How Hulu scrapped 'Buffy' reboot out of nowhere
What's the story
The much-anticipated reboot of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, titled Buffy: New Sunnydale, has been axed by Hulu. The decision came as a shock to the cast and crew, especially since a rewrite of the pilot episode had been positively received by both 20th Television and Searchlight Television. The news was delivered by Disney Television Group President Craig Erwich last Friday, leaving many surprised given its timing during major events for lead actor Sarah Michelle Gellar and director Chloe Zhao.
Actor's reaction
'Nobody saw this coming': Gellar on the reboot's cancelation
Gellar, who played the original Buffy Summers, was understandably upset by the news. In an interview with People, she said that "nobody saw this coming" and that she got the call as she was stepping onto SXSW stage for the premiere of Ready or Not 2. "We had an executive on our show who wasn't only not a fan of the original but was proud to constantly remind us that he had never seen the entirety of the series."
Production hurdles
Reasons behind the reboot's cancellation
The reboot, which had been in development for a year with Zhao as director and Nora and Lilla Zuckerman as writers, faced issues after the pilot was delivered. As per Deadline, Hulu's main note was that the pilot episode was "young," "small." Despite these concerns, the Zuckermans rewrote the script to make it more adult-oriented with more of Gellar's character. However, Hulu still decided not to proceed with the project, with sources attributing the pass to cost and quality concerns.
Franchise future
Future of the 'Buffy' IP
Despite the setback, the hope is to get another take on the Buffy IP up and running within the next couple of years. Under a recent restructuring, Erwich has been given oversight of 20th Television, which owns the Buffy IP and produced the original series. This studio will be responsible for developing any future iterations of Buffy, likely for Hulu again.