Key Points
SARAH Michelle Gellar is speaking out after the planned Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot at Hulu was scrapped, and she’s hoping fans never see the unfinished pilot.
In a recent interview, Gellar said she does not want the pilot to leak because it was never completed and would not reflect the team’s true vision.
“I actually hope it doesn’t because then everyone’s going to have an opinion on this and that, and pilots are not finished,” Gellar said on SiriusXM’s Page Six Radio.
“It wasn’t done. It’s not like we did a season, finished it, and then they shelved it. It’s not like when they made Batgirl the movie and then didn’t show it. That movie was finished.”
Gellar explained that pilots are meant to be learning tools, with changes often made before a full series moves forward.
“Usually, a pilot doesn’t air in its entirety ever. And so you use that information to then, it’s a learning tool,” she continued.
“The original Buffy pilot was nothing to do with the show on the first time. It was a different Willow. I mean it’s a very different show, but those are learning tools and that’s what a pilot is.”
She noted that even the original Buffy pilot was very different from the show that ultimately aired.
According to Gellar, releasing unfinished material would only lead to opinions based on something incomplete.
She also urged fans not to seek out leaked scripts or footage, saying some material already circulating is inaccurate.
Despite the reboot not moving forward, Gellar shared gratitude for director Chloé Zhao and reflected warmly on returning to the world of Buffy Summers.
The reboot pilot, titled Buffy: New Sunnydale, would have featured Ryan Kiera Armstrong as the new slayer opposite Gellar.
The cast also included Faly Rakotohavana, Ava Jean, Sarah Bock, Daniel Di Tomasso, Jack Cutmore-Scott, and guest star Chase Sui Wonders.
