Fans hoping to return to Sunnydale will have to keep waiting after Hulu decided not to move forward with a planned reboot of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, according to star Sarah Michelle Gellar.
Gellar shared the news Saturday morning, March 14, in a message posted to Instagram, confirming that the streaming service has shelved the project titled Buffy the Vampire Slayer: New Sunnydale.
“I am really sad to have to share this, but I wanted you all to hear it from me,” Gellar said in the video. “Unfortunately Hulu has decided not to move forward with Buffy: New Sunnydale.”
The actress thanked Oscar-winning director Chloé Zhao, who had been attached to the project, for helping revive her enthusiasm for the iconic character.
“I never thought I would find myself back in Buffy’s stylish yet affordable boots,” Gellar wrote. “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.”
Gellar also reassured fans that the character still holds a special place in her life. “And I promise, if the apocalypse actually comes, you can still beep me,” she added in the post.
According to a source close to the project who spoke with TMZ, both Gellar and Zhao feel “blindsided” by Hulu’s decision to halt the reboot.
Fans quickly flooded Gellar’s post with emotional responses, many criticizing Hulu and urging other streaming platforms to rescue the series.
“Devastated. The world needs Buffy now more than ever,” one fan wrote in the comments.
Actor Nathanial Bacon echoed the sentiment shared by many viewers. “This is the most disappointing entertainment news of the year,” he wrote. “We love you and will follow you anywhere.”
The reboot was first announced in February 2025 and was expected to introduce a new slayer played by Ryan Kiera Armstrong, with Gellar returning in a recurring role as Buffy Summers.
The original Buffy the Vampire Slayer television series premiered in 1997 and ran for seven seasons. The show, based on the 1992 film of the same name, became a cult hit and helped cement Gellar as one of television’s most recognizable action heroines.
