Sarah Michelle Gellar admitted she “never expected” to play Buffy again.
She played the lead role on the hit television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer for seven seasons until the show ended in 2003.
“It felt very surreal because it was a place I had never seen before,” Geller told me Tuesday night at Neiman Marcus’ 2025 Fantasy Gift Party at Bar Marmont in Los Angeles. “But this is why I never say never. I’m sure I said ‘never’ many times. And I learned my lesson, because I’m sure one day you’re going to come back and find all the things I said, ‘No, never. I’m too old. It would be Buffy with a walker.'”
Officially titled “Buffy the Vampire Slayer: New Sunnydale,” Hulu’s reboot recently wrapped its pilot episode. Ryan Keira Armstrong will star as the new hitman, and Gellar will reprise her role as Buffy.
Geller said it was director and reboot executive producer Chloé Zhao who convinced him to reprise the iconic character. “Chloe had this idea in the world, and the way she spoke so passionately about both her idea and the show made us realize that now more than ever, we need our heroes to believe in us,” Geller explained. “These are difficult times for everyone. I think people are feeling increasingly isolated and lonely, and we live in an incredibly digital society. But ultimately, the more we connect through technology, the more disconnected we become, the more we find family, and the more real moments become important.”
Geller also said that viewers don’t need to have seen the original series to understand the reboot.
“This is definitely a show that caters to[fans of the original]. There were Easter eggs in the original, so there will always be Easter eggs…but we also want to introduce it to people who maybe haven’t watched the show.”
“Buffy the Vampire Slayer” began life as a 1992 film starring Christy Swanson in the title role. The script was written by Joss Whedon and directed by Fran Cousy. Five years later, a series version starring Geller debuted on The WB. The first five seasons aired on the WB and the last two seasons aired on UPN. The cast included Nicholas Brendon, Alyson Hannigan, Carpenter, Anthony Stewart Head, David Boreanaz, Seth Green, and James Marsters.
Nora Zuckerman and Lila Zuckerman wrote the new pilot.
In August, Geller posted a video on social media of herself and Armstrong working out at the gym with the caption, “Warriors 1 and 2, we don’t sweat…we shine.”
