Overview
- Sarah Michelle Gellar said an unnamed executive who openly disliked the original series undercut the reboot, which Hulu declined to order after a completed pilot.
- Gellar criticized the timing of the cancellation call, saying she was notified just before her SXSW premiere while director Chloé Zhao learned the news ahead of Oscars weekend.
- A pilot directed by Zhao introduced Ryan Kiera Armstrong as a new slayer alongside Gellar, and Deadline reported Hulu’s feedback that the episode felt too small and played too young, prompting a rewrite that was not filmed.
- Trade coverage attributed the ultimate decision not to proceed to Disney Television Group executive Craig Erwich, a claim reported by unnamed sources and not confirmed by Hulu.
- People reported that because Disney controls the Buffy IP, the project cannot be shopped elsewhere, though Hulu and Disney are said to be considering future options for the franchise.