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Hulu is officially putting the stake through its planned Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot — at least in its current form.
The streamer has decided not to move forward with the pilot starring and executive produced by Sarah Michelle Gellar. The actress shared the disappointing update with fans in an Instagram video Saturday morning.
The decision comes about a year after Hulu ordered the pilot for the project, tentatively titled Buffy: New Sunnydale. Oscar-winning director Chloé Zhao — who has long described herself as a Buffy superfan — was attached to direct from a script by Nora and Lilla Zuckerman (Poker Face).
In recent weeks, speculation had been swirling about the fate of the pilot. According to Deadline, sources described the project as “not perfect,” with some suggesting Zhao’s filmmaking sensibility might not have been the best fit for the franchise revival. Zhao is currently riding high on awards-season buzz for her latest film, Hamnet, which has racked up eight Oscar nominations.
There had reportedly been discussions about reworking the pilot as recently as earlier this week. Ultimately, however, Hulu opted not to proceed. The streamer is still said to be interested in the Buffy intellectual property and may revisit the franchise in a different form down the line.
According to reports, Gellar learned about the decision Friday night while she was in Austin for the SXSW premiere of Ready or Not 2: Here I Come, which debuted Friday afternoon. While promoting the film at the festival, she spoke enthusiastically about the reboot and what convinced her to revisit the character that defined her career.
Gellar previously pointed to Zhao’s “passion, and her reasoning for wanting to do it, and why now, and why it is necessary” as the reason she ultimately agreed to return to the Buffy universe.
In the Instagram video addressing fans, the actress admitted she was heartbroken to share the news.
“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,” Gellar said in the video. “This doesn’t change any of that, and I promise if the apocalypse actually comes… you can still beep me.”
Zhao has previously worked with Disney on another franchise property, directing Marvel’s Eternals, which struggled both critically and at the box office.
The Buffy pilot would have introduced a new slayer played by Ryan Kiera Armstrong, with Gellar returning as Buffy Summers. The ensemble cast also included Faly Rakotohavana, Ava Jean, Sarah Bock, Daniel Di Tomasso and Jack Cutmore-Scott, with Chase Sui Wonders appearing as a guest star.
The project was produced by 20th Television and Searchlight TV.
English (US)