As production ramps up on Hulu’s Sarah Michelle Gellar-backed Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot, fresh casting details have revealed the series’ new stars.
As previously announced, Star Wars: Skeleton Crew actress Ryan Kiera Armstrong will lead the project, while Gellar will appear in its first episode, then appear afterwards in a recurring role.
The rest of the cast are all new to the franchise, TVLine reports, and include Severance’s Sarah Bock as Gracie, Law & Order: SVU’s Ava Jean as Larkin, and Faly Rakotohavana as Hugo. Major Crimes’ Daniel di Tomasso plays Abe, while Frasier’s Jack Cutmore-Scott is the mysterious Mr. Burke.
These character names match up with those previously leaked back in March by entertainment industry insider Daniel Richtman, as well as those seen by eagle-eyed fans who enhanced a photo of a script posted by Gellar last week.
With a bit of Photoshop magic, Buffy aficionados spotted the names of Poppy, Hugo, Gracie, and Mr. Burke all listed on the reverse of the first episode’s shooting script, used in a recent table read for the series’ new pilot.
While unconfirmed, fans suspect Poppy is the name of Armstrong’s new lead character — essentially, the new Buffy. The leak earlier this year meanwhile placed Gracie as the lead’s best friend, Hugo as a love interest, and Mr. Burke as their school librarian — a throwback to the original series’ Giles.
Gellar, meanwhile, was credited on the new script as Buffy “Anne” Summers, which some fans have suggested might mean the Slayer is once again attempting to operate under the radar, and using her middle name as a pseudonym.
While Gellar, who acts as an executive producer on the new show, has said she was keen for the reboot to feature a mix of new and returning characters, including those who were no longer alive, it’s perhaps not surprising to see the series’ core cast confirmed as all-new characters.
It’s been more than 20 years since the original show’s finale, and Gellar has said this reboot will need to find its own space to feature fresh stories and characters. That said, fans are still hoping for other classic characters to pop up from time to time, and original Buffy actress Charisma Carpenter has already told IGN she’d be keen to appear, after an “unjust” end to her character on spin-off Angel.
Image credit: Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic
Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at [email protected] or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
