Sarah Michelle Gellar wants the upcoming Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot to bring back the show’s original cast of characters — including “everyone who has died.”
Speaking to Vanity Fair, Gellar said her vision for the series would be that it offers a mix of storylines featuring both new and returning faces, and have a lighter tone than the original show’s Season 6 and Season 7.
As well as being an executive producer, Gellar will star in the series’ new pilot episode and then appear in a recurring role afterwards, as she passes the Slayer baton to new series lead Ryan Kiera Armstrong. But it sounds like she won’t be the only classic cast member returning when the Buffy reboot arrives.
“It will be lighter than the last few seasons of the original,” Gellar said. “We will try to find a balance between new and old characters. My dream is to bring back everyone who has died, but space will have to be made for new stories as well.”
Gellar’s comments are the first time we’ve heard of plans to bring back other classic characters as well as herself, and the suggestion that deceased characters could return as well opens up some intriguing possibilities.
Main character deaths in Buffy’s original run were rare, though later seasons saw fan-favourite witch Tara tragically murdered, while the show’s finale offed former demon Anya.
Buffy spin-off Angel killed off a slew of its cast characters, however, including several that debuted in its parent show. Cheerleader turned seer Cordelia sadly passed in the series’ later episodes, while Watcher turned rogue demon hunter Wesley fell in the series finale.
In the world of Buffy, death does not pose a huge problem for returning characters, with numerous actors reprising their roles — or beginning them — as characters who have died, become undead, or been resurrected. Buffy herself died several times throughout the series’ original run, and several of her closest pals (lovers) were vampires.
Gellar recently recorded a video reuniting with her former co-star Alyson Hannigan, who played Willow, putting to bed internet rumours of a feud. Fans had hoped this meant Hannigan’s character might also return — though there’s been no confirmation as yet.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer originally aired from 1997 to 2003, starring Gellar, Hannigan, Nicholas Brendan as Xander, Charisma Carpenter as Cordelia, David Boreanaz as Angel and Anthony Stewart Head as Giles. The series was created by Joss Whedon, who is not connected to the reboot.
Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
