Sarah Michelle Gellar has recently spoken out about the Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot getting canceled at Hulu.
She talked about the nature of how she returned to the show, how it was canceled, and the enduring love from fans and co-stars alike for the television series.
Sarah Michelle Gellar Speaks Out
Sarah Michelle Gellar shared the news on Saturday that while they had shot a pilot, Hulu decided to axe the sequel series, titled New Sunnydale, with Ryan Kiera Armstrong as the new slayer.
Gellar talked to Variety’s Ramin Setoodeh and CNN’s Elizabeth Wagmeister on the Oscars red carpet about the cancellation. She got the call on Friday while preparing to appear at SXSW to promote Ready or Not 2: Here I Come.
“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,” she shared.
The revival was first announced in February 2025, with Chloé Zhao at the helm. While initially hesitant to join, Sarah Michelle Gellar agreed to return after teaming up with writing duo Lilla and Nora Zuckerman.
“I’ve been asked since the day I left to return to Sunnydale and it never occurred to me that it was something I was going to do. Then four years ago, Chloé, the witch that she is — and I say that as a good thing — comes into my life. In one meeting, she makes me say ‘yes’ to something I never saw on my radar. … It was like I was stepping back in time.”
Zhao’s Comments on Cancelation
Zhao was also present at the Oscars ceremony for her work on Hamnet, and was asked about the Buffy reboot, too.
She shared, “I had an incredible, incredible time with Sarah [Michelle Gellar], with all the cast and crew doing this. And we, first and foremost, see ourselves as the guardians of the original show. Our priority for Sarah and for us has always been to be truthful to the show, to be truthful to our fans. So, things happen for a reason, and we keep our hearts open and we welcome the mystery. And what this might lead us to.”
Plus, this may not be the end of the revival just yet. When Setoodeh asked if Zhao and Gellar would be shopping the project to other distributors, Zhao repeated the same phrase as Gellar: “Welcome the mystery.”
One Executive Producer
Gellar noted two things about the cancellation: the timing and the person behind it. She felt the call was inappropriate as she was set to go on stage to promote her new film, along with Zhao being up for numerous awards 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,” Sarah Michelle Gellar shared.
She went on to say the cancellation came from one specific executive. “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,” Gellar noted.
“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.”
Continued Love for Buffy
Even though the series revival was cancelled, there is continued love for the series from fans and prior cast members alike.
“Thanks to Chloé, I was reminded how much I love [Buffy] and how much she means not only to me but to all of you,” Gellar shared on Instagram. “And this doesn’t change any of that, and I promise if the apocalypse actually comes, you can still beep me.”
The fan reactions were especially large, with many in heartbreak and rage, but also love for both Buffy Summers and Sarah Michelle Gellar.
One comment even pleaded Dolly Parton to step in, as her production company produced the original series. Gellar stated, “I wish there was a magic wand Dolly could wave. But don’t blame Dolly for this one!”
Sarah Michelle Gellar has read many of the comments from fans and has even heard from her OG Buffy castmates.
“Every single one of them. No one more so than David Boreanaz. I spoke to him last night. It just shows the lasting relationship that we have.”
She added, “But Buffy is timeless, and the one thing I do want all these fans to know is that legacy is still there and this doesn’t diminish it. It doesn’t change it. That legacy is still there — for them.”