Sarah Michelle Gellar reportedly real close to reviving Buffy The Vampire Slayer

There was a time when the cast of Buffy The Vampire Slayer was adamant that the show couldn't be revived without the involvement of Joss Whedon. But years after Whedon was exposed for misconduct and fostering a toxic work environment, Sarah Michelle Gellar is ready to move on without him. Buffy herself has signed on to produce a revamped (pun intended) version of the show at Hulu. The sequel series, which Variety reports is nearing a pilot order, would follow a new slayer as its lead and see Gellar returning to her iconic character on a recurring basis. 

Hulu is reportedly pulling out all the stops on this revival by hiring Eternals director Chloé Zhao to executive produce and direct the pilot. (The Oscar-winning filmmaker previously owned up to being a fanfiction writer and used to be active on LiveJournal back in the day—it's not out of the question she was active in the Buffy fandom.) And though Whedon is not involved, the shows' original EPs Gail Berman, Fran Kuzui and Kaz Kuzui, and Dolly Parton (yes, that Dolly Parton) are all set to return as executive producers on this new series. Per Variety, Nora Zuckerman and Lilla Zuckerman, most recently the co-showrunners of Poker Face, are attached to write, showrun, and executive produce. The Zuckermans previously served as writers and co-EPs of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., which was co-created by Whedon; his brother Jed Whedon served as the series' co-showrunner. 

Whedon himself was previously involved in an attempt to reboot the show way back in 2018 which came to nought. Gellar, meanwhile, always professed herself against a Buffy revival, but she recently changed her tune. "I always used to say no because it’s in its bubble, and it’s so perfect," the actor said in December 2024. "But watching Sex And The City and seeing Dexter, and realizing there are ways to do it, definitely does get your mind thinking, 'Well, maybe.'" Turns out she was thinking more than just maybe!