BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER Producer Gail Berman Wants a Series Revival, Says No One Expected It to Be a Hit
I'm sure there are a lot of Buffy the Vampire Slayer fans out there who would love to see a revival of the series. Even one of the producers on the original series is still hoping that it happens someday. THR recently talked to producer Gail Berman about the show's legacy and the conversation turned to talk of a revival. All Berman is waiting for is a call from creator Joss Whedon. Here's what she had to say:
"I would be really happy to get the call from Joss. I have my own thoughts of what it would look like, but my own thoughts are not important. It would be what he thought. I will always let everyone know this is all about Joss. I did everything I knew on how to to be supportive of that, but the stories, the direction, the writing and the tale telling, that's all Joss.
"Joss is so adaptable. You saw what he did digitally with Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog [which he conceived, self-financed and self-distributed as a web series during the 2007-08 WGA strike]. He knows where his audience is. He knows where to find them. By the way, they know where to find him. He was communicating with his audience right away. He didn't hide. No one was doing that."
It's hard to imagine Whedon going back to do a Buffy revival, but you never know... anything can happen. I think it's fine if it never happens, but if it does, of course, I'm going to watch it! What crazy is that no one expected the series to be such a big hit in the first place. Berman goes on to say:
"It was an interesting time because the show started to become part of popular culture and I'm not sure that anybody initially involved with it, certainly not [producers] 20th Century Fox Television or Warner Bros. were sure where this was headed. Individuals inside these companies who really had their finger on the pulse of trying to do something new and different, they knew. Susanne, Jordan and [current Warner Bros. Television president and former head of 20th TV] Peter Roth were major components. When it all started, I don't think anybody knew what this would turn into. Remember, we didn't get picked up! The pilot did not get ordered! But Susanne and Jordan were convinced they could get it picked up for midseason. And they did. They understood we were doing something new and young. Joss' voice was speaking generationally."
When asked about what Whedon's stories in the series impacted her the most she shared the following story:
"When I heard the story of the "invisible girl" [from season one's 11th episode, "Out of Mind, Out of Sight,"] that's something I could understand, very well. It was my favorite early story because I totally understood that a girl who felt invisible and no one paid attention to would ultimately become, invisible. There was just so much pain and anger in that story. It was so impactful to me. And the invisible girl was named after my assistant Marcy Ross, who is now the president of [production company] Skydance Television (Netflix's Grace and Frankie). Marcy and I are probably the only ones who would say that's our favorite episode, but there's a real reason for it."
One other fun piece of trivia that Berman revealed was that Sarah Michelle Gellar was originally being eyed for the role of Cordelia. I'm sure glad they didn't go that route! She was perfect as Buffy.
The entire interview is pretty lengthy, but it's worth reading if you're a fan of the series. In case you missed what Whedon had to say about the series and what he's most proud of, click here. Whedon's schedule seems a bit more flexible now that he's not making one Marvel film after another. Who knows, maybe he'll find time to do a revival eventually. Is that something you'd want to see happen?