Sarah Michelle Gellar Buffy Reboot ‘New Sunnydale’ Not Moving Forward At Hulu
Hulu has opted not to proceed with the Buffy: New Sunnydale pilot, the streamer confirmed while Sarah Michelle Gellar broke the news to fans on Instagram Saturday morning. The decision ends the immediate plans to revive the franchise even as the company says it remains interested in the property.
What Happened
The pilot for the revival, ordered about a year earlier, had been directed by Chloé Zhao from a script written by Nora and Lilla Zuckerman. Sarah Michelle Gellar had been set to reprise her role as Buffy Summers while Ryan Kiera Armstrong was cast as the new slayer. The series regular lineup also included Faly Rakotohavana, Ava Jean, Sarah Bock, Daniel Di Tomasso and Jack Cutmore-Scott. The project was produced by 20th Television and Searchlight TV.
Sarah Michelle Gellar Buffy: The Announcement And Immediate Reaction
Gellar said she was “really sad” to share the news in her Instagram video and thanked Chloé Zhao for bringing her back into the role. In the clip she added, “This doesn’t change any of that, and I promise if the apocalypse actually comes… you can still beep me. ” Gellar was notified of the decision Friday night and communicated the outcome to fans the following day.
Why Hulu Passed And What’s Next For The Pilot
The decision follows weeks of speculation about the pilot. Some described the pilot as “not perfect, ” and questioned whether Zhao’s sensibility was the right fit for the revival. There had been discussions about reworking the pilot as recently as earlier this week, but Hulu ultimately decided not to move forward. Shooting on the pilot wrapped about half a year ago, and it remains to be seen whether that completed pilot will ever air.
Hulu has stated it remains enthusiastic about the Buffy intellectual property and plans to regroup to consider possible new incarnations. For now, the planned New Sunnydale continuation will not proceed, leaving fans and the cast waiting to see whether the project will be revisited in a different form.
