Sarah Michelle Gellar Confirms ‘Buffy’ Reboot Reports

It looks like that long-awaited Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot/sequel is happening after all.

Actress Sarah Michelle Gellar has confirmed via social media that she is indeed working on a continuation of the hit 1990s series. Earlier this week, reports surfaced that Hulu was close to ordering a pilot for a Buffy reboot, more than twenty years after the series ended a seven-season run.

Chloé Zhao, who won Oscars for Best Picture and Best Director in 2021 for her film Nomadland, is set to direct the pilot. Nora and Lilla Zuckerman, the team behind Poker Face, wrote the pilot. Zhao also directed Marvel’s Eternals, her first big-budget feature.

While Gellar said she had previously had no interest in continuing the Buffy franchise, her conversations with Zhao, an admitted fan of the show, convinced her otherwise. Gellar also revealed that talks with Zhao first began three years ago, but are moving forward now because she feels they will “do it right.”

Joss Whedon, the show’s creator, is not involved in the reboot, and hasn’t worked in Hollywood since misconduct allegations went public several years ago.

Here is Gellar’s full statement from social media:

So….. you might have heard some news this week, but I realize 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. 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 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. 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.

The production team is reportedly close to forming a writers’ room for more episodes, although a production timeframe for the pilot has not been announced.

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