Posted in: Disney+, Hulu, TV | Tagged: btvs, buffy, buffy the vampire slayer

Why Buffy the Vampire Slayer Getting Disney+ Push Is a Good Sign

Disney+ is pushing Buffy the Vampire Slayer as a #DisneyPlusThrowback, and the timing of it couldn't be better for the sequel series pilot.

Between a table read, casting news, and video of Sarah Michelle Gellar and Ryan Kiera Armstrong in the middle of slayer training mode, there have been a whole lot of good vibes lately surrounding EP Gellar, Showrunners Nora Zuckerman and Lila Zuckerman, director Chloé Zhao, and EP Gail Berman's Gellar and Armstrong-starring Buffy the Vampire Slayer sequel series pilot for Hulu. But one thing that Gellar and others have emphasized from the beginning is that they're taking their time to make sure they're doing right by the "Buffyverse." In fact, it's pretty impressive that things have gotten this far since the project was publicly announced, though we know the team's been working on it for some time.

With that in mind, we don't want to get ahead of things or read too much into what the streamer's been doing over the past week, but the timing of Disney+ pushing Buffy the Vampire Slayer as a #DisneyPlusThrowback couldn't be better. It helps that they've included some cool stuff, like an early one-on-one between Buffy (Gellar) and Giles (Anthony Head), Pedro Pascal's brief but memorable appearance (nice corporate synergy with Marvel Studios' The Fantastic Four: First Steps), advice on hosting a "Buffy Girls' Night Marathon," and more. Why is this a good sign? Because streamers aren't just looking to bring back hit shows for the sake of the fans. They do it because they know how that can help boost the streaming numbers on that show's back catalog of seasons. Disney+ pushing the original series while work proceeds on the sequel series' pilot shows that someone is keeping that in mind. For the fans, it's a way to send a message – in this case, to Hulu – that the fandom for the franchise is as strong as ever.

Along with Gellar and Armstrong, the series also stars 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, and Kingston Vernes (The Survivor) as Carson. Here's a look at what Disney+has been putting out over the past few days about streaming BTVS:

"Warrior 1 and 2 We don't sweat … we sparkle ✨," Gellar wrote as the caption to her Instagram post, which also included the video of her and Armstrong getting into Slayer mode (and showing some great chemistry together):

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Sarah Michelle Gellar's "Dream"? Bring Back Everyone Who Died

Speaking with Vanity Fair Italia during the 18th edition of the Filming Italy Sardegna Festival, Gellar shared that she considered herself lucky to not have social media around during her run on "Buffy," adding how young actors today are put into positions of having to be social media personalities, too ("…asked to constantly post content and do silly dances on TikTok"). As for why she finally made the decision to return to the "Buffyverse" after all of these years, Gellar credits one person in particular for helping her make the move.

"For so many years, I said no to a possible return of the series. I didn't want to reintroduce something we had already seen. I waited for the right time to come. Then Chloé [Zhao], a big "Buffy" fan, proposed the project to me, and I accepted. The gestation was long. It's been three years, and we're still working on it," Gellar shared, though based on a recent Instagram post, filming on the pilot might just be in sight. As for what fans can expect from the revival, Gellar shared that, "It will be lighter than the last few seasons of the original. We will try to find a balance between new and old characters." Apparently, that includes characters who've passed on, if there's space and a reason. "My dream is to bring back everyone who has died, but space will have to be made for new stories as well," Gellar added.

Finding that right balance is key, a point that Gellar has been emphasizing since the news of the revival series pilot first hit. But as the show's continued success over the years has shown, "Buffy" has very diverse multi-generational fanbase. "One of the surprising aspects of Buffy is that it's always been a crossover series," Gellar explained. "We're trying to figure out how to modernize the themes of the series, especially what it means to feel like an outsider in a world dominated by social media. What we want to explore are the space-time boundaries that affect society today."

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