Just days after reports swirled that a long-awaited Buffy reboot might finally be happening, Sarah Michelle Gellar hopped on Instagram to update fans about the project. She shared that an idea is in development, but that the series will only come to fruition “if we know we can do it right.”
She confirmed that she started initial talks with Buffy executive producer Gail Berman and Nomadland director Chloé Zhao a few years ago, despite feeling the series didn’t need to return. “Three year ago, I got a call from my dear friend and mentor, Gail Berman,” Gellar wrote in an Instagram story.
“She told me she wanted to sit down with Chloé Zhao to hear her take on a potential ‘Buffy’ revival. I was blown away that Chloé even knew who I was, but as I’ve always done, I told Gail that I just didn’t see a way for the show to exist again. We’d always been aligned on that, but this time I heard something different in her voice.”
Gellar says that she, Berman, and Zhao “laughed, we cried, but mostly we both talked about how much this show means to us.” Eventually, they teamed up with writing duo Lilla and Nora Zuckerman to work on an idea for a Buffy project that showed promise.
“I have always listened to the fans and heard your desire to revisit ‘Buffy’ and her world, but it was not something I could do unless I was sure we would get it right,” Gellar wrote on Instagram. “This has been a long process, and it’s not over yet. I promise you, we will only make this show if we know we can do it right. And I will tell you that we are on the path there.”
“I feel so lucky to be on this journey with these four unbelievably talented women, all of whom love ‘Buffy’ as much as I do. And as much as you do,” her post continued. “Thanks to all the fans who never stopped asking for this. This will be for you.”
The original Buffy the Vampire Slayer ended in 2003 after its seven-season run. According to a report that ran in Deadline earlier this week, a follow-up series is close to a pilot order from Hulu, with Zhao at the helm and writing from the Zuckermans. While Gellar has been involved and expected to reprise her rol as Buffy, it’s unclear if other actors from the series will return. Buffy creator Joss Whedon, who was accused of sexual harassment and workplace abuse and misconduct in 2021, is not involved in the project.
Buffy originally aired on the WB five seasons and later moved to the UPN for two seasons. The spinoff series Angel, starring David Boreanaz, also ran for five seasons.
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