A reboot of the beloved and groundbreaking TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer is in the works, with original series creator Joss Whedon executive producing, BuzzFeed News has confirmed.
The original series ran from 1997 through 2003 on (now defunct networks) the WB and UPN. It starred Sarah Michelle Gellar as the titular heroine who battled vampires and demons by night and the horrors of high school (and later college and adulthood) by day.
Veteran TV writer-producer Monica Owusu-Breen has been set as the showrunner for the reboot and will write the pilot script. Owusu-Breen co-created NBC's Midnight, Texas, and has also written on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Fringe, Lost, Alias, and Charmed.
The show's setting will be contemporary, richly diverse, and build on the mythology of the original show, BuzzFeed News has learned.
To be clear, this Buffy reboot still has many hurdles to clear before becoming a reality: There's no script, there's no network or streaming service attached to distribute it, and there are no actors signed on to star in it.
But that didn't stop people from totally freaking out at the news.
THIS IS THE BEST NEWS IN ALL OF HISTORY!!!!!!! https://t.co/6EAjL6jRKA
Some people were excited at the prospect of a second Buffy series.
They’re making a revamped BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER. My old version of BUFFY will still exist and still be awesome and this new one could also exist and be awesome at the same time! See how I did that, Ghost bros?
And others were celebrating the reports that the reboot will likely star a black woman in the lead role.
The good news is if they make a black Buffy the Vampire Slayer they won't kill her after a few episodes.
A lot of people, however, were not exactly enthusiastic about the news.
God, #Buffy is trending... This goddamn reboot can't really happen. Please don't... I think I might cry, I feel like someone is sitting on my chest and cutting into my heart.. Please don't...
Some objected to the possibility of the show abandoning the vast creative universe established by Buffy and its sister show, Angel.
“Hey here’s your favorite thing but you start COMPLETELY OVER and it’s all new characters and basically a completely different show” - why not keep it in the same universe, with a new slayer rather than a new Buffy? I’d love a show where we can get cameos from the Scoobies
Others were upset by the idea of creating a black version of Buffy instead of a unique character with her own mythology.
A black Buffy isn’t a cool concept it’s insulting and lazy on so many levels. This is such a bad idea.
Noted feminist Anita Sarkeesian felt that the original Buffy was a one-of-a-kind series, and no show with the same title could possibly equal it.
I'd be here for a show based in the same universe & lore, say for instance around Fray (the comic), but Buffy comes from a very specific moment in media history, especially feminist media history. I'm afraid no matter how talented the folks involved are, it wouldn't live up to it
And then there were people who were pissed by the whole idea of remaking a beloved feminist genre show from the 1990s/2000s that used to air on the WB.
I already have to deal with this JOKE of a reboot for Charmed, now you want to mess with Buffy?! Literally my two favorite shows of all time and two of the most influential shows ever......just try to be creative for ONCE and make something new! https://t.co/pkZOIKFLT3
Basically, this sums up a lot of people's feelings about the idea of remaking Buffy:
But until the show gets a script, a network, and a cast, we'll all have to wait to see what the show actually is. Until then…
