Chloe Zhao Understands the Assignment When It Comes to the Buffy Revival

Fans who were worried that Hulu’s forthcoming Buffy the Vampire Slayer series would turn out to be just another cheap retread of a formerly beloved franchise that stomps all over everything we loved about the original can breathe a little easier. Chloé Zhao’s got us. 

The Hamnet and Eternals director is the mind behind the series’ revival and clearly understands the scope (and importance!) of what the project she’s been asked to take on. In a wide-ranging interview with Variety’s Awards Circuit podcast, Zhao is adamant that she isn’t reinventing the popular sci-fi series, but honoring its legacy, even as she continues its story of slayers and vampires in Sunnydale. In her mind, she has a clear vision of what this show should be. And that’s definitely not a reinvention or rehash of what has come before. 

“It is not a reboot. It’s a sequel,” she said.” 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.”

She also echoes original Buffy Sarah Michelle Gellar’s comments that her take on the franchise is meant as both an accessible entry point for new viewers and a story full of elements that longtime fans will enjoy 

“I think the fandom is so important to us. We want the fandom to see themselves mirrored in the original fandom,” Zhao said. “And of course, we want new fans to join, and it’s very much about both generations.”

Titled Buffy the Vampire Slayer: New Sunnydale, the series will both revisit the beloved franchise and move it into a new era. The revival—sorry, sequel—follows the story of a new slayer played by Ryan Kiera Armstrong, with Gellar reprising her role as the famous Chosen One. Whether that means she’ll take over as a Watcher for the new slayer (or slayers, remember, original Buffy series finale “Chosen” essentially activated all the potentials in the world, doing away with the idea of one girl in all the world meant to stand against the darkness) remains unknown, but there’s something intrinsically appealing about the idea of Buffy fully embracing her Giles era. 

Such a twist would also track with Zhao’s in-depth knowledge of the series’ history and longtime personal fandom. The director herself is an admitted Buffy lover, who watched the original “religiously” in her college days. 

“I was at Mount Holyoke. We would all gather — I think it was every Thursday or Tuesday — and we would watch, because you only get one episode and you’re waiting a week. It’s such a ritual,” Zhao said. “I remember the last episode finishing, and we sat there; everyone was crying, and we were all holding hands. I remember looking at the screen, tears streaming down my eyes, and I said, “Good luck to you, Buffy Summers, good luck to you.” Seeing Sarah in real life was probably one of the most stressful moments of my life.”

Given all this, the promise of more original cast members popping back into this universe is certainly a tantalizing one, though Zhao is tight-lipped about what that might mean. There are also, of course, various real-life constraints involved, including the tragic death of original star Michelle Trachtenberg and Nicholas Brendon’s legal issues and struggles with drug abuse. (There’s also the fairly impossible task of convincing anyone that former stars like David Boreanaz and James Marsters are somehow still ageless immortals. I mean that last bit with affection! I swear!) 

But there’s certainly no reason someone like Alyson Hannigan’s Willow or Anthony Stewart Head’s Giles couldn’t pop back up. And even though Eliza Dushku has changed careers in the years since the original Buffyverse wrapped up, it’s hard to imagine a world where she wouldn’t leap at the chance to play Faith again, even if only for a brief cameo. 

But, like so much else about this series — we’ll have to wait and see.