Sarah Michelle Gellar is finally ready for a Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot.
News broke earlier this week that a Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot was in development at Hulu and nearing a pilot order. Gellar is set to return as Buffy Summers, the titular vampire slayer. Oscar winner Chloé Zhao is attached to direct and executive produce.
Days after the announcement, Gellar took to Instagram and explained how the reboot came together.
“Three years ago, I got a call from my dear friend and mentor, Gail Berman. She told me that she wanted me to sit down with Chloé Zhao to hear her take on a potential Buffy revival,” Gellar wrote. “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. I eventually agreed to go (mainly just to meet Chloé), and our twenty-minute coffee quickly turned into a four-hour adventure. We laughed, we cried, but mostly we both talked about how much this show means to us.”
Even though Gellar did not sign anything, she did agree to continue the conversation with Chloé. Over the next few years, the duo added Nora Zuckerman and Lila Zuckerman to the creative team. The Zuckermans will write, showrun, and executive produce the Buffy reboot.
“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 said. “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.”
Buffy the Vampire Slayer began as a 1992 movie starring Kristy Swanson in the titular role. Five years later, Gellar stepped into the role of Buffy for a TV series on The WB. Buffy the Vampire Slayer ran for five seasons (1997-2001) on The WB and two seasons on UPN (2001-2003). Buffy ended its run with seven seasons and 144 episodes.
“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,” Gellar concluded. “And as much as you do. Thank you to all the fans who never stopped asking for this. This will be for you.”
