Join The Community
Much like a vampire, the Buffy reboot may never see the light of day – but Sarah Michelle Gellar hopes that fans don't seek out any online leaks of the canceled pilot.
"I actually hope it doesn’t [leak] because then everyone’s going to have an opinion on this and that, and pilots are not finished," Gellar told Page Six Radio.
The reboot, titled Buffy the Vampire Slayer: New Sunnydale, was set to star Ryan Kiera Armstrong as the new Slayer, with Gellar returning as original Slayer Buffy Summers in a supporting role. Hamnet helmer Chloé Zhao directed the pilot for Hulu, which was unceremoniously axed last weekend.
"It wasn’t done, right? It’s not like we did a season and finished it and then they shelved it. It’s not like when they made the Batgirl movie and didn’t [release] it," Gellar continued.
"That movie was finished. You make a pilot – and I want to clarify this – we made a pilot on purpose because there’s some new characters and you want to see how it goes. There are things you learn from it, and there are things you fix. Usually, [the first version of a] pilot doesn’t air … it’s a learning tool. The original Buffy pilot [had] nothing to do with the show. It was a different Willow. It was a very different show. But those are learning tools and that’s what a pilot is."
Although the full pilot has yet to leak online, a version of the script is reportedly circulating online. "I’ve seen a version of the script out there,” Gellar continued. "It’s not actually correct. That stuff is really unfortunate and I ask fans if you see scripts – if you see it leaked – don’t watch it because you’re not getting our vision and all of that."
The cancellation came as a big surprise – the Buffy reboot had been in the works for some time, but there had been plenty of recent updates that made it seem like things were heading in the right direction, including the public announcement of Armstrong's casting.
However, Gellar has since blamed "an executive on our show" for killing the project, "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."
