We have been hearing talks about a potential “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” reboot for many years now, but none of those potential projects ever came with the extra bonus of Sarah Michelle Gellar returning to the role. But something has changed on that front, with Deadline reporting that the actress is on board to return for a small screen revival over on Hulu!
Deadline reports this afternoon, “A follow up series is nearing a pilot order from Hulu, with Sarah Michelle Gellar expected to star.” And Chloé Zhao (Nomadland) is set to direct!
The new take is being described as “the next chapter in the Buffyverse.”
Nora and Lilla Zuckerman (“Poker Face”) wrote the pilot. Deadline also notes in today’s report, “Beyond the pilot order, I hear the reboot is starting a writers room soon, a sign that Hulu and the studios have high expectations for the project going to series. It is unclear yet whether other original Buffy cast members would return; that is considered likely.”
First played by Kristy Swanson in the 1992 movie, Buffy Summers was most memorably portrayed by Sarah Michelle Gellar in the “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” TV series, which ran from 1997 to 2003. In recent years, the actress had made it clear that she had no interest in returning to the role. “I am very proud of the show that we created and it doesn’t need to be done,” Michelle Gellar told SFX Magazine back in 2023. She added, “We wrapped that up.”
Back in December 2024, however, she told Drew Barrymore that her feelings had changed. “It’s funny, I always used to say no, because it’s in its bubble and it’s so perfect,” Michelle Gellar explained on Barrymore’s talk 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.’”
The planned “Buffy” reboot comes from 20th Television and Searchlight TV. Executive producers will include Sarah Michelle Gellar, Chloé Zhao, and Nora and Lilla Zuckerman.
“Buffy the Vampire Slayer” ran for seven seasons between 1997 and 2003, becoming a pop culture icon in the process. It was followed by spinoff “Angel,” which ran from 1999 to 2004.
