Sarah Michelle Gellar Reveals What Killed the Buffy the Vampire Slayer Reboot

Sarah Michelle Gellar is holding one person responsible for the failed Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot.

Gellar cited an unnamed executive as the reason why Hulu pulled the plug on the Buffy reboot. 'We had an executive on our show who was not only not a fan of the original, but was proud to constantly remind us that he had never seen the entirety of the series and how it wasn't for him,' she told People.

That's a big letdown for franchise fans, most of whom have been anticipating the reboot since its February 2025 announcement. The project was already making headway at that point, with Hamnet director Chloé Zhao at the helm and Gellar reprising her iconic role. The main cast was confirmed in May, and production for the pilot started in August.

Buffy Reboot Was a Response to the Fandom

Gellar said fans have been clamouring for a revival since the original show ended in 2003. 'I've been asked since the day I left to return to Sunnydale,' says Gellar, now 48. 'And it never occurred to me that it was something I was going to do.'

The actress confirmed plans were percolating well before Hulu got involved. 'Four years ago, Chloé, the witch that she is — and I say that as a good thing — comes into my life,' she recalled. 'In one meeting, she makes me say 'yes' to something I never saw on my radar.'

They filmed a pilot episode for what could have been a full series reboot, which focused on a new slayer (played by Ryan Kiera Armstrong) and Buffy (Gellar) as her mentor.

Project in Full Swing with Head Creatives On Board

'Chloé and I talked a lot,' Gellar said. 'The dialogue flew off the tongue. When I was on set, it was craziness. It was like, 'Oh, we're here. We're doing this.' I loved the duality that we had this new, younger slayer who was where Buffy was when the show started, and then we would pick up with where Buffy was now.'

'That's why it came as a shock to find out the project was cancelled,' Gellar added. The news also dampened what would have been a highlight of her career, having returned to the big screen after 20 years. She was at a premiere screening of Ready or Not 2: Here I Come, when she learned that Hulu had opted out.

'I was just about to take the stage in front of all the fans. Hulu had decided not to move forward with the Buffy revival. Let me tell you, nobody saw this coming. No one saw this coming, including the head of Searchlight [Pictures],' she told People.

Gellar also noted the timing coincided with the Oscars, where Zhao earned a Best Director nomination for Hamnet. 'For them to call us on the Friday of what should have been Chloé's victory lap for an incredible film, and my world premiere of something that I worked very hard for is... That says something,' she mused.

Gellar Blames Key Executive for Buffy Reboot Axing

Alluding to the executive who blocked the project, Gellar hinted that it would have been a struggle for everyone else involved. 'We were doing it because everybody loves it,' she asserted. 'So how do you do a show that's beloved with someone that doesn't love it?'

'That's very hard when you're taking a property that is as beloved as Buffy, not just to the world, but to me and Chloé. So that tells you the uphill battle that we had been fighting since day one, when your executive is literally proud to tell you that he didn't watch it,' she added.

The reboot can't be offered elsewhere because Disney owns the IP, an insider told People. Another source said Buffy is still on the table, but Hulu is rethinking its approach to the project.