Into every generation a Slayer is born … except this one, apparently. 20th Century Studios has pulled the plug on the long-gestating Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot, which was set to feature a Black woman in the titular role. Producer Gail Berman confirmed that the series was “on pause” in a new episode of The Hollywood Reporter‘s TV’s Top 5 podcast. And in case that wasn’t clear, she elaborated that “on pause” is “industry speak for purgatory, make of that what you will.” The reboot was first announced in 2018, with Monica Owusu-Breen (Agents of Shield, Midnight, Texas) writing and showrunning and original series creator Joss Whedon executive producing.
Buffy is a series that is worthy of a reboot, given its once revolutionary but now cringe-y gender politics and its lack of diversity in front of and behind the camera. Having a woman of color as a showrunner with a new diverse cast felt like a no-brainer. But a lot has happened since 2018, and once nerd god Joss Whedon has now seen his career implode after allegations of harassment, abuse, and racism on his sets. Whedon has since left his latest series, HBO’s The Nevers. As for Owusu-Breen, she’s currently an executive producer on the Disney+ series Percy Jackson and the Olympians.
In the meantime, Buffy lives on in BOOM! Studios comics series. And fans did get a Black vampire slayer in Calliope in Netflix’s First Kill, which was sadly cancelled after one season. Maybe someday fans will get a Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot. After all, Buffy Summers was killed twice and managed to come back to life. Who says the same can’t happen for the series?
(via IndieWire, featured image: 20th Century Fox Studios)
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