Hulu Cancels Buffy the Vampire Slayer Reboot

Sarah Michelle Gellar announced on Saturday that Hulu will not move forward with its planned reboot of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, titled Buffy New Sunnydale, dashing hopes for a revival of the iconic 1990s series.

The actress, who starred as Buffy Summers in the original show and was set to reprise the role while executive producing the project, shared the news in a video posted to her Instagram. A pilot episode had been ordered by Hulu about a year ago, with filming wrapping up in August. Directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Chloé Zhao and written by Nora and Lilla Zuckerman, known for their work on Poker Face, the pilot featured Ryan Kiera Armstrong as the new lead slayer alongside Gellar. The cast also included Faly Rakotohavana as Hugo, Ava Jean as Larkin, Sarah Bock as Gracie, Daniel Di Tomasso as Abe, and Jack Cutmore-Scott as Mr. Burke, with additional roles filled by actors such as Kingston Vernes, Chase Sui Wonders, Merrin Dungey, Audrey Hsieh, and Audrey Grace Marshall. The production came from 20th Television and Searchlight TV.

Sources close to the project indicated that the pilot was viewed as imperfect, with some suggesting Zhao's directorial style may not have...