in major controversy involving toxicity from the Buffy set.
In 2023, Buffy fans were introduced to Audible’s Slayers: A Buffyverse Story. That scripted audio original picks up in the Buffyverse 10 years after the events of the final episode with Spike (James Marsters) going deep undercover in LA, convincing the forces of darkness that he’s back to his evil ways. When his cover is compromised by sixteen-year-old Indira Nunnally (Laya DeLeon Hayes), Spike finds himself on baby-slayer-sitting duty once more. While he attempts to track down a watcher for his eager new protégé, their paths collide with the veteran Slayer of a parallel reality where Buffy Summers never existed…a reality where Cordelia Chase (Charisma Carpenter) is the one-and-only Slayer. She needs Spike’s help with a classic big bad terrorizing her world…his old flame, Drusilla (Juliet Landau).
In our interview with Marsters, he reminded fans about the Buffyverse, “At the at the beginning of every episode of the original property we said that for every generation there was a new Slayer and that’s a promise. We’ve never made good on and now we are. I just think that that’s where that’s where the heart is; watching someone who is old enough to realize the world is massively messed up, who’s making the decision to try to help. I think that’s where the theme is and I’m glad they stuck with that.”
The original Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel are streaming on Hulu.
