Buffy the Vampire Slayer ended with Sunnydale collapsing into the Hellmouth cavern. Buffy Summers saved the day and realised that the burden of being the one chosen Slayer was no longer on her shoulders, making it a (mostly) happy ending for the character.
Still, it's also one that's left fans wondering how the upcoming sequel series, tentatively titled Buffy the Vampire Slayer: New Sunnydale, will pick up where the original show ended. It's widely believed that the spotlight is going to shift to Buffy's daughter, Nova, played by Ryan Kiera Armstrong.
What of the vampire threat the new Slayer will face, though? According to scooper Daniel Richtman, "The vampires attacking New Sunnydale have been underground since 2003. Still wearing 2003 fashion."
It's pretty wild to think about the blood-suckers being "trapped" in 2003 after being left in the Hellmouth cavern, and we're sure this plot point will be the source of many references and jokes harkening back to Buffy the Vampire Slayer (which, yes, ended in 2003).
Earlier this week, it was confirmed that Sarah Michelle Gellar's fellow I Know What You Did Last Summer alum, Chase Sui Wonders, has joined the cast of Buffy the Vampire Slayer: New Sunnydale for a one-off guest role in the pilot as a vampire called Shirley.
Merrin Dungey (The King of Queens), Audrey Hsieh (Found), and Audrey Grace Marshall (The Flight Attendant) have also boarded the series, with Dungey playing Ms. LaDuca, a college counsellor at the New Sunnydale Academy. Hsieh and Marshall will portray Keiko and Jessica, members of the school's Evangelical Christian group, who go to school with Nova.
Nora Zuckerman and Lila Zuckerman are attached to write, showrun, and executive produce the pilot. Eternals helmer Chloé Zhao is attached to direct and executive produce under her Book of Shadows production banner. Gellar executive produces with Gail Berman.
Fran Kuzui and Kaz Kuzui will executive produce through Suite B, while Dolly Parton will executive produce via Sandollar. 20th Television and Searchlight Television also produce, and Berman, the Kuzuis, and Parton were all executive producers on the original TV series.
A recent logline for Buffy the Vampire Slayer revealed that, "Nova, a 16-year-old bookworm, discovers she’s a vampire Slayer in a rebuilt Sunnydale, split between gritty Old Sunnydale and upscale New Sunnydale."
"During Vampire Weekend, a festival celebrating the town’s dark past, vampires Jack and Shirley emerge from a construction site, killing a teen and planning a ritual to raise a vampire army at the Cursed Circle," it concluded.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer was released in 1992 as a feature film starring Kristy Swanson. Joss Whedon wrote that, and Fran Kuzui directed. Five years later, the franchise was rebooted for The WB with Gellar taking over the lead role. It ran for five seasons on that network, and moved to UPN for the final two.
A spin-off series, Angel, was led by David Boreanaz and also ran for five seasons. Buffy has been benched ever since, so this revival marks a long-awaited comeback for the vampire slayer.