Sarah Michelle Gellar devastated a legion of fans on March 15 when she took to social media to reveal in a heartfelt video that the Buffy The Vampire Slayer continuation was no longer going ahead.
“I am really sad to have to share this, but I wanted you all to hear it from me,” she began. “Unfortunately, Hulu has decided not to move forward with Buffy: New Sunnydale.
“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. And this doesn’t change any of that.”
Now, the 48-year-old has revealed the reason behind Buffy the Vampire Slayer: New Sunnydale being given the axe a year into development.
Unsupportive executive kills Buffy
While promoting her latest movie, Ready Or Not 2: Here I Come, she told People magazine that an unnamed executive was the one to bring the project crashing down.
“Let me tell you, nobody saw this coming,” she told the outlet. “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 project 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 he didn’t watch it.”
Fans were devastated, taking to social media in droves to share their heartbreak at the news.
Indeed, for Sarah Michelle, the fans are the reason she “wanted to do it in the first place”.
“To thank them, to show them and to be there for them, because that’s what Buffy was about,” she told People. “Buffy was about chosen family, and that you may feel like you don’t belong in the world, but there’s someone out there that sees you.
“And for me, it’s always been about me seeing those fans. This past weekend, it’s been about those fans seeing me.”
A cult favourite
Buffy The Vampire Slayer ran for seven seasons, from 1997 to 2003.
The show won two Primetime Emmys and became a cult hit.
In 1999, it also spawned spin-off series Angel, centred on David Boreanaz’ titular character, which ran for five seasons.
In this new iteration, which Sarah Michelle explained was a continuation, not a reboot, the mantle was to have been handed over to the next generation – a vampire slayer named Nova, played by Ryan Kiera Armstrong.
“I’d like to use thig moment also to say that Ryan Kiera Armstrong is a superstar,” she told People. “I’m gutted that no-one will see her as a slayer.”
As for what’s next, she told the publication simply, “I’m going to hold my head high and keep going. That’s what Buffy Summers would do.”
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