The highly anticipated Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot has received an exciting new update.
Back in February, it was announced that Hulu was reviving the iconic fantasy drama with Sarah Michelle Gellar set to star and executive produce, Oscar-winner Chloé Zhao as director and Poker Face showrunners Nora and Lilla Zuckerman as writers.
While Gellar has been confirmed to return as the titular hero—widely regarded as one of the best television characters in history—The Hollywood Reporter revealed that she will “recur” but not “be its central focus.”
Over the last two months, additional information about the series has been kept under wraps… until now.
On 27 March, TV Line revealed that casting was underway for three of the show’s lead characters, including the new Slayer.
According to the publication, the reboot’s new Chosen One will be a 16-year-old named Nova. She is described as “a bit of a loner” who is “very smart.”
Like the original, Nova will have her own Scooby gang, made up of Hugo, an “out and proud nerd who comes from money,” and Gracie, “a young expert on vampires” and a huge fan of Buffy Summers.
As of writing, no actors have been selected for the role.
The exciting news comes a few months after Gellar got candid about her return to the Buffy universe despite years of brushing off the idea of follow-up.
“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 started.
“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.”
Although Gellar revealed that she “didn’t agree” to returning as Buffy, she continued the conversations “over the next few years and eventually we added the incredible Nora and Lilla Zuckerman to our little tribe until ultimately, one day, we landed on an idea”.
“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,” she continued.
“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. Thank you to all the fans who never stopped asking for this. This will be for you.”
Since airing between 1997 and 2003, Buffy the Vampire Slayer has been lauded as one of the greatest shows of all time. Various episodes have been acclaimed as some of television’s best, particularly ‘Hush’, ‘The Body’ and ‘Once More, With Feeling’.
Buffy also made history for queer representation, with Willow Rosenberg (Alyson Hannigan) and Tara Maclay (Amber Benson) blazing a trail as the first long-term lesbian relationship on American television.
Reminisce on the queerest moments from Buffy the Vampire Slayer here.
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