If you assumed Sarah Michelle Gellar’s return as Buffy Summers would be the only connection to the original series, think again.
Chloé Zhao (Nomadland, Eternals), who is leading the Hulu revival alongside Gellar, has confirmed that additional cast members from the classic show will also make appearances.
In an interview with Variety, Zhao divulged, "It is not a reboot. It’s a sequel. You can never replace these characters. I would never allow that. And Sarah’s back. I love my cast, the new cast. We will bring back OG characters for sure. And it is a show that bridges two generations — it’s not just about the kids."
"I think the fandom is so important to us. We want the fandom to see themselves mirrored in the original fandom. And of course, we want new fans to join, and it’s very much about both generations."
Zhao added that she’s been a devoted fan of the series for years, saying she watched it religiously throughout her college days.
"I watched religiously. I was at Mount Holyoke. We would all gather — I think it was every Thursday or Tuesday — and we would watch, because you only get one episode and you’re waiting a week. It’s such a ritual. I remember the last episode finishing, and we sat there; everyone was crying, and we were all holding hands."
Buffy the Vampire Slayer originally premiered in 1997 and wrapped in 2002, delivering 144 episodes across seven seasons. The story did continue afterward through a series of Dark Horse comics, but the upcoming Hulu continuation is expected to ignore those developments.
Fans will remember the series finale, where Sunnydale collapsed into the Hellmouth and Willow (Alyson Hannigan) activated potential slayers across the globe. It was a major shift from the long-established idea that only one Slayer exists at a time, and it’ll be interesting to see how the new series addresses or reinterprets those events.
Sisters Nora and Lila Zuckerman (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, Poker Face) will serve as co-showrunners with Zhao directing the pilot and executive producing the show.
Gellar is also listed as an executive producer along with the original executive producer of the show, Gail Berman.
In addition to Gellar as Buffy, the full cast for the show includes Ryan Kiera Armstrong (Star Wars: Skeleton Crew) as Nova, this generation's current slayer, along with series regulars Faly Rakotohavana (Unprisoned), Ava Jean, Sarah Bock (Severance), Daniel Di Tomasso (Dynasty, The Republic of Sarah) and Jack Cutmore-Scott (Tenet, Oppenheimer).
Additional cast members include Chase Sui Wonders, Merrin Dungey, Audrey Hsieh, and Audrey Grace Marshall.