And just like that, another one bites the dust. Usually we at least get a season or two of a show before it feels the cold swing of the cancellation axe (see: The Acolyte, KAOS, The Wheel Of Time), but in the streaming age some projects don’t even make it that far. Which leads us to the unexpected announcement today that Chloé Zhao’s hotly anticipated Buffy The Vampire Slayer: New Sunnydale revival series has been cancelled at Hulu before it’s even made it to air. Buffy Summers herself, Sarah Michelle Gellar, took to Instagram to reveal the sad news herself, as you can see below;
Taking a break from her busy Ready Or Not 2: Here I Come press tour, Gellar uploaded a video to Instagram on Saturday afternoon with the caption ‘If the apocalypse comes… you can still beep me.’ In the video, a visibly emotional SMG says, “I am really sad to have to share this, but I wanted you all to hear it from me. unfortunately Hulu has decided not to move forward with Buffy: New Sunnydale. I wanna thank Chloé Zhao, because I never thought I would find myself back in Buffy’s stylish yet affordable boots, and thanks to Chloé I was reminded how much I love her and how much she means, not only to me but to all of you. And this doesn’t change any of that.” Signing off, Gellar tells fans, “I promise, if the apocalypse actually comes, you can still beep me.”
Initially picked up for a pilot at Hulu last February, hailing from Poker Face showrunning duo Nora and Lilla Zuckerman with Zhao attached to direct, New Sunnydale was set to see Skeleton Crew star Ryan Kiera Armstrong become the beloved franchise’s new Chosen One. Shooting on the pilot for New Sunnydale did, per Zhao’s own comments, wrap about half a year ago, and so it remains to be seen at this stage whether that pilot ever makes it to air — or indeed whether enthusiasm for that pilot may be able to galvanise fresh faith in the project from the top brass at Hulu. But until we hear any more, we’ve always got the original Buffy to rewatch over and over as we have done for over two decades now, and as disappointing as this news is, the buzz for the revival and SMG and the fans’ enthusiasm for it has been a beautiful thing to see. And remember: the hardest thing in this world is to live in it when your favourite show gets cancelled. Be brave. Live.
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