Sarah Michelle Gellar’s Bold Idea for Buffy Reboot

Sarah Michelle Gellar has a few ideas about what she’d like to see included in the upcoming Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot. 

The actress, 48, who recently reunited with her Buffy co-star Alyson Hannigan on a red carpet, opened up about her hopes for the highly-anticipated show in an interview with Vanity Fair. 

‘It will be lighter than the last few seasons of the original,’ the Emmy winner, who played the title role for seven seasons, told the publication while attending the Filming Italy Sardegna Festival. 

‘We will try to find a balance between new and old characters,’ she said of the series being helmed by Oscar winner Chloé Zhao.

The actress and executive producer then opened up about something that could thrill Buffy fans of all ages: ‘My dream is to bring back everyone who has died, but space will have to be made for new stories as well.’

Sarah Michelle Gellar has a few ideas about what she’d like to see included in the upcoming Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot;  Pictured in Santa Margherita di Pula, Italy on June 21

The actress and executive producer said the tone ‘will be lighter than the last few seasons of the original’ 

Unfortunately, one person who will not be around for the reboot is late actress Michelle Trachtenberg, who died in February at age 39. She played Dawn Summers in the series, the younger sister of Buffy.

Gellar paid tribute to Trachtenberg via Instagram the day after news broke that the latter had passed away after experiencing poor health following a liver transplant.

Sharing photos of them together and quoting lines from the show, she wrote: ‘Michelle, listen to me. Listen. I love you. I will always love you. The hardest thing in this world, is to live in it. I will be brave. I will live… for you.’ 

Michelle hinted there could be opportunities to expand the Buffy universe again.  

‘One of the surprising aspects of Buffy is that it’s always been a crossover series,’ she explained.

‘We’re trying to figure out how to modernize the themes of the series, especially what it means to feel like an outsider in a world dominated by social media,’ she explained.

The action star added that she feels ‘lucky’ not to have had to deal with that when she first took on the role. ‘What we want to explore are the space-time boundaries that affect society today.’

Gellar explained why it took her so long to agree to a reboot, explaining, ‘I didn’t want to reintroduce something we had already seen. I waited for the right time to come.’

The versatile star explained that Zhao, who is a self-admitted fan of the show, ‘proposed the project to me, and I accepted.’

‘The gestation was long. It’s been three years, and we’re still working on it,’ Gellar said.

Unfortunately, one person who will not be around for the reboot is late actress Michelle Trachtenberg, who died suddenly in February at age 39. She played Dawn Summers in the series, the younger sister of Buffy 

Gellar, 48,  played the titular Buffy the Vampire Slayer for seven seasons

Sharing her hopes for the reboot, the actress revealed ‘My dream is to bring back everyone who has died, but space will have to be made for new stories as well’

There are few details known about the new Hulu series except that Skeleton Crew star Ryan Kiera Armstrong will be star as a new Vampire Slayer, alongside Gellar’s Buffy; Pictured in Anaheim, CA in December 2024

Scripts are being written by Poker Face scribes Nora and Lilla Zuckerman.

Little is known about the reboot, except that Ryan Kiera Armstrong, 15, will star as a new Vampire Slayer, alongside Gellar’s Buffy.

‘From the moment I saw Ryan’s audition, I knew there was only one girl that I wanted by my side,’ the welcoming star wrote on social media in May. 

‘To have that kind of emotional intelligence, and talent, at such a young age is truly a gift. The bonus is that her smile lights up even the darkest room.’