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The new Buffy the Vampire Slayer "is not a reboot, it's a sequel" says executive producer (and Hamnet director) Chloe Zhao

Eternals director Zhao says a new show "can never replace" the characters Buffy fans fell in love with, and that the new Hulu series "bridges two generations"

Ever since it was announced, Buffy the Vampire Slayer fans have been monstrously hungry for information regarding the Hulu revival of the classic paranormal series. What role will the OG Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) have in it? Who is the new Slayer? When are we getting another musical episode? Now, one of the series executive producers is finally dripping out a little bit of info about what the new series will be.

Or even more precisely, what it won't be. 

MCU fans know Chloe Zhao as the director of Eternals, and prestige cinema enjoyers probably recognize her form the upcoming Hamnet or the Oscar-winning Nomadland, which earned her Best Director in 2020. But in a recent chat with Variety, Zhao had her Buffy boots on, as both a lifelong devotee of the original series ("II watched religiously," she told the outlet) and executive producer of the Hulu update.

"It is not a reboot," Zhao clarified, "It’s a sequel. You can never replace these characters. I would never allow that. And Sarah’s back. I love my cast, the new cast. We will bring back OG characters for sure. And it is a show that bridges two generations — it’s not just about the kids. I think the fandom is so important to us. We want the fandom to see themselves mirrored in the original fandom. And of course, we want new fans to join, and it’s very much about both generations."

Well Chloe, it's not exactly the plot details we were hoping for, but hey, it's refreshing to know that the new series will be both doing something new and crafting a story for original fans. And, of course, that Hulu's brought on not just a true-blue Scoobie to produce, but an Oscar-winning one at that.


Make sure you're all caught up in Sunnydale with Popverse's Buffy the Vampire Slayer watch order

Grant DeArmitt

Grant DeArmitt: Grant DeArmitt (he/him) likes horror, comics, and the unholy union of the two. In the past, and despite their better judgment, he has written for Nightmare on Film Street and Newsarama. He lives in Brooklyn with his partner, Kingsley, and corgi, Legs.

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