Sarah Michelle Gellar, who is set to reprise the title role of Buffy the Vampire Slayer in the upcoming Hulu revival series, recently said that she would ideally like the show to feature a mixture of new and returning characters - including those who were killed off.
"It will be lighter than the last few seasons of the original," Gellar told Vanity Fair. "We will try to find a balance between new and old characters. My dream is to bring back everyone who has died, but space will have to be made for new stories as well."
Cheerleader turned fellow demon-hunter Cordelia Chase survived the events of the original Buffy series, but was ultimately killed off in the final season of the Angel spin-off. While speaking to IGN, actress Charisma Carpenter said she is "hopeful" that Cordelia will make an appearance in the new series.
"I am so excited for fans, and I know it will be fantastic because of who's involved. To see this actually happen for the fans makes me thrilled. I am so hopeful to be included, for Cordelia to be a part of this new iteration."
Carpenter didn't outright confirm her return, but it definitely sounds like she knows a little more than she's willing to divulge for the time being.
"I don't know really what to make of it," she said when asked what she thought about Gellar's comments. "I'm sure there are caveats — Cordelia died on Angel not on Buffy. I don't know what that means for Cordelia specifically — but I'm hopeful that it includes Cordelia obviously, it would be a dream to be included, and it would just be so poetic for that to occur, and for it to occur with this group."
"These writers are wildly creative, I'm sure they could figure it out if they wanted to, if it was a fan thing, where if there was a thirst or craving or need for Cordelia to be there, I'm sure with one hell of a creative team they have leading the writers room, it would be possible."
We recently learned that the revival's new Slayer will be played by 15-year-old Star Wars: Skeleton Crew breakout Ryan Kiera Armstrong.
Armstrong's character has not been officially named, and is simply described as "an introverted high-school student" in Deadline's report.
Nora Zuckerman and Lila Zuckerman are attached to write, showrun, and executive produce, with Eternals director Chloé Zhao set to helm the pilot and executive produce under her Book of Shadows production banner. Gellar will also executive produce along with Gail Berman. Fran Kuzui and Kaz Kuzui will executive produce via Suite B, while Dolly Parton will executive produce via Sandollar. 20th Television and Searchlight Television will produce. Berman, the Kuzuis, and Parton were all executive producers on the original Buffy series.
Not too surprisingly, Joss Whedon will not be involved.
There's been talk of a Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot in some form or another for over a decade at this stage, but last year, we learned that the latest attempt to revive the franchise featuring a Black lead from Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. scribe Monica Owusu-Breen had been put on pause.
Gellar recently took to Instagram to share the following message with her fans.
"So….. you might have heard some news this week, but I realize you haven’t heard from me. Three years ago, I got a call from my dear friend and mentor, Gail Berman. She told me that she wanted me to sit down with Chloé Zhao to hear her take on a potential “Buffy” revival. I was blown away that Chloé even knew who I was, but, as I’ve always done, I told Gail that I just didn’t see a way for the show to exist again. We’d always been aligned on that, but this time I heard something different in her voice. I eventually agreed to go (mainly just to meet Chloé) and our twenty minute coffee quickly turned into a four hour adventure. We laughed, we cried, but mostly we both talked about how much this show means to us. While I didn’t agree to anything at that meeting, I did shock myself by agreeing to continue the conversation.
These conversations did, in fact, continue over the next few years and eventually we added the incredible Nora and Lilla Zuckerman to our little tribe until ultimately, one day, we landed on an idea. I have always listened to the fans and heard your desire to revisit “Buffy” and her world, but it was not something I could do unless I was sure we would get it right. This has been a long process, and it’s not over yet. I promise you, we will only make this show if we know we can do it right. And I will tell you that we are on the path there. I feel so lucky to be on this journey with these four unbelievably talented women, all of whom love “Buffy” as much as I do. And as much as you do. Thank you to all the fans who never stopped asking for this. This will be for you."