A recent report explains the reasons behind the cancellation of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot, and identifies the executive who ultimately shut it down.
Fans were surprised earlier this month when Sarah Michelle Gellar shared on Instagram that Hulu had cancelled Buffy: New Sunnydale. The show, intended as a continuation of the original Buffy the Vampire Slayer series and directed by Academy Award winner Chloé Zhao, wasn’t picked up after its first episode.
Sarah Michelle Gellar, who returned for the reboot as both a producer and in a recurring role, says the show’s cancellation was due to one person. She told PEOPLE that this executive openly disliked the original series, even boasting that he’d never watched it and didn’t think it was for him.
A recent report from Deadline details why the Buffy: New Sunnydale reboot was cancelled. According to the report, Craig Erwich, President of Disney Television Group and head of Hulu Originals, made the decision to halt the project. Sources say his comments about not being a fan of the original series likely meant he didn’t feel it was a show for him personally, rather than a dislike of the show itself.
The pilot episode, penned by Nora and Lilla Zuckerman (known for their work on shows like Poker Face and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D), would have introduced Nova, a new young vampire slayer, played by Ryan Kiera Armstrong, who also starred in Star Wars: Skeleton Crew and The Lowdown. While the initial concept showed promise, the show’s development reportedly faltered over time.
| Actor Name | Who They Play | Character Details |
|---|---|---|
| Sarah Michelle Gellar | Buffy Summers | Returning in a recurring capacity. |
| Ryan Kiera Armstrong | Nova | The new Slayer, an introverted high-school student. |
| Faly Rakotohavana | Hugo | A privileged, likable high-school geek. |
| Ava Jean | Larkin | A “chronic do-gooder” student. |
| Sarah Bock | Gracie | The ringleader of a group of church-going students. |
| Daniel Di Tomasso | Abe | A photojournalist and Nova’s single father. |
| Jack Cutmore-Scott | Mr. Burke | A popular high-school teacher. |
| Kingston Vernes | Carson | A Junior Olympian and Nova’s crush. |
| Merrin Dungey | Ms. LaDuca | The college counselor at New Sunnydale Academy. |
| Audrey Hsieh | Keiko | A member of the academy’s Evangelical Christian group. |
| Audrey Grace Marshall | Jessica | A member of the academy’s Evangelical Christian group. |
| Chase Sui Wonders | Shirley | A vampire. |
According to the report, problems surfaced after the initial test run. People at Hulu thought the show appealed to a younger audience than intended, and some also felt it wasn’t ambitious enough. The main actor, Armstrong, was approximately 15 years old when hired, and Sarah Michelle Gellar was around 18 when she first became famous for playing Buffy Summers.
Executives gave conflicting feedback. Initially, they wanted the show to capture the feel of the original, which was a popular but low-budget teen drama on The WB. However, they also felt the first attempt wasn’t bold enough. This led to revisions, ultimately creating a longer, 90-minute pilot with a much larger role for Sarah Michelle Gellar as Buffy. The revised version felt more like something you’d see on a streaming service than on a traditional TV network.
Both 20th Television and Searchlight TV, the studios developing the new Buffy: New Sunnydale series, were initially enthusiastic about it. Ultimately, though, the project was cancelled by Erwich. While some believe the cost of production was too high, others suggest it didn’t live up to the standards of the original show. A further explanation points to deeper, more significant problems with the reboot that couldn’t be fixed with simple revisions.
Critics have also questioned the timing of Hulu’s announcement. It was revealed on Friday, February 13th, right as Sarah Michelle Gellar was starting to promote the new horror film, Ready or Not 2: Here I Come, and just before Jessie Buckley was scheduled to attend the Oscars for her role in the critically acclaimed Hamnet, which received eight nominations and won her the award for Best Leading Actress.
Sources described the announcement’s timing as poorly chosen and unfortunate. Hulu still wants to revive Buffy the Vampire Slayer and is hoping to develop a new reboot in the next few years. This latest pilot, from Zhao, marks the third failed effort to bring the show back, following previous attempts to reboot it as a film in the early 2010s and a television series in 2018.
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2026-03-17 17:01