It looks like Buffy the Vampire Slayer fans might be getting a reboot of the popular ’90s series.
A revival of the supernatural teen drama, which ran from 1997 to 2003, is reportedly in development, with Hulu nearing a pilot order for a new chapter in the franchise and Sarah Michelle Gellar, 47, expected to reprise her role as Buffy Summers, according to Deadline.
Oscar-winning director, Chloé Zhao, a self-proclaimed lifelong fan of the hit series, is set to direct the pilot written by Nora and Lilla Zuckerman.
Deadline’s Nellie Andreeva also reports that a writers room is expected to launch soon, which could indicate Hulu’s commitment to bringing the show to a full series order.
It’s not clear if other original cast members will return, but their involvement is supposedly “considered likely.”
Buffy’s reboot, produced by 20th Television and Searchlight TV, was described as a continuation of the “Buffyverse” and also features Dolly Parton as an executive producer. Back in the day, Parton’s company Sandollar produced the original series.
Absent from the revival is series creator Joss Whedon, who hasn’t worked in Hollywood since facing misconduct allegations in 2021.
If the series gets greenlit, this would mark the third series in the Buffy franchise, following the original show, and its spinoff Angel that aired from 1999 to 2004.
A previous reboot attempt in 2018, which featured a Black female lead and had Whedon as an executive producer, did not move forward.
Negotiations with Gellar reportedly began around the time she expressed openness to returning to the role.
“It’s funny, I always used to say no, because it’s in its bubble and it’s so perfect,” she said in a 2024 interview on the Drew Barrymore Show. “But watching Sex and the City and seeing Dexter, and realizing there are ways to do it, definitely does get your mind thinking, ‘Well, maybe.’”
The Golden Globe nominee also said that a new Buffy project didn’t necessarily have to be a prequel, adding, “It could be anything. It’s a universe. And it makes you realize that in this world, we need those heroes, I think, more so than ever.”