Chloé Zhao has spoken out about about her “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” reboot with Sarah Michelle Gellar not moving forward at Hulu.
Gellar broke the news on Saturday that after they had shot a pilot, the streamer decided to killed the sequel series, which was titled “New Sunnydale” and would have starred Ryan Kiera Armstrong as the new slayer.
Speaking to Variety‘s Ramin Setoodeh and CNN’s Elizabeth Wagmeister on the Oscars red carpet, the Academy Award-winning director said she was “not surprised” by Hulu’s decision.
“I had an incredible, incredible time with Sarah [Michelle Gellar], with all the cast and crew doing this. And we, first and foremost, see ourselves as the guardians of the original show,” Zhao said. “Our priority for Sarah and for us has always been to be truthful to the show, to be truthful to our fans. So, things happen for a reason, and we keep our hearts open and we welcome the mystery. And what this might lead us to.”
Asked by Setoodeh if that meant Zhao and Gellar would be shopping the project to other distributors, Zhao cheekily repeated herself: “Welcome the mystery.”
Zhao, who is nominated for best director for “Hamnet,” pulled up to the Oscars red carpet wearing all black, her face covered by a black veil. Asked about the inspiration behind her outfit, Zhao said, “The crow. The power of taking and letting things die, so something new can come through.”
She was quick to clarify that her look was inspired by “Hamnet,” not “Buffy,” but the theme of mourning resonated nonetheless.
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“Buffy the Vampire Slayer: New Sunnydale” was first announced in February 2025 as a pilot order at Hulu, with Zhao set to direct and executive produce the new iteration set up at 20th Television and Searchlight Television. Nora Zuckerman and Lila Zuckerman were attached to write, showrun and executive produce, while original series creator Joss Whedon was not involved. Alongside Gellar reprising her role as Buffy, the pilot also starred Armstrong, Faly Rakotohavana, Ava Jean, Sarah Bock, Daniel di Tomasso and Jack Cutmore-Scott.
A source close to the show indicated to Variety that despite the reboot not moving forward, there is a “lot of love” for “Buffy,” and the streamer will still consider future iterations on the IP: “Basically, the door is still open.”
“Buffy the Vampire Slayer” originated as a 1992 film directed by Fran Kuzui and written by Whedon, with Kristy Swanson starring in the title role. Five years later, a series adaptation starring Gellar was launched on The WB and ran for seven seasons until 2003.
“Thanks to Chloé, I was reminded how much I love [Buffy] and how much she means not only to me but to all of you,” Gellar said in a video posted to Instagram. “And this doesn’t change any of that, and I promise if the apocalypse actually comes, you can still beep me.”
From Variety US