It looks like a new Slayer will rise again — and it’s about time.
One of the most exciting announcements coming out in the early days of San Diego Comic-Con 2018, on July 20, was the news that a Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot is in the works. Fans of the original will be pleased to know that, according to The Hollywood Reporter, Joss Whedon is coming back (although concerns have been raised about his involvement in any capacity given his personal history), but will be in a more behind-the-scenes role as executive producer.
However, that’s one of the only aspects that will be carried over from the original show. THR reports that the new Buffy series will have a focus on building an inclusive cast, with writer and showrunner Monica Owusu-Breen (who worked with Whedon previously on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) rewriting the lead role of Buffy for a black actress to take on. While no casting or plot details have been revealed, what we do know is that the Buffy reboot will build on the mythology established in Whedon’s original TV series and use it to establish a new world, which will tackle contemporary social issues much in the same way the original series did.
This Buffy reboot is just one of the many shows that have gotten the reboot green light in recent years. While Whedon expressed some fears in 2017 about Buffy becoming part of this popular trend before it was ready (“You bring something back, and even if it’s exactly as good as it was, the experience can’t be. You’ve already experienced it, and part of what was great was going through it for the first time” he told THR), renewed faith in Buffy’s viability as a reboot was stirred up earlier this year with Fox and 20th Century Fox TV chairman and CEO Gary Newman saying in March that, “[Buffy] is probably our most ripe show for a remake, it's something we talk about frequently.”
Even though no formal casting has taken place, we’re pretty sure the reboot would be extra successful if you brought Spike back. Just sayin’.