Sarah Michelle Gellar Talks About Her Change of Heart Regarding a Possible BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER Reboot
Fans of the hit 90s-2000s series Buffy the Vampire Slayer have been diehard since the show first aired. Some have wondered whether in this age of reboots we could possibly see the original cast members return to make some new episodes.
It never seemed like a possibility, as the star of the show, Sarah Michelle Gellar, was pretty closed to the idea, but she has changed her tune a bit.
During a recent appearance on The Drew Barrymore Show (via CB), the iconic actress expressed newfound openness to the possibility of returning to the Buffyverse. She explained what triggered her change of heart:
“It’s funny. I always used to say no, because it’s in its bubble, and it’s so perfect. But watching Sex and the City [sequel series, And Just Like That] and seeing Dexter, and realizing there are ways to do it, definitely does get your mind thinking, ‘Well, maybe.’”
Just last year, Gellar firmly dismissed the idea of a return to the series in an interview with SFX Magazine, where she said:
“I am very proud of the show that we created and it doesn’t need to be done. We wrapped that up. I am all for them continuing the story because there’s the story of female empowerment.
“I love the way the show was left: ‘Every girl who has the power can have the power.’ It’s set up perfectly for someone else to have the power.
“But like I said, the metaphors of Buffy were the horrors of adolescence. I think I look young, but I am not an adolescent.”
The actress is currently starring in Paramount+’s Dexter: Original Sin as CSI Chief Tanya Martin, and she relates the expanded universe in the series with her original show.
“It could be anything,” she explained to Barrymore. “It’s a universe. And it makes you realize that in this world, we need those heroes, I think, more so than ever.”
Though a return may mean a passing of the torch. In an April 2023 interview with Variety, Gellar elaborated on how the series finale actually laid groundwork for future stories:
“That’s an interesting question. I think that the way we left the show was set up for that. There was a reason why the idea was that instead of ‘into one generation there is one Slayer,’ why not share the power among women.”
However, while supportive of continuing the narrative, Gellar maintains she shouldn’t be the one wielding the stake. “I just don’t think it should be me because of those inevitable comparisons.
But I think that if somebody has a way in through those other Slayers – like, we left that there for a reason. We could have just ended it, but we didn’t.
So I’m all for it; if someone has that story, I just don’t think I’m the person that’s – no, let me rephrase that. I know I’m not the person to tell that story.”
Would you be happy to see the return of the Buffyverse, even if Gellar wasn’t at the center of it?