Talk about a stake through the heart. Buffy fans have been getting hyped over the last year over the return of their favorite vampire slayer by way of a Sarah Michelle Gellar-produced revival involving Hamnet’s Chloé Zhao as well. But all that giddiness has turned sour now that it’s just been confirmed that New Sunnydale has been axed by Hulu before it could even see the light of day.
Sarah Michelle Gellar shared a video to Instagram early Saturday and broke the news that the Buffy the Vampire reboot would not be moving forward. Check out the post below to hear exactly what the fan-favorite actress -- who was set to reprise her role on the show as well -- had to say:
As Gellar shared “Hulu has decided not to move forward” with the revival Buffy series she’d been working on with the Oscar-winning Chloé Zhao across the past year. The actress called the news “really sad” but wanted to make sure the fans heard it from her first. Fans took to the comment section to share their disappointment, and one of them directly responded to Gellar saying fans could "still beep" her if the apocalypse were to happen:
BEEP!!!! We ARE beeping you!!! Devastated. The world needs Buffy now more than ever xxx
@nathanwyburnart
In the message, Sarah Michelle Gellar forwarded a big thanks to Zhao, who pitched the project. The strength of Zhao's pitch was what made Gellar change her mind about joining a revival, which she'd long preferred not to do. Gellar has spoken highly of Zhao, who's she's called a “true fan that is desperate to revisit the world” of Buffy rather than “reinvent it”.
Gellar said working on the project “reminded” her how much she loves the iconic vampire slayer and that the reboot's cancellation “doesn’t change any of that”. Of course, it’s very understandable that fans are bummed over the news after hearing exciting teases about New Sunnydale. Another user said:
This is the most disappointing entertainment news of the year. We love you and will follow you anywhere.
@nathanielbaconx
Sarah Michelle Gellar didn’t really explain exactly why the Buffy The Vampire Slayer revival, which was teased to include OG characters, was scrapped. Nevertheless, it’s certainly perplexing from the outside looking in as to why the streamer made the decision to pass on such a massive IP. The TV series has a huge following, and many fans seem eager to the world after the Buffy The Vampire Slayer finale aired over twenty years ago. As another fan wrote:
This is heartbreaking news, we love you and thank you for fighting to bring us something magical. Our slayer will live to fight again, she’s saved the world… a lot ❤️
@mrnicklocke
Over the summer, a pilot for the new Buffy series was filmed in Los Angeles with a cast including fresh talent like Ryan Kiera Armstrong, Chase Sui Wonders and Sarah Bock.
It's hard not to wonder if there’s a chance for New Sunnydale could still happen at this point. Could another streaming service or network pick up the show instead, and is the Gellar's reveal perhaps a secret plea for another studio to work with her and Zhao instead? It's known that The Walt Disney Company owns the rights to Buffy, which is why the original series is streamable with a Hulu subscription. Still, it's unclear if it would even be possible for another entity to scoop up the revival. For now, the Buffy fandom is clearly in mourning:
How do we move on from this? Really 😢
@tylermaynardd
This surely is an unfortunate turn of events, and only time will tell if this reboot materializes in some form at some point. For now, fans can only dwell on their memories of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and rewatch all six seasons of the show as it stands.
