Development
A sequel series of the original Buffy the Vampire Slayer , which ran between 1997 and 2003, was reported to be in development in early 2025 by Hulu, with a pilot episode written by Nora and Lilla Zuckerman and directed by Chloé Zhao, with the show executive produced by Dolly Parton, whose production company Sandollar made the original series. [1] Also executive producers on the series are Sarah Michelle Gellar, Zhao, Nora and Lilla Zuckerman as well as the original series’ executive producers Gail Berman of the Jackal Group and Fran Kuzui & Kaz Kuzui via Suite B. It was reported that Gellar would be reprising her signature role as Buffy Summers from the original series. [2] Zhao was the one who convinced Gellar to reprise the role of Buffy. [3] In May 2025, Ryan Kiera Armstrong was announced to be joining the cast. [4] Faly Rakotohavana, Jack Cutmore-Scott, Ava Jean, Sarah Bock, Daniel Di Tomasso, and Kingston Vernes joined the cast in July 2025. [5] [6] Production started in August, with filming of the pilot taking place in Los Angeles. [7] [8] In August, Chase Sui Wonders, Merrin Dungey, Audrey Hsieh, and Audrey Grace Marshall joined the cast in guest roles. [8] [9] That same month, Zhao stated that they had wrapped filming on the pilot and that the new series is set 25 years after the original. [10]
In a interview with ET Online, Gellar clarified that the show is not a reboot but a "continuation of the world". [11] It was also meant to be "approachable" for audiences who haven't watched the original. [12] The show was given the official title of Buffy the Vampire Slayer: New Sunnydale. [3]
