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Credit: 20th Century StudiosSarah Michelle Gellar wants to bring back the dead for Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Now that the upcoming Buffy series set for Hulu has landed its new Chosen One in Ryan Kiera Armstrong (2022’s Firestarter, Star Wars: Skeleton Crew), Sarah Michelle Gellar, who’ll be reprising her role as Buffy Summers and is also one of the executive producers, is finally shedding some light on what fans can expect from the highly anticipated revival.
Speaking to Vanity Fair Italia, Gellar, 48, who played the titular hero in the ’90s series (1997–2003), said she wants to bring back the entire original cast lineup, regardless of which characters had been killed off by the time the show wrapped after seven seasons, while also hinting at what kind of tone the revival will have compared to its beloved predecessor.
“It will be lighter than the last few seasons of the original,” she said. “We will try to find a balance between new and old characters. My dream is to bring back everyone who has died, but space will have to be made for new stories as well.”
Who Died in Buffy and Angel?
While the idea of bringing back those who died might not sit well with fans, Buffy was always resurrecting dead characters. It’s one of the best and worst things about living on a Hellmouth. Even Buffy met her maker on more than one occasion and lived to tell the tale.
However, throughout its seven-season run, several longstanding characters were permanently turned to dust, including Joyce Summers (Kristine Sutherland), Tara Maclay (Amber Benson), and Anya Jenkins (Emma Caulfield).
And in the spinoff series Angel (1999 — 2004), leads such as Wesley Wyndam-Pryce (Alexis Denisof) and Cordelia Chase (Charisma Carpenter) were also brutally dispatched.
Who’s Involved in the Buffy Revival?
It was announced earlier this year that Hulu was “nearing a pilot order” for the new series. Oscar-winning director Chloé Zhao (Nomadland) is attached to direct the first episode, while sisters Nora and Lilla Zuckerman (Poker Face) are penning the script.
Gellar and Zhao are also executive producers—alongside Dolly Parton (the world-famous musician), returning under her Sandollar banner like she did with the original.
In May, 15-year-old Ryan Kiera Armstrong was revealed to be the series’ new vampire slayer, with Gellar returning in a recurring role as Buffy Summers.
No other cast members have been confirmed and it remains to be seen if anyone else from the original will return. Many, however, have shown their support to Gellar following news of the revival, including Charisma Carpenter (Cordelia Chase) and David Boreanaz (Angel).
Michelle Trachtenberg
If it’s intent on being a proper continuation of the original series while also bringing back established characters, it remains to be seen how the Buffy revival will address the tragic passing of Michelle Trachtenberg, who died at the age of 39 in February this year.
Trachtenberg played Buffy’s sister Dawn Summers, who first appeared in the Season 5 episode “Buffy vs. Dracula” and became a regular character until the show’s season-seven finale “Chosen” in 2003.
However they choose to handle her passing, we’re sure it will be done respectfully.
There’s no release date for the Buffy revival.
The original series stars Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy Summers), Charisma Carpenter (Cordelia Chase), David Boreanaz (Angel), Anthony Head (Rupert Giles), Michelle Trachtenberg (Dawn Summers), Nicholas Brendon (Xander Harris), Seth Green (Oz), Alyson Hannigan (Willow Rosenberg), Eliza Dushku (Faith), and James Marsters (Spike).
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