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Did Buffy Fans Just Get a Good Sign About Hulu Pilot's Series Future?

A Variety article on reboots and revivals included something very interesting about Hulu's Buffy the Vampire Slayer: New Sunnydale pilot.

Published Fri, 07 Nov 2025 18:48:04 -0600

by Ray Flook

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If you're a regular reader of Bleeding Cool's television and streaming coverage, you know that we've been keeping our radars tuned for any news on EP Sarah Michelle Gellar, Showrunners Nora Zuckerman and Lila Zuckerman, director and executive producer Chloé Zhao, and EP Gail Berman's Gellar and Ryan K. Armstrong-starring Buffy the Vampire Slayer: New Sunnydale pilot for Hulu. In the Variety piece "How Millennials' Y2K Nostalgia Is Fueling This New Round of TV Revivals — Including 'Scrubs,' 'Buffy' and 'Malcolm in the Middle'," Executive Editor, TV, Michael Schneider, offers some great insights into how millennials and Gen Z have fueled the recent wave of remakes/revivals – and may have dropped a glimmer of hope.

Near the opening of the piece, Schneider offers the three shows listed in the article's title to demonstrate his point, but it was his comment about Hulu's Buffy the Vampire Slayer: New Sunnydale pilot that caught our attention. Schneider wrote, "Sarah Michelle Gellar returns as part of the 'Buffy, the Vampire Slayer' (1997-2003) sequel series from Chloé Zhao, expected to premiere on Hulu in 2026." That last part was interesting to read because things on the pilot/series front have been understandably quiet.

In October, Gellar was asked for an update during a New York Comic Con 2025 panel for her Tubi adult animated series Breaking Bear. "So, um, we filmed a little bit," Gellar shared, before praising co-star Armstrong. "Now, we're just gonna watch it, edit it, and make sure that, again, that we're honoring this legacy. It means as much to me as it does to all of you. So, we just have to… we gotta do it right. If we're going to do it, we're only going to do it right," she added.

While "expected to premiere on Hulu in 2026" isn't an official guarantee of anything, it hit our radar hard because Schneider has been covering the television industry for nearly 25 years. Along with Variety, Schneider collaborated with IndieWire and TV Guide Magazine, while also hosting a weekly TV-focused segment on KCRW. If you've attended San Diego Comic-Con, PaleyFest, HRTS, NATPE, or several other events, you may have seen Schneider moderating. So when Schneider drops a reference like that, it carries weight with us. While we're not reading too much into it and completely understand that it could've been just an easy assumption, we're going to add it to our growing cautious optimism.

Sarah Michelle Gellar Discusses Buffy Return Feeling "Very Surreal"

Gellar took some time out from the Neiman Marcus Celebrates 2025 Fantasy Gifts party last month to explain why she never saw herself returning as Buffy Summers as the series wrapped up its run in 2003, how Zhao was a major factor in changing her mind, why a "Buffy" return is needed now more than ever, and how the new series would be welcoming to long-time fans and those who haven't watched the original series.

Speaking with Variety, Gellar admitted that there was a long stretch of time when she "never thought" that a return as Buffy Summers would ever happen. "It was not a place that I ever saw myself, so it definitely felt very surreal," Gellar shared. "But this is why you never say never, and I'm sure I said 'never' many times, and I've learned my lesson because I'm sure someday you're gonna go back and find all the times I said, 'No, never. I'm too old. It'll be Buffy with a walker.'"

But it was Zhao's idea for a return and "the passion with which she spoke both about her idea and the show" that helped change her mind. As Gellar sees it, a hero like Buffy is needed now more than ever. "It's tough times for everybody right now, and I think people feel more isolated and more alone, and we live in an incredibly digital society. But ultimately, the more and more technologically connected we get, the more disconnected we're becoming, and so found family and those true moments become more and more important," Gellar added.

While Buffy the Vampire Slayer: New Sunnydale is meant to build on what the original series established, Gellar makes it clear that it's meant for long-running fans and newbies. "This is a show that will cater definitely to the [original fans]. There will always be Easter eggs because there were Easter eggs in the original…but we also want to introduce it to people that maybe haven't seen the show," she said.

Along with Gellar and Armstrong, the trio joined a cast that also includes Faly Rakotohavana (Unprisoned) as Hugo, Ava Jean (Law & Order: SVU) as Larkin, Sarah Bock (Severance) as Gracie, Daniel di Tomasso (Witches of East End) as Abe, Jack Cutmore-Scott (Frasier) as Mr. Burke, Kingston Vernes (The Survivor) as Carson, Chase Sui Wonders (The Studio) as Shirley, Merrin Dungey (The Lincoln Lawyer) as Ms. LaDuca, Audrey Hsieh (Found) as Keiko, and Audrey Grace Marshall (The Flight Attendant) as Jessica.