Looks like BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER fans should expect the Scooby Gang to appear in Hulu’s sequel series
If you thought Sarah Michelle Gellar’s return as Buffy Summers would be the only connection to the original series, think again.
Chloe Zhao (Nomadic country, Ethernels), who is leading the Hulu revival alongside Gellar, confirmed that other actors from the classic series will also make appearances.
In an interview with Variety, Zhao revealed: “It’s not a reboot. It’s a sequel. You will never be able to replace these characters. I will never allow this. And Sarah is back. I love my cast, the new cast. We will definitely bring back the OG characters. And it’s a show that connects two generations – it’s not just about the kids.“
“I think fandom is very important to us. We want the fandom to reflect the original fandom. And of course, we want new fans to join us, and that mainly concerns both generations.“.
Zhao added that she has been a devoted fan of the series for years, saying she watched it religiously throughout her studies.
“I watched religiously. I was at Mount Holyoke. We would all get together — I think it was every Thursday or Tuesday — and we would watch, because you only get one episode and you wait a week. It’s such a ritual. I remember the end of the last episode and we were sitting there; everyone was crying and we were all holding hands.“
Buffy the Vampire Slayer premiered in 1997 and ended in 2002, offering 144 episodes over seven seasons. The story subsequently continued through a Dark Horse comic book series, but Hulu’s upcoming sequel is expected to ignore these developments.
Fans will remember the series finale, where Sunnydale collapsed into the Hellmouth and Willow (Alyson Hannigan) activated potential killers across the world. This was a major departure from the long-established idea that only one Slayer exists at a time, and it will be interesting to see how the new series addresses or reinterprets these events.
Sisters Nora and Lila Zuckerman (Agents of SHIELD, Poker Face) will serve as co-showrunners with Zhao directing the pilot and executive producing the show.
Gellar is also listed as an executive producer alongside the series’ original executive producer, Gail Berman.
In addition to Gellar as Buffy, the series’ full cast includes Ryan Kiera Armstrong (Star Wars: Skeleton Crew) as Nova, this generation’s current Slayer, as well as series regulars Faly Rakotohavana (Unprisoned), Ava Jean, Sarah Bock (Severance), Daniel Di Tomasso (Dynasty, The Republic of Sarah), and Jack Cutmore-Scott (Tenet, Oppenheimer).
Other cast members include Chase Sui Wonders, Merrin Dungey, Audrey Hsieh and Audrey Grace Marshall.
