The team behind the now-canceled Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot was told by Hulu that their pilot was too youth-focused, too “small” and featured a lack of Sarah Michelle Gellar herself as Buffy, according to a new report.
Deadline states that the Buffy reboot team then worked to address these complaints, crafting a new version of the script that was reportedly well-received by TV execs, with Gellar set to feature in a more prominent role.
Last week, discussion between the team and the project’s two Disney-owned TV production companies, 20th TV and Searchlight, reportedly remained constant and positive following the new script’s delivery. But then, late on Friday, the call came from Disney Television Group President Craig Erwich that the project had been dramatically scrapped by Hulu after a year of development.
Yesterday, Gellar discussed the stunning timing of the news — minutes before she was about to step on stage to promote Ready or Not 2, a Searchlight movie, with the boss of Searchlight who had been blindsided by the cancellation too. (Oscar-winning director Chloé Zhao, who spearheaded the Buffy reboot pitch, was meanwhile in the middle of prep for this year’s Academy Awards.)
Deadline’s report paints a picture of frustration and bewilderment at the manner in which the Buffy reboot project was killed, a year on from it getting greenlit, following widespread fan excitement, and following the delivery of that new script.
Pushback over the show suddenly feeling too “young” when it had spent months casting teenagers (and was based on an original series that also began with highschoolers) was remarked as odd, as were other concerns from Hulu that the show had felt too “small.” Sources told Deadline that the project had been given a business mandate to stick to the original series’ vibe, with a modest budget.
Gellar has publicly blamed a single executive who was “not a fan of the original” for the series’ cancellation, and Deadline’s report today reveals the identity of that person: Disney Television Group President Craig Erwich, who made the call last Friday to tell stakeholders that the reboot was dead.
“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 said previously. “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… So how do you do a show that’s beloved with someone that doesn’t love it?”
Asked about the cancellation herself on the Oscars red carpet, Zhao perhaps tellingly said she had been “not surprised” by the development.
Deadline’s report concludes with the mention that Hulu will likely try again with a fresh Buffy reboot in a few years, something that has also been reported elsewhere over the past week. But with such a high profile and acrimonious end to this version of the project, it’s hard to imagine a successful continuation happening in future, particularly considering Gellar’s close involvement.
Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at [email protected] or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
