In every generation, there is a chosen one. She alone will stand against the vampires, the demons and the forces of darkness. She is the Slayer.
Well, that's what Joss Whedon's original Buffy series promised us, but it's been a while since we last saw a powerful young woman turning big-toothed metaphors for teenage struggles into CGI dust.
So, with the current crop of millennials all having their own difficulties, what better time to introduce a rebooted Slayer, ready to face off against an evil mutant hypnotist who's an allegory for influencers, or a Frankenstein's monster that stops you from getting Wi-Fi or whatever?
Perhaps we shouldn't be so glib – it sounds like the new Buffy series might have some more serious issues to grapple with.
If you need a refresher, according to 20th Century Fox's announcement of the series, the plan is to make the show feel "richly diverse".
"Like the original, some aspects of the series could be seen as metaphors for issues facing us all today," Fox's description of the new Buffy the Vampire Slayer teases.
Midnight, Texas creator Monica Owusu-Breen will be the showrunner on the new series and she's certainly said all the right things about what's driven her to be a part of the project.
"For some genre writers it's Star Wars. Buffy the Vampire Slayer is my Star Wars," she began. "Before I became a writer, I was a fan. For seven seasons, I watched Buffy Summers grow up, find love, kill that love. I watched her fight and struggle and slay.
"There is only one Buffy. One Xander, one Willow, Giles, Cordelia, Oz, Tara, Kendra, Faith, Spike, Angel … They can't be replaced. Joss Whedon's brilliant and beautiful series can't be replicated.
"I wouldn't try to. But here we are, 20 years later… and the world seems a lot scarier. So maybe, it could be time to meet a new Slayer… And that's all I can say."
Yeah, that sounds good to us. But with this series announcement happening over three years ago, is the reboot still going ahead?
Here's everything you need to know about the elusive Buffy reboot.
Buffy reboot air date: When will it be on?
Well, your guess is as good as ours – but as time goes on with a deafening silence around any updates, any air date is looking more and more unlikely. With the 25th anniversary of the first season airing this year, it would be the perfect time. And it's important to note no cancellation has been announced.
The last mention from any official source about the Buffy reboot was back in July 2021. In response to a Buffy fan tweeting, "I want the Buffy verse expanded and I want it now," Owusu-Breen responded with a gif, reading "I have no control over this, guys."
Since the original announcement in 2018, the majority of Buffy news has been overshadowed by behavioral allegations placed against Buffy the Vampire Slayer showrunner Joss Whedon. Initially Whedon was accused of being "abusive and unprofessional" by Ray Fisher on the set of Justice League, and co-star Gal Gadot, in July 2020.
In early 2021, Buffy stars themselves came forward with their grievances against Whedon. Sarah Michelle Gellar posted an instagram distancing herself from Whedon, which was backed up by Michelle Trachtenberg, who played Buffy's sister.
Trachtenberg wrote in an instagram caption, "This must. Be known. As a teenager. With his not appropriate behavior....very. Not. Appropriate. So now. People know. What Joss. Did. The last. Comment I will make on this. Was. There was a rule. Saying. He's not allowed in a room alone with Michelle again." Charisma Carpenter, who played Cordelia, also spoke out against Whedon.
Digital Spy reached out to Whedon's representatives for comment on all of these allegations.
There has been speculation by fans that any reboot has been put on hold due to the Whedon controversy which has become inextricably linked with the Buffy universe.
If the reboot is still happening another pressing question is: 'What streaming service will it be on?' A modern Buffy needs to be put in front of audiences using the method they actually use to watch stuff, which means a streaming service... and that's where things get a little more complicated.
Disney now owns 20th Century Fox, which means Disney+ would probably be the obvious choice. Alongside content aimed at a younger audience, Disney+ also has an increasing range of shows targeted for young adult and older viewers.
In fact, the original seven seasons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer are all available to watch on the platform, so it's not a crazy leap to assume a reboot could appear on there. Hulu would also be a good contender since it is also owned by Disney, so producers are spoilt for choice when it comes to airing the new show.
Back when the show was originally announced, Fox Television Group co-chairman Gary Newman explained, "There's actually no script to see. We've sat down with creators and had conversations with them about it. It's a very exciting prospect. It's fairly early.
"We haven't pitched it to any possible licensees yet, all of that is still to come. We're thrilled that Joss has engaged Monica, who he worked [with] on one of his other series. She's the person who is day to day on it. She has a great take on the show."
Buffy reboot plot: What will it be about?
According to Deadline's original report about the reboot, "the diversity in the show's description reflects the producers' intention for the new Slayer to be African American. The sources cautioned that the project is still in nascent stages with no script, and many details are still in flux."
So, it's hard to predict what it'll be about when even the creatives haven't completely nailed down a plan, but it sounds like they're going to be doing slightly better on the diversity front than Kendra The Vampire Slayer.
If the show ends up being an examination of race in America, exploring the consequences of the rise of alt-right (Nazi vampires, anyone?) and the insidious evil of the current power structures, we'll be happy. After all, if Buffy can fight a mayor, why not a President?
Whilst there is no update on what we could expect of the reboot, Buffy fans have lots of on-the-page content to look forward to. Disney Hyperion has published the first novel in a YA trilogy written by Kendra Blake titled In Every Generation which serves as a sequel to the show. Could the reboot potentially draw inspiration from this new novel series?
Buffy reboot cast: Who will be in it?
Unfortunately, there has also been no further casting news. Owusu-Breen's promise to not recast any of the original crew does leave the door open for the series' iconic cast to return for cameos – but maybe don't expect Sarah Michelle Gellar to be the one turning the handle.
"I don't know anything about it, honestly," Gellar said. "I think that it's a great story and I'm glad that it will get retold and hope that people will watch it. But, you know, I've told my story with it."
Sarah Michelle went on: "For me, the beauty of the show was the madness and horrors of high school manifesting in actual literal horrors. And I may look young, thanks to all my Olay products, but I don't look like I'm a kid."
Maybe they haven't broken the news to Gellar that she wouldn't actually be the star of this new series, and would more likely be in a mentor role.
But that's unlikely to be a problem given the other project that she's working on. Gellar has signed up for Other People's Houses (Fox has only ordered a script at this point), a series based on Abbi Waxman's 2018 novel of the same name. The story follows nine people living in a wealthy, peaceful Los Angeles neighbourhood.
The project is being headed up by the co-creators of Ringer, a drama in which Gellar previously appeared. It was cancelled after just one season back in 2012.
Oh, and don't expect David Boreanaz to cross the reboot threshold either.
"I have no problem with the cult audience and I would totally get back into the genre, but I'm not a big reunion guy," Boreanaz said when asked if he'd go back for more Buffy.
Still, he is supportive of the project. "Come on, guys. It's a good thing. Let's just embrace [it]. I'm very happy for them."
"They want to embrace a new generation, something new… I'm all for it. I think it's fantastic. Good for them," he added later. "I hope that it becomes huge and successful."
Still, there is someone who does want to appear in the series, and that's The Flash's Jessica Parker Kennedy.
"I can't even speak on it because all I want in my life is just Buffy to be a big, big part of my life, so I'm very excited it's coming back. Obviously I think I should be Buffy," Jessica told The Tomorrow Show.
"I hope I get to audition for it as many times as possible, even if I need to crawl my way into that audition room..."
The actress said she's already called her manager, adding: "I have called. I've made that call. I'm telling the world, I've made that call, because I just would love that so, so, so much."
She added: "This is me. I have a night shirt that I sleep in that's a Buffy shirt, and it says 'I Slay', and in the morning I wake up and I stretch and I go, 'ughhh, Buffy!' and then I start my day. Now this isn't every day, but this is a lot of days. So this is like a part of me.
"I'm a super fan. Yeah, absolutely. Like, under my breath on The Flash, when something cool would happen to Nora, I was too embarrassed to say it out loud, but under my breath, I would be like, 'Buffy!'
"Just because that, she's like my spirit animal, so she motivates me."
Recently, there was a big Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel reunion, 16 years after the show ended. Gellar and Boreanaz weren't there, but the following all met up at Wizard World Portland and it was pure magic: Alyson Hannigan (Willow), Amber Benson (Tara), James Marsters (Spike), Charisma Carpenter (Cordelia) and Nicholas Brendon (Xander).
Our hearts!
Buffy reboot trailer: When will we see it?
They probably need to put out some confirmation that the reboot is in fact going ahead first, but you can be sure that if a trailer does drop, we'll stick it straight into this article, so do bookmark this page for all the latest Buffy reboot news.
Until that day, you can enjoy the above video, which is a demonstration of how not to transfer a wildly popular series to Blu-ray.
Freelancer writer
Sam is an entertainment writer with NCTJ accreditation and a twenty-year career as a film journalist.
Starting out as a staff writer at Total Film, moving up to Deputy Online Editor, Sam was responsible for Total Film’s YouTube channel, where he revolutionised the magazine’s approach to video junkets, creating influential formats that spread to other outlets.
He’s interviewed a wide range of film icons, including directors such as David Lynch, Quentin Tarantino, Paul Thomas Anderson, Sofia Coppola, Ridley Scott, Michael Bay and Sam Raimi, as well as actors such as Meryl Streep, Nic Cage, Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Anne Hathaway, Margot Robbie, Natalie Portman, Kermit the Frog, all of the Avengers and many more.
Sam has also interviewed several comic creators, including Stan Lee, Alan Moore, Grant Morrison, and he has a zombie cameo in The Walking Dead comic.
In 2014, Sam went freelance, working directly for film studios including Warner Brothers, 20th Century Fox and Disney, as well as covering red carpet events for film marketing company PMA Productions.
Sam is the co-host, producer and editor of the Arrow Video podcast, which has seen year-on-year growth since its creation in 2017, gaining over half a million listens in that time.
His byline has appeared in outlets such as Yahoo, MTV, Dazed, Esquire, Harper’s Bazaar, Cosmopolitan, Elle, and Good Housekeeping among others.
In 2012, Sam made it to the final of the Leicester Square Theatre New Comedian of the Year competition, and went on to become a filmmaker himself, directing three features that have all played major festivals, and secured distribution – starring in two of them.
Jim Carrey once mistook Sam for Johnny Cash, and John Carpenter told him to ‘Keep up the good work.’ He promises to try his best.
Asyia is an entertainment reporter covering TV, film, theatre, music, books and general showbiz.
She was previously a freelance reporter who has written for publications including Glamour, gal-dem, Metro and Bustle.
She has a gold-standard NCTJ diploma from News Associates. Asyia has covered industry events such as the London Film Festival and BFI Flare and has a specialist interest in analysing LGBTQ+ issues, race and identity within the cultural landscape.
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