Sarah Michelle Gellar Comments On ‘Buffy The Vampire Slayer’ Revival Plans

Earlier this week, word broke of Hulu’s plan to revive Buffy the Vampire Slayer. At the moment, the streaming service is only looking at producing a pilot — although there are reports a writers’ room to map out a full season may also be forming soon — but it has original series star Sarah Michelle Gellar attached to reprise her role.

And today, Gellar took to her social media to offer a little bit of clarification on her willingness to return after routinely saying “no” when asked about it in the press over the last twenty years. “Three years ago, I got a call from my dear friend and mentor, Gail Berman. She told me that she wanted me to sit down with Chloé Zhao to hear her take on a potential Buffy revival,” she writes. “I was blown away that Chloé even knew who I was, but, as I’ve always done, I told Gail that I just didn’t see a way for the show to exist again. We’d always been aligned on that, but this time I heard something different in her voice. I eventually agreed to go (mainly just to meet Chloé) and our twenty minute coffee quickly turned into a four hour adventure. We laughed, we cried, but mostly we both talked about how much this show means to us.”

That meeting led to continued conversations and, with the addition of writers Nora and Lilla Zuckerman, an idea with which to move forward.

Gellar continues, “I have always listened to the fans and heard your desire to revisit Buffy and her world, but it was not something I could do unless I was sure we would get it right. This has been a long process, and it’s not over yet. I promise you, we will only make this show if we know we can do it right. And I will tell you that we are on the path there.” The actor also thanked the Berman, Zhao, and the Zuckermans for their talent and dedication to Buffy. She also thanked the loyal viewers, concluding her post with this: “Thank you to all the fans who never stopped asking for this. This will be for you.”

Of course, it is unclear what sort of time table the Buffy revival is on — and we’re going to start calling it that instead of a “reboot” based on Gellar’s use of the term. The pilot commitment suggests Hulu may want to be shooting before the end of the year, but schedules will need to align for such a thing to happen. But even announcing any sort of revival is both a shock and a blessing to those who want to know what Buffy Summers is up to and what she’s been doing since the series finale. As previously reported, Gellar is the only original cast member set to appear in the pilot, although it is expected at least some of the other cast members may also return.