Sarah Michelle Gellar Joins Forces with New Buffy Star in Epic Slayer Training!
Sarah Michelle Gellar is back in action, getting ready alongside the new star of Buffy the Vampire Slayer as the new series moves forward. The upcoming show isn’t really a reboot but more like a sequel, following a fresh group of vampire slayers led by Ryan Kiera Armstrong, who recently starred in Star Wars: Skeleton Crew.
The new Buffy series isn’t officially approved yet, but Hulu has ordered a pilot episode. Oscar-winning director Chloé Zhao is set to lead the project. The story picks up after the events of the original show’s seventh season, where many new slayers gained their powers. Ryan Kiera Armstrong’s character, named Nova for now, will be the main focus, with Buffy Summers, Sarah Michelle Gellar’s iconic role, likely appearing as a mentor.
This mentor-student relationship is important both on screen and off. Gellar recently shared a training video on Instagram showing herself and Armstrong going through intense workouts. Gellar captioned it, “Warrior 1 and 2. We don’t sweat … we sparkle.” This shows how seriously they’re taking their roles as tough and fast demon hunters.
The idea to bring back Buffy in some form has been around for a while. Back in 2018, 20th Century Fox Television started working on a reboot, with Monica Owusu-Breen as showrunner and Joss Whedon involved as an executive producer. Fans were hopeful about Whedon’s involvement, but details were unclear.
Producers wanted the new series to be diverse and to address modern social issues, similar to how Gellar once described Buffy as a metaphor for growing up. The new slayer was planned to be African American, highlighting the diversity the creators aimed for. But the project was still in early stages and many details were changing.
Whedon had expressed concerns about reboots, saying it’s hard to recapture the magic of the first time around. Fans also debated whether the new show should recast Buffy or focus on a new character. Some felt the original show already had diverse characters like Kendra and the First Slayer, so a reboot didn’t need to change Buffy’s race.
After some delays and a pause announced in 2022, the reboot is back in motion. Dolly Parton, one of the producers, said the team is still working hard on revamping the series. In early 2025, Variety reported the sequel series was close to getting a pilot order at Hulu, this time without Whedon’s involvement.
Gellar will return both as Buffy and as an executive producer. The pilot will be directed by Zhao, with Nora and Lilla Zuckerman writing.
Ryan Kiera Armstrong was officially cast as the new lead in May 2025. By July, several new cast members joined the project, including Faly Rakotohavana and Ava Jean. Fans are eager to see how this new chapter in the Buffy universe will unfold.
Have something to add? Let us know in the comments!