A new reboot of cult 90’s TV show Buffy the Vampire Slayer is in development.
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Original series creator Josh Whedon is already on board as an executive producer whilst Monica Owusu-Breen has been hired to write the new script.
Breen, who worked with Whedon previously on Agents of SHIELD, has previously written and produced shows such as Charmed, Alias and Brothers & Sisters.
The reboot has been described by producers as “contemporary, building on the mythology of the original.”
“Like our world, it will be richly diverse, and like the original, some aspects of the series could be seen as metaphors for issues facing us all today.”
According to Variety, the new reboot will be more diverse and see a black actress take over the title role made famous originally by Gellar.
The show was celebrated in the 1990’s for the way it challenged gendered stereotypes and for its presentation of Gellar as a feminist hero.
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However, creator Whedon came under fire from his ex-wife last year after she accused him of being a “hypocrite” after she said alleged cheating throughout their marriage was at odds with his “feminist ideals.”
Whilst the show hasn’t been signed to a network yet, Variety has reported that original show creators, 20th Century Fox Television, will develop the new series via Fox 21 TV Studios who will pitch the reboot to potential networks later this year.
The original Buffy the Vampire Slayer TV show was based on a 1992 film written by Whedon.
The series, starring Sarah Michelle Gellar, ran for seven seasons and 145 episodes and was one of the most popular shows of the 1990’s. Ending in 2003, the series continued in comic book form afterwards.
The news has prompted mixed reactions on Twitter, with some fans excited about the reboot and others feeling that the original shouldn’t be adapted.
https://twitter.com/charley_feldman/status/1020450752194478080
They’re making a revamped BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER. My old version of BUFFY will still exist and still be awesome and this new one could also exist and be awesome at the same time! See how I did that, Ghost bros?
— Amanda Jeronimus (@burningberry) July 20, 2018
If it's “contemporary, building on the mythology of the original" then it's not really a reboot and I'm excited! A new slayer is awesome, but there's only one Buffy!
Er, well… two, but, you know… the movie doesn't count. https://t.co/Y0aoAbBihH
— Big Damn Laura (@poisonyoulove) July 20, 2018
https://twitter.com/MildlyAmused/status/1020453792653987842
HBO announced last week that Whedon will also write, direct and executive produce The Nevers, a new sci-fi drama.
In 2017, Whedon spoke to the Hollywood Reporter about his “fear” for a Buffy reboot, but made it clear he wouldn’t rule the idea out.
“I see a little bit of what I call monkey’s paw in these reboots. You bring something back, and even if it’s exactly as good as it was, the experience can’t be. You’ve already experienced it, and part of what was great was going through it for the first time.”
He continued: “You have to meet expectations and adjust for the climate which is not easy. Luckily most of my actors still look wonderful, but I’m not worried about them being creaky. I’m more worried about me being creaky as a storyteller. You don’t want the feeling that you should have left before the encore.”