Hulu Cans 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer: New Sunnydale' Ahead of Pilot's Premiere
“l am really sad to have to share this, but I wanted you all to hear it from me. Unfortunately, Hulu has decided not to move forward with Buffy: New Sunnydale.” Those were the sullen words spoken in a video posted by the one and only Sarah Michelle Gellar. The iconic Slayer, only just having finished promoting her newest film Ready or Not: Here I Come at SXSW, had to take time out of the schedule to post this to her fans. It appears that Hulu has decided to stake the show in a very peculiar state of development.
For months now, videos have been shared with fans young and middle-aged surrounding the evolution of the project, most notably, when Ryan Kiera Armstrong was cast. A video went viral showing the moment that Gellar shared the news with the young star. It was a sweet passing of the torch, and gave the show some major good vibes before anything was even filmed. Here we are several months later, and just as filming wrapped on the pilot, Hulu axes the show. Throughout the months, the production has shared work out videos featuring the generational dynamic duo of slayers, and teaser-pictures of Gellar and others involved in the show.
Most notably, Gellar went on to thank Chloe Zhao who was the director of the pilot, and intended executive producer for the show. Gellar elaborated that she “never thought I would find myself back in Buffy's stylish yet affordable boots.”
Gellar perhaps holds out hope, or at least tries to give fans hope saying “Thanks to Chloe, I was reminded how much I love [Buffy] and how much she means not only to me, but to all of you, and this doesn't change any of that. And I promise, if the apocalypse actually comes, you could still beep me.” Younger fans can ask their parents what a beep is, but 90s reference aside, this gave many hope that perhaps a new platform aside from Hulu could pick up the property. Considering the rights of the show are owned by the streaming giant, and it’s father company Disney, that seems, sadly, unlikely.
Armstrong took to the internet as well, ensuring she had an opportunity to thank the fans. “thank you for all the support that you guys have given me and the show throughout the past couple months. It's been really special. I'm really proud of what we did. I'm sad that you guys won't be able to see it, but it doesn't take away from the amazing experience that I had. I want to say thank you to all the fans and all the people that believed in this new chapter and who believed in me. So thank you guys. Thank you to the cast that I worked with. You guys are awesome. But I guess all I want to say is, you know, We brought this back for you guys. And, you know, Buffy is such a big part of all of our lives. And it's not going anywhere. So, who knows what the future will hold.”
Addendum: On the Oscar red carpet on Sunday evening Zhao was asked about the future of the show. “I had an incredible, incredible time with Sarah” Zhao said, “We, first and foremost, see ourselves as the guardians of the original show. Our priority for Sarah and for us has always been to be truthful to the show, to be truthful to our fans. So, things happen for a reason, and we keep our hearts open and we welcome the mystery. And what this might lead us to.”
With the future of Firefly being teased over the past few weeks as well, perhaps there is some future where fans of these original shows get what they want one way or another. For now, the Buffy revamp is dust, but fans still hold out hope.