Why Was the Buffy Revival Cancelled and Could It Still Happen?

Hulu ordered a pilot for a revival of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but then passed on picking it up to series.  Now fans are left wondering what happened and whether Buffy will return at some point in the future.

What Is It?

To be titled Buffy: New Sunnydale, this pilot acts as a continuation of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, taking place in the present day as a new slayer steps into the role previously held by Buffy Summers. Sarah Michelle Gellar returns as the title character, and she is tasked with training a new slayer Nova to be played by Ryan Kiera Armstrong.

Aired: Never Aired

Starring: Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Kiera Armstrong, Faly Rakotohavana, Ava Jean, Sarah Bock, Daniel Di Tomasso, Jack Cutmore-Scott

Created By: Chloé Zhao

Why Was the Pilot Cancelled?

Ever since Buffy the Vampire Slayer left the air in 2003 after seven seasons, there have been talks of the show returning in some form or another (it did continue the story for several “seasons” in comics). And while a complete reboot was considered at one point, fans were overjoyed to hear last year that Sarah Michelle Gellar would be returning in a revival that had her training a new slayer. Chloé Zhao (who just won an Oscar for directing Hamnet) helmed the project, and while Joss Whedon was not involved (as he has turned into persona non grata in Hollywood due to accusations of toxic on-set behavior), word is that he gave the project his blessing. The pilot was filmed and completed, but the announcement came this past weekend that Hulu had decided to pass on picking it up to series.

Gellar was definitely disappointed with the decision saying “nobody saw this coming”. And she had the following to say about working with Zhao on the project:

And it never occurred to me that it was something I was going to do. Then four years ago, Chloé, the witch that she is — and I say that as a good thing — comes into my life. In one meeting, she makes me say ‘yes’ to something I never saw on my radar. That was because of the deep love and commitment and passion she had for this character. It was like I was stepping back in time.

Chloé and I talked a lot. The dialogue flew off the tongue. When I was on set, it was craziness. It was like, ‘Oh, we’re here. We’re doing this.’ I loved the duality that we had this new, younger slayer who was where Buffy was when the show started, and then we would pick up with where Buffy was now.

Word is that some of the decision makers believed the pilot was “not perfect” and did not want to proceed with the series. And the fact is that Gellar herself has said that she hopes the pilot does not leak online and that people do not read the script that is circulating around the internet. And according to Variety, she only had one line in the production, coming at the very end (though it certainly sounds like it set up her return nicely). Gellar did acknowledge that pilots do have their flaws and that they are not always the best representation of a show:

You make a pilot — and I want to clarify this — we made a pilot [first instead of a full season] on purpose because there’s some new characters and you want to see how it goes. There are things you learn from it, and there are things you fix. Usually, [the first version of a] pilot doesn’t air … it’s a learning tool. The original Buffy pilot [had] nothing to do with the show. It was a different Willow. It was a very different show. But those are learning tools and that’s what a pilot is.

But she also did not mince words and pointed the blame directly at one person, whom she did not name:

We had an executive on our show who was not only not a fan of the original, but was proud to constantly remind us that he had never seen the entirety of the series and how it wasn’t for him.

That’s very hard when you’re taking a property that is as beloved as Buffy, not just to the world, but to me and Chloé. So that tells you the uphill battle that we had been fighting since day one, when your executive is literally proud to tell you that he didn’t watch it

There have been some talks about taking another attempt at a pilot, but it is unclear if that would get the greenlight, especially if the executive above is part of the decision-making process. Disney owns the property after buying 20th Century Entertainment, so they will make the ultimate decision, and it seems very unlikely that the completed pilot will get shopped around.

What Can the Fans Do to Help?

There was definitely an outcry from fans after the announcement, as they were eagerly awaiting the return of Buffy Summers. There was even an attempt to reach out to Dolly Parton to help, as her production company produced the original series, but Disney has control of the property these days. Still, there is a chance that fans can make their voices heard and possibly give the show another chance at returning.

I’ve seen several online petitions, though none of them have more than a few hundred signatures (if anybody knows of one that is gaining traction, please include the link in the comments below). Basically, the fans need to get organized and make a strong push, and perhaps Disney/Hulu execs will reconsider moving forward with the show. An online petition is a good start, but fans should also start making some noise on social networks and watching the original show on Hulu to get it into the Nielsen Streaming Rankings to bring it more attention.

If they do that, it will reinforce the show’s following and at least get the Mouse House to consider a second pilot. Star Trek went that route, and that launched it into a multi-billion-dollar franchise. Buffy the Vampire Slayer is definitely a beloved show, and this is its chance to create its own Next Generation-style spin-off and possibly continue beyond that. There’s definitely no reason that one executive who has no love for the show should stand in the way of its revival, and if the fans prove to be a strong enough force, perhaps a new Buffy show could still happen. But they need to act soon if it is going to be from the same creative team because Zhao’s schedule will certainly be getting busy, and Gellar seems to keep herself pretty well occupied as well.

Where Can You Watch It?

The pilot was not made available for the public to view, as has become quite common these days. And from the way Gellar talks, it sounds like she doesn’t want people to watch it. There is always the possibility that it could leak at some point, and there is a script out there for those willing to search it out. But instead of looking for that, maybe it is better to put the effort into convincing Disney/Hulu to give the revival another chance.  The original series is streaming on Hulu as is its spin-off Angel.  The show has also been collected on DVD and you can purchase it VOD.

Are you a fan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and would you support fan efforts to keep the revival alive? Chime in with your thoughts in the comments below.

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