Written by Edwin Francisco
If there will be a Buffy The Vampire Slayer reboot, Sarah Michelle Gellar wants Zendaya to take her place.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer has been a staple in TV history. It’s just as memorable as long- lasting shows like Charmed, Friends, and Seinfeld. Buffy the Vampire Slayer is a teenage girl who kills vampires, demons and other evil forces. In fact, she is “the chosen one.”
The Avengers director Joss Whedon developed Buffy the Vampire Slayer for TV. Buffy the Vampire Slayer has its roots in a 1992 theatrical film that starred Kristy Swanson and Luke Perry. Fran Rubel Kuzui directed the movie.
As a film, Buffy the Vampire Slayer flopped. However, when Whedon rebooted the property as a television series, he gave it his personal touch.
It worked.
Sarah Michelle Gellar Wants Zendaya As The New Buffy The Vampire Slayer
Image: 20th Century Studios
Buffy the Vampire Slayer featured Gellar in the lead role. In fact, it skyrocketed her to stardom. Buffy the Vampire Slayer became a household name. The show stood the test of time. It had a weird period when it shifted networks from the WB to UPN. But overall it lasted seven seasons. And when the show ended, it still continued on through comics.
The franchise itself is still strong, even if there is no TV series. The merchandise still sells well today. It still even has new board games selling decades after the last episode aired. Buffy The Vampire Slayer even appeared in the Unmatched board game in 2019.
Several notable magazines such as Rolling Stone and Time call Buffy The Vampire Slayer among the best shows of all time.
In Evan Ross Katz’ new book Into Every Generation A Slayer Is Born: How Buffy Staked Our Hearts, the author asked Sarah Michelle Gellar what she thought about a reboot and who does she think would take the role of Buffy?
Although she has no intention to reprise her role. Gellar was very positive about a possible reboot and she added:
I vote Zendaya.
Zendaya has been in a lot of popular movies lately, and she has been doing very well on her show Euphoria on HBO. She already has an incredible lineup of movies under her belt like the Spider-Man franchise and Dune.
And she has the stage presence that stands out from the rest of the cast. There is no question why Gellar chose Zendaya. Zendaya is a bankable star and it’s not hard to see her as Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Fox planned a Buffy The Vampire Slayer reboot in 2018 with Monica Owusu-Breen as the showrunner. This was before Disney bought 20th Century Fox and renamed it to 20th Century Studios. So, technically, Disney owns the property now. Disney has been discussing and developing shows to reboot for their Disney Plus and Hulu service.
There is no question that this might be something that they may look at, considering that there’s still a strong fan base for the show. Looking into Zendaya as the new Buffy the Vampire Slayer is not a bad idea. Let Zendaya be the hero this time around.