Sarah Michelle Gellar has confirmed that plans to bring Buffy, The Vampire Slayer back to life are in motion.
Rumours of a Buffy reboot have been circulating since as far back as 2018, but earlier this week, Deadline claimed that a revival was closer than ever.
In the US outlet’s report, they claimed that a follow-up series was “nearing a pilot order” from the streaming service Hulu, with Oscar winner Chloé Zhao on directing duties.
Billed by Deadline as “the next chapter in the Buffyverse”, Variety also claimed that while the would see Sarah Michelle reprising her role from the original series, this would be in a supporting capacity.
Instead, the show will reportedly focus on a new vampire slayer as its lead character, with Deadline suggesting that other cast members from the 90s hit series could also make appearances.
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Sarah Michelle set the record straight on Instagram on Thursday evening, confirming: “So… you might have heard some news this week, but I realise you haven’t heard from me.
“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 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.”
She continued: “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.
“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 and eventually we added the incredible Nora and Lilla Zuckerman [writers on the mystery series Poker Face] 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,” Sarah Michelle explained.
“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. 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.”
Angel actor David Boreanaz then popped up in the comments, telling his former co-star: “Excited for you and your journey. Enjoy the moments and continue to always give back to the fans. God Speed.”
While Sarah Michelle has long played down the idea of a Buffy revival, including as recently as 2023, she seemed more open when asked about the subject in December last year.
“It’s funny, I always used to say no, because it’s in its bubble and it’s so perfect,” she said on The Drew Barrymore Show. “But watching Sex And The City [reboot And Just Like That] and seeing Dexter, and realising there are ways to do it, definitely does get your mind thinking, ‘Well, maybe’.”
Buffy, The Vampire Slayer started life as a 1992 film, and was then adapted for the small screen in 1997, running for seven seasons in total.
