Sarah Michelle Gellar made the surprising announcement over the weekend that the planned “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” reboot series “New Sunnydale” will not be moving forward at Hulu. Gellar was set to reprise the role of Buffy alongside Ryan Kiera Armstrong as a brand new vampire slayer in the small screen reboot from Hamnet director Chloé Zhao.
“I am really sad to have to share this, but I wanted you all to hear it from me. Unfortunately, Hulu has decided not to move forward with Buffy: New Sunnydale,” the actress said in a video.
Sarah Michelle Gellar added, “I want to thank Chloé Zhao, because I never thought I would find myself back in Buffy’s stylish yet affordable boots. And thanks to Chloé, I was reminded how much I love her and how much she means not only to me but to all of you. And this doesn’t change any of that, and I promise if the apocalypse actually comes, you can still beep me.”
Chloé Zhao has now shared her own thoughts on Hulu axing the planned “Buffy: New Sunnydale” series in a chat with Variety on the Academy Awards red carpet yesterday.
“Not surprised,” Chloé Zhao responded when asked about the news. “I had an incredible, incredible time with Sarah [Michelle Gellar], with all the cast and crew doing this. And we, first and foremost, see ourselves as the guardians of the original show. Our priority for Sarah and for us has always been to be truthful to the show, to be truthful to our fans.”
Zhao continued, “So, things happen for a reason, and we keep our hearts open and we welcome the mystery. And what this might lead us to.”
There’s always the chance that “New Sunnydale” could be shopped to a different network or streamer – “we welcome the mystery,” Zhao reiterates – but the project is dead at this time.
Nora and Lilla Zuckerman (“Poker Face”) wrote the pilot, with Chloé Zhao directing.
“Buffy the Vampire Slayer” ran for seven seasons between 1997 and 2003, becoming a pop culture icon in the process. It was followed by spinoff “Angel,” which ran from 1999 to 2004.
