Sarah Michelle Gellar, star of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, has described the franchise’s upcoming new Hulu series as a “continuation” of the original — something that inspired its new name.
Speaking on the ShutUpEvan podcast, Gellar said that the new series was best described not as a reboot or even as a full sequel, but as a continued version of the classic series that originally aired from 1997 to 2003. Saying that, however, the new episodes will come with a fresh title.
“It’s not a sequel, it’s not a reboot,” Gellar said. “It’s a continuation. I think so, because where she is now in this world and what this world is that Buffy lives in — with her, without her — [that] kind of exploration… It’s not a reboot, it’s not picking up with all the same characters right away. That’s why the name was even important to me, y’know, in Buffy: New Sunnydale. It’s Buffy, but it’s also something else.”
Word that the series would be titled as Buffy: New Sunnydale has previously been rumored, though Gellar’s comment serves as confirmation this is the official name for the upcoming show.
Filming for the Buffy: New Sunnydale pilot took place last August, with Gellar herself reprising her iconic role alongside a fresh cast of new characters. Young actress Ryan Kiera Armstrong plays the series’ lead, a girl reportedly named Nova. Other cast members play her classmates and teachers at a rebuilt Sunnydale High School.
The project has been spearheaded by Marvel’s Eternals director Chloé Zhao, who convinced an initially wary Gellar to return for the project and serve alongside her as an executive producer.
“I always said I would never do it, and I have learned a very hard lesson in life there’s a reason why that saying is ‘never say never’,” Gellar continued. “So I will eat my words and I’m okay with that. I’ve learned my lesson, that’s totally fair. I never saw how to do it. I never saw how and why it could be as good and be… I’m not trying to be better, I just want to hold and honor the memory of what we’ve created.
“I know sometimes that memory is conflicted for people about how they’re supposed to feel about it,” she added. “But a lot of people put their blood, sweat and tears into making what I think is an incredibly great show and I’m incredibly proud of it.”
While last summer was marked by a flurry of casting activity and set leaks, word on the project’s progress quietened during 2025’s final months, and the it’s unclear what the timeline is for additional episodes to be filmed or broadcast. Gellar noted the ongoing wait for fans to hear more, but said it was more important to not rush and “sully the legacy” of the original show.
“We’re still working on that why and how,” Gellar concluded. “I know we live in a society where we want binging, we want it now. I know this seems like it’s taking a long time, and that’s because unless we’re sure it’s exactly what we set out to do and that it makes sense to do it, we don’t want to sully the legacy. When I know it’s perfect, then it will be out there. But I won’t do it unless I know it can be that.”
Image credit: Paul Archuleta/Getty Images
Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at [email protected] or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
