Posted in: CW, streaming, TV | Tagged: buffy, Dolly Parton, sarah michelle gellar

Buffy Return Timeline: Sarah Michelle Gellar, Dolly Parton & More

With Sarah Michelle Gellar igniting hopes, we look at how things have evolved in terms of a Buffy the Vampire Slayer series revival and more.

"It's funny. I always used to say, 'No," 'cause it's in this bubble and so perfect. But watching 'Sex and the City' and seeing 'Dexter' and realizing there are ways to do it definitely does get your mind thinking." And with those words, Sarah Michelle Gellar dumped a whole lot of gasoline on the dumpster fires of hope that Buffy the Vampire Slayer fans have had for years that Gellar would return to her iconic role. Ironically and interestingly enough, Gellar shared her evolved perspective on a possible "Buffy" return while promoting Paramount+ with Showtime and Showrunner/EP Clyde Phillips's (Dexter, Nurse Jackie) Patrick Gibson-starring Dexter: Original Sin – a franchise (along with the upcoming "Resurrection") that getting renewed life now that Michael C. Hall has returned to his famous role. With all of the building buzz, it got us thinking about where things stand with the possible reboot/revival/spinoff/sequel series (there are differences, we promise) – and how Gellar's recent comments could get things rolling again.

Back in 2018, 20th Century Fox Television announced that it was developing a reboot. Monica Owusu-Breen (Midnight, Texas; Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) would serve as showrunner, and Joss Whedon would co-write and executive produce. That would change beginning in early 2021, when Buffy & Angel star Charisma Carpenter went public with accusations against Whedon that involved years of unprofessional and abusive behavior. This prompted many others connected to both shows to voice their support for Carpenter and offer their own allegations. Whedon's efforts in early 2021 to address those matters and others in "The Undoing of Joss Whedon" by Lila Shapiro for New York Magazine appeared to only worsen matters, with many seeing Whedon as attempting to "play the victim" instead of addressing the accusations leveled against him in a reasoned, honest manner.

Shortly after, the allegations would return to the spotlight with the publication of Evan Ross Katz's Into Every Generation a Slayer Is Born: How Buffy Staked Our Hearts. Offering a behind-the-scenes look at the series from its cast, creative team, and production crew, the book included interviews with Gellar, Carpenter, Emma Caulfield, Amber Benson, James Marsters, Anthony Stewart Head, Seth Green, Marc Blucas, Nicholas Brendon, and many others. In terms of a series return, things were understandably not looking good heading into August 2022, with executive producer Gail Berman sharing with The Hollywood Reporter's Katie Kilkenny that the project was "on pause." Now, flash ahead to January 2024 – when music legend and pop culture icon Dolly Parton made some "Buffy" headlines…

For those of you who don't know, Parton and her former manager, Sandy Gallin, founded Sandollar Productions – and it was the production company's television division (Sandollar Television) that co-produced all seven seasons of "Buffy" as well as the David Boreanaz-starring spinoff series Angel. Co-producing the original film with Kuzui Enterprises, the two production companies would join Whedon's Mutant Enemy Productions and 20th Century Fox Television (now 20th Television) to develop the television series. "They're still working on that," Parton shared with Business Insider. "They're thinking about bringing it back and revamping it," she added, not offering additional details at the time. Three months later, in April 2024, Gellar shared with US Weekly during a fashion awards show in Los Angeles that Parton was one of the very few people she would take a call from regarding a return. "I mean, like, if Dolly Parton is going to call me, I'm always available to take a phone call from the queen," Gellar shared.

To offer you some perspective on just how much "The Queen" means to her, Gellar discussed Parton being a "silent" producer on the series, how crucial Parton was in getting the series off the ground, how she reacted after Parton praised the series, and the moment when she realized that Parton knew who she was during a February 2023 visit to NBC's The Tonight Show – here's a look:

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