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Hulu has officially shelved its anticipated reboot of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, at least for now.
The streaming platform has decided against moving forward with the pilot, which was set to star and be executive produced by Sarah Michelle Gellar. Gellar broke the news to fans through an Instagram video on Saturday morning, expressing disappointment.
This decision follows nearly a year after Hulu greenlit the pilot, initially titled Buffy: New Sunnydale. Oscar-winning filmmaker Chloé Zhao, a self-proclaimed Buffy enthusiast, was slated to direct the project from a script penned by Nora and Lilla Zuckerman, known for their work on Poker Face.
Rumors had been circulating about the pilot’s uncertain future. Sources from Deadline mentioned that the pilot was “not perfect,” and some questioned whether Zhao’s directorial style was the right match for this franchise revival. Currently, Zhao is receiving considerable acclaim for her latest movie, Hamnet, which has earned eight Oscar nominations.
Discussions to potentially revamp the pilot occurred as recently as the past week. Despite these talks, Hulu decided not to advance with the project. Nonetheless, the streaming service remains interested in the Buffy franchise and may explore other opportunities for its revival in the future.
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.
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