Buffy the Vampire Slayer set for revival, Sarah Michelle Gellar in talks to return

Dig out Mr Pointy and dust off that Class Protector award because a Buffy the Vampire Slayer revival is in the works at American streamer Hulu.

Sarah Michelle Gellar is in final negotiations to return to the role. Perhaps not coincidentally, Gellar over the weekend posted on Instagram a photo of herself in “yummy sushi pyjamas”, a deep-cut reference for Buffy fans.

According to reports in Variety and Deadline, the new series will be set in the same universe as the 1997 series but will not necessarily be centred on Buffy Summers. More likely, the story will focus on a different vampire slayer but the Buffy character will have a presence.

No other cast members from the series are attached yet, but several of them, including Charisma Carpenter, James Marsters, Amber Benson and Anthony Head, took part in a Buffy audiobook sequel in 2023.

Oscar-winning director Chloe Zhao is slated to direct the pilot episode. Zhao, who won an Academy Award for Nomadland, is an avowed long-time Buffy fan.

The revival will be written by Nora and Lilla Zuckerman, who serve as showrunners on Rian Johnson’s Poker Face.

Executive producers include Gellar, Zhao, the Zuckermans as well as those with credits on the series and the original 1992 movie, Gail Berman, Fran Kazui, Kaz Kazui and Dolly Parton. Parton’s production company, Sandollar, was involved in the series and she gave an update last year that they were working on getting on revival off the ground.

Gellar had previously been reticent about a Buffy reboot or continuation but indicated she had changed her mind during press interviews for her role on the Dexter prequel, Dexter: Origins.

She said on the Drew Barrymore Show, “It’s funny, I always used to say ‘no’, because it’s in its bubble and it’s so perfect. But watching Sex and the City and seeing Dexter, and realising there are ways to do it, definitely does get your mind thinking, ‘Well, maybe’.

“It could be anything. It’s a universe, and it makes you realise that in this world, we need those heroes, I think, more so than ever.”

Buffy the Vampire Slayer originated as a film in 1992 starring Kristy Swanson in the title role with Luke Perry playing her love interest. It told the story of a high-schooler who discovers she has mystical powers and a calling to battle the undead and other supernatural elements.

It was revived as a series in March, 1997 through the fledgling, youth-oriented American TV network, WB, with a new cast. In Australia, the series started as a summer replacement program on Channel 7 in December, 1997.

The series lasted seven seasons, moving from the high school arena to university and then to adulthood, using monsters as a metaphor for the challenges of growing up and coming-of-age.

It made a star out of Gellar, who at the time was known for her role on American soap opera All My Children. It also starred Alyson Hannigan, Nicholas Brendon and David Boreanaz.

Boreanaz left the series after the third season to spin-off his character, a 240-year-old vampire cursed with a soul, on Angel, which ran for five more years.

After both series ended, the story continued in comic book form as Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight.

Throughout its run, while it was never a ratings bonanza, it was critically acclaimed and beloved by fans.

Coinciding with the nascent days of fan communities on the internet, the show spawned a cottage industry of Buffy fan fiction, merchandise, conventions and even academia. The show was the subject of many university theses and PhDs.

Buffy creator Joss Whedon is not expected to be involved in the revival. Whedon has been persona non grata in the industry after accusations of misconduct and bullying behaviour levelled at him from Carpenter and Justice League actor Ray Fisher.

Carpenter, who played the character of Cordelia Chase on three seasons of Buffy and on four seasons of Angel, alleged that Whedon was “mean and biting, disparaging about others openly, and often played favourites, pitting people against one another to compete and vie for his attention and approval”.

She said Whedon fired her after she fell pregnant and gave birth.

Michelle Trachtenberg, who was 15 years old when she joined the show, revealed that there had been a rule during production that Whedon was not to be alone in a room with her.

In the aftermath, Gellar responded, “While I am proud to have my name associated with Buffy Summers, I don’t want to be forever associated with the name Joss Whedon.”

Hulu shows stream in Australia on Disney+.