The series might have endured as a beloved cult favorite after ending almost eighteen years ago, and has long since been reappraised as one of the most quietly important and influential TV shows of the last quarter of a century, but the reputation of Buffy the Vampire Slayer has been taking a battering over the last several weeks due to the revelations surrounding creator Joss Whedon’s conduct behind the scenes.
Charisma Carpenter came forward in support of Justice League‘s Ray Fisher to lend even more weight to the repeated claims that Whedon had a habit of cultivating an unhealthy working environment, while former Buffy alumni Amber Benson and Michelle Trachtenberg also spoke out, with the latter even revealing that the executive producer wasn’t allowed to be alone in a room with her.
While longtime fans are finding it difficult to separate the artist from the art given both Buffy‘s huge impact on their lives and Whedon’s former standing in certain pop culture circles, it’s also raised questions about the in-development reboot, which could find itself tainted by association despite its relative lack of direct connective tissue to the original seven-season run.
In a new interview, Sarah Michelle Gellar confirmed that she has no intention of getting involved in the project, despite the sheer volume of reboots, spinoffs, revivals and continuations that manage to rope in at least one legacy player for a cameo appearance.
“I’m a wee bit, how do they say, long in the tooth for that. I do think that story lends itself, it’d be interesting to see how a chosen one would deal with that. I don’t think it’s me, I don’t think I should be the one doing it. I’m way too tired and cranky to put in that work again. I love that the story holds up, and that people are calling for that.”
There’s been little news on the Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot since it was first confirmed to be in the works back in the summer of 2018 with Monica Owusu-Breen acting as showrunner, but it still can’t be ruled out that the recent wave of negative publicity could end up seeing the project shelved altogether.