Another streaming revival has hit the cutting room floor. Hulu has opted not to proceed with its Buffy the Vampire reboot, starring Sarah Michelle Gellar. Gellar was notified Friday night of the decision, which came as a surprise to her, whilst she was in Austin, Texas for the SXSW premiere of Ready or Not 2: Here I Come, where she spoke of her excitement about the Buffy reboot and Zhao's creative vision.
The sequel series was first announced in February 2025 as a pilot order at Hulu. What made this project distinctive was the involvement of Oscar-winning director Chloé Zhao, who had spent years persuading Gellar to return to the supernatural drama she left behind in 2003. Gellar had taken considerable convincing to return to her vampire-slaying roots, spending years rejecting the chance to reprise her role before signing on for a project with a pilot helmed by the Oscar-winning auteur.
Sources described the pilot as 'not perfect,' noting that Zhao's sensibility may not have been the perfect match for the reboot, though there had been talk about reworking the pilot as recently as earlier this week. The decision to abandon the project altogether came as the final outcome.
Ryan Kiera Armstrong was set to lead the pilot as the new Slayer opposite Gellar, with the series regular cast also including Faly Rakotohavana, Ava Jean, Sarah Bock, Daniel Di Tomasso and Jack Cutmore-Scott. The series had filmed the pilot episode last summer, and 'New Sunnydale' would've taken place following the events of the original 'Buffy' series, with the revival focused on the new Slayer and her own gang of 'Scoobies,' making up 'the next chapter in the Buffyverse.'
Nora Zuckerman and Lila Zuckerman were attached to write, showrun and executive produce 'New Sunnydale,' with executive producers including Gellar, Gail Berman, Fran Kuzui, Kaz Kuzui and Dolly Parton. Original series creator Joss Whedon was not involved in the reboot.
Gellar chose to announce the cancellation herself. In an Instagram video, she said, 'I 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. I want to thank Chloé Zhao because I never thought I would find myself back in Buffy's stylish, yet affordable boots, and thanks to Chloé, I was reminded how much I love her and how much she means, not only to me, but to all of you.' She signed off with a reference to the original series, ending with, "if the apocalypse actually comes, you could still beep me."
Hulu indicated that despite the reboot not moving forward, there is a 'lot of love' for 'Buffy,' and the streamer will still consider future iterations on the IP, saying 'basically, the door is still open.' The project's collapse continues a broader pattern of streaming services investing heavily in high-profile revivals only to abort them before audiences ever see the finished product. There is currently no word on whether the series will be shopped elsewhere.