Even after winning an Oscar, director Chloé Zhao has still faced some pretty tough challenges. After helming what would go on to become the first poorly received MCU movie with The Eternals, which seemingly killed any plans for future sequels, she then dared to take on Sunnydale’s most revered vampire killer in a Buffy the Vampire Slayer revival series. Announced in February, the new show would reunite us with Buff, who is this time training the next generation of slayer, played by Star Wars Skeleton Crew’s Ryan Kiera Armstrong.
Gellar has already spoken highly about Zhao’s plans for the upcoming show, but has recently talked to Vanity Fair about her impressive effort in swaying the star to pick up the wooden stake one more time. “That is all credit to the visionary Chloé is,” she explained. After spending so long doubting if this could even happen, Gellar felt that the director had “an international eye which broadens the scope of what we can achieve.”
More importantly, though, Gellar could see the love Zhao had for the original series and the direction she was daring to take the next chapter. “This version is coming from the true fan that is desperate to revisit the world, not reinvent,” Gellar assured. Thankfully, Zhao is fully aware of the legacy that the show’s original star is bringing with her. “No one knows Buffy better than Sarah Michelle Gellar…and that’s why I couldn’t do it unless she felt like we should,” Zhao confessed. “The way the fans commune around her, that’s the energy we’re trying to bring out onto a small screen again.”
The original Buffy the Vampire Slayer is streaming now on Hulu. For more, check out our list of the best new TV shows coming in 2025 and beyond.
