Monica Owusu-Breen, writer, executive producer and showrunner of the planned Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot, said that the series will feature a brand new slayer. Created by Joss Whedon, Buffy the Vampire Slayer ran for seven seasons first on The WB and then on UPN. Fox 21 TV Studios, the cable/streaming division of 20th Century Fox TV, is currently developing the series and plans to shop it around to cable and streaming networks later this summer.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer followed a teenage girl named Buffy Summers. Over seven seasons, Buffy fought vampires as the title implies and other supernatural creatures while navigating high school, college and a love life filled with tragedy. Her battles often served as a metaphor for the real life struggles teenagers go through. The show introduced an interesting stable of characters, including Buffy’s group of friends who helped in her fight, and spawned a spin-off in Angel. Whedon’s show received critical acclaim for its meaningful storylines and feminist themes and Buffy is frequently lauded as one of the strongest feminist characters of all time. Buffy the Vampire Slayer went on to inspire a generation of writers including Owusu-Breen as well as a loyal fanbase that remains strong 20 years later.
Owusu-Breen tweeted about the reboot early on Thursday. She admitted that she was always a fan of the show. “Buffy the Vampire Slayer is my Star Wars,” she wrote. According to her there is only one Buffy. The characters of the original TV show - itself a spinoff of the early ’90s movie - were iconic and can’t be replaced. It’s not her aim to reproduce what Whedon did with the original show. Instead she notes that 20 years later, it’s time to meet a new slayer. It was originally announced that the new slayer would be portrayed by a black actress, another divergence from the original. The rest of the cast will reflect the diverse world we live in. See Owusu-Breen’s tweet below.
Whedon is returning for the reboot, serving as an executive producer. This isn’t the first time the two have worked together since Owusu-Breen worked with Whedon on ABC’s Marvel drama Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Further, she’s no stranger to supernatural dramas since her credits also include NBC’s Midnight, Texas, which she created and ran for the first season, along with Fringe, Alias, Revolution and Charmed.
While the announcement of the reboot of Buffy the Vampire Slayer was met with curiosity and excitement, it also received backlash from fans of the original who disliked the idea of a remake of their beloved show. Even Sarah Michelle Gellar, who portrayed the titular character, and Clare Kramer, who played villain Glory, said a reboot wouldn’t work. Owusu-Breen’s statement established that she isn’t making a direct reboot of the series. Instead she is branching off into a new direction to reflect the time period we’re currently in. New characters and stories will be introduced. The reboot will still build on the original’s mythology and keep up its tendency to use supernatural metaphors to address issues facing society. Owusu-Breen isn’t saying a lot about what she intends to do with this reboot but it’s clear that it will be something new while paying tribute to the original. After all, into each generation, a slayer is born. A new slayer for a new generation.
More: Buffy The Vampire Slayer TV Reboot In The Works With Black Actress
Source: Monica Owusu-Breen/Twitter
