“It was only a matter of time before we jumped on the reboot-train,” Joss Whedon told the Hollywood Reporter.
Talks of a reboot of the cult hit and beloved Buffy the Vampire Slayer have been brewing for almost a decade. Proposed spinoffs post both Buffy as well as Angel (the series) never came to fruition, and with rights tied up between the creator, Whedon, husband wife producing team Fran and Kaz Kuzui, and FOX Searchlight, each having separate parts. But after many behind the scenes negotiations, it has reached the next step — greenlit for a film.
“This was honestly part of the reason why I stepped down from ‘Batgirl’,” Whedon added. “I didn’t have a story for her, because part of me was still preoccupied with the Slayer.”
There has been strong resistance to a reboot for one reason or another — no Whedon attached, or old cast members [despite the show itself being a reboot of the film]. This refreshed version of the franchise is going to take a dual approach to that. Fans need not to worry, as some of the old cast will be part of the project — a film — albeit in unconventional ways.
Joss Whedon has exited DC and Warner Bros. upcoming “Batgirl” adaptation. (JORDAN STRAUSS/JORDAN STRAUSS/INVISION/AP)
“We wanted to retain some of the old flavor with something new, “Fran Kuzui said. “We’re in talks right now with Sarah Michelle Gellar to play Joyce Summers, and in negotiations with Chloe Grace Moretz to play the slayer herself. She’s a fabulous actor, and we think she’ll be a good fit.”
Other murmurings for cast include Buffy/Angel veteran James Marsters, coming on for the role of Buffy’s watcher, Rupert Giles.
“Honestly, it’s hilarious to me, putting James in tweed and glasses,” Whedon said. “I used to hate those hollowed cheekbones. Now I get to make him a perpetual nerd. Er, for however long Fox Searchlight will keep the films going. Our hope is a traditional three-parter.”
Gellar’s rep did not respond to comments on the reboot.
“People love nostalgia,” Kuzui added. “I wouldn’t be surprised if some other familiar faces popped up.”
Reboots can be a fail or flop, but with some key components, this seems to be brewing a success.
My heart is going … Pitter Pat.. I loved everything thing about “Buffy the Vampier Slayer, all the characters. But “Buffy “is still my hero. Please James and Sarah, we need you back.
I’m all for a reboot of Buffy. But, it has to be as campy, witty and good as the series was, so don’t try to make it something else. I’ve probably watched the entire series 4-5 times over. That’s how much I loved it.
In case you missed it, Merry April Fools Day 🙂