Buffy The Vampire Slayer Sequel Series In The Works With Oscar-Winning Director

Grab your wooden stakes, call up your local Scooby gang, and make sure your library card is still active, because according to Variety, it sounds like Hulu has found the chosen one for a new generation, and “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” is the latest series to earn a revival. The pilot is set to be written by Nora and Lilla Zuckerman, the current showrunners for Rian Johnson and Natasha Lyonne’s “Poker Face” on Peacock. The sisters will also showrun and executive produce the series should it move beyond the pilot stage. To make things even sweeter, Oscar-winning director Chloé Zhao is currently attached to direct, and will executive produce through her Book of Shadows production company.

Returning executive producers include Gail Berman and a no-longer-a-secret Dolly Parton, as well as Fran and Kaz Kuzui — the former notable for directing the criminally underrated “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” movie. But the biggest excitement is undoubtedly the report that originally “Buffy” star Sarah Michelle Gellar is in final talks to return. However, unlike a revival like “Frasier,” Gellar would appear in a recurring role and will executive produce the series, with the main focus of the revival being on a new Slayer.

“Buffy the Vampire Slayer” is one of the most beloved and influential shows in television history, inspiring future monster-of-the-week shows like “Supernatural” and “Astrid & Lilly Save the World,” and the effect of the fandom culture birthed from the show served as the beating heart of one of the best horror movies of 2024. “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and the style of the show’s creator, Joss Whedon, defined pop culture for a generation, but will fans be accepting of a new take on their beloved series over two decades later?

Whedon’s name was not announced as part of the revival series, which is a bit of a shocker considering he owes his entire career to the tale of a monster-hunting teenage girl. However, Whedon has become persona non grata in recent years due to allegations of toxic on-set behavior, including but not limited to his treatment of the cast of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” So, as far as this writer is concerned — good riddance. I’m currently going through a rewatch of the series for the first time since Whedon’s behavior was made public, and it’s impossible not to hear the character of Xander (Whedon’s insert character) say the weirdest stuff possible about Buffy (or any woman, really) and not want to crawl out of your skin. “Buffy” is an important, impactful show that was life-affirming for multiple generations of viewers, but it is by no means a perfect show that couldn’t benefit from some upgrades.

A new “Buffy” series provides creatives who grew up loving the show the opportunity to repair some of the sins of the past. Perhaps a new “Buffy” will allow characters like Willow and Tara to love freely without one of them having to die, characters like Xander could be held accountable for being so damn creepy to their female friends, and most importantly, no one on set will ever have to dread coming to work or fear pursuing a career in the entertainment industry. Remakes, reboots, and revivals are inevitable, and since there’s no use fighting the data-driven decisions made by algorithms, I’m protecting my peace by looking for the silver lining. Loving “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” has become complicated, so if this new series can help recapture some magic and update the series for the positive, I’m all for it.