The Buffy the Vampire Slayer revival is currently in development, but a bunch of the details circulating online are apparently not legit.
Sarah Michelle Gellar just cleared the air during an interview with Elite Daily, putting an end to the speculation stirred up by a widely shared character breakdown. Her blunt response says it all:
“Those are all fake characters. That thing that got released is all fake.”
The rumored details were said to focus on Nova, a vampire hunter in high school. “Determined and fearless. The new Slayer-in-training.” It was reported that Gellar won’t be the central figure in the series, but rather a guiding presence as a mentor to Nova.
The report even included a full lineup of new characters, casting breakdowns, and plot points that felt just believable enough for the internet to latch on and share it. But now, Gellar’s statement officially calls it all out as fan fiction.
When talking about how this project came together, Eric Schrier, TV Studios Chief at Disney says this all began when Hulu’s Karey Burke and Simran Sethi approached Nomadland director Chloé Zhao, who just so happens to be a major Buffy fan.
“In the case of Buffy, it stemmed out of Karey Burke and [Hulu Originals and ABC Entertainment Scripted President] Simran Sethi [who] had always wanted to try to figure out a way to reboot that show.
“Our partners at Searchlight Television… have a deal with Chloé Zhao. It ends up that Chloé Zhao loves Buffy, so we put them together. And out of that came the idea. Sarah Michelle Gellar has been a part of it from the get-go as well; she is an executive producer. [Executive producer] Gail Berman is back… We have Nora and Lilla Zuckerman writing it, whom we have a deal with; they’re great.”
Gellar shared her own side of the story in a heartfelt Instagram post, explaining how Zhao’s pitch was the first one that ever made her seriously consider revisiting Buffy’s world.
“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…
“I eventually agreed to go (mainly just to meet Chloé) and our twenty minute coffee quickly turned into a four hour adventure… While I didn’t agree to anything at that meeting, I did shock myself by agreeing to continue the conversation.
“These conversations did, in fact, continue over the next few years… 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.
“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… Thank you to all the fans who never stopped asking for this. This will be for you.”
There’s still no official casting, no pilot filmed, and no news on whether other OGs like Alyson Hannigan or David Boreanaz might pop in. But Charisma Carpenter has shown interest, saying:
“From what I understand, there isn’t even a pilot at the moment, so I hope — if I am involved — I hope so in some fashion it’s more in a substantive way. That would be my dream.”
Right now, Nora and Lilla Zuckerman (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Poker Face) are showrunning, Chloé Zhao is set to direct the pilot, and Gellar is on board as executive producer alongside a powerhouse team that includes Gail Berman, Fran and Kaz Kuzui, and even Dolly Parton.
Are you excited to see where they take this next chapter?
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