First Look at Hulu’s Cancelled 'Buffy' Reboot Revealed

Following the announcement from lead actress Sarah Michelle Gellar that Hulu would not be going forward with Chloé Zhao's Buffy the Vampire Slayer revival series, a co-star has given disappointed fans an image from the cancelled pilot.

On Saturday morning, Geller announced in an Instagram post that the reboot, titled Buffy the Vampire Slayer: New Sunnydale would not be going forward for now.

"Unfortunately, Hulu has decided not to move forward with Buffy: New Sunnydale," she said in a video addressing fans of the cult series, which ran from 1997 to 2003. "I want to thank Chloé Zhao, because I never thought I would find myself back in Buffy's stylish, yet, affordable boots."

Zhao, a two-time Oscar-winning filmmaker, was previously announced as director of the new endeavour, collaborating with Poker Face co-writers Nora and Lilla Zuckerman, who worked on the script for the planned pilot.

"And thanks to Chloé, I was reminded of how much I love her, and how much she means. not only to me, but to all of you," Gellar continued. "This doesn't change any of that."

Shortly after the cancellation was announced, Deadline reported that Hulu had not fully given up on the prospect of Buffy as a franchise, and is considering giving the revival series a shake-up — possibly without Zhao at the helm. However, nothing has been confirmed yet, so everything is very much up in the air.

In the meantime, while fans hold out for hope that the revival series will find new life somehow, actress Ryan Kiera Armstrong, a child actor set to play a new vampire slayer in the scrapped story, shared an image of her character on Instagram, sharing the sadness with fans that the project won't be going forward for now.

Actress Ryan Kiera Armstrong Shared a Picture of Her 'New Sunnydale’ Character

On Instagram, Armstrong shared a Polaroid image of her in costume for her character, possibly for a hair and makeup or costume test from the pilot. In the caption, the 15-year-old actress simply added a black heart emoji, signing off with "your slayer."

Previously, Armstrong's casting announcement revealed that she would portray a new vampire slayer, likely a protégé of Buffy Summers, played by Gellar. “We are so overjoyed to have found this generation’s slayer in Ryan Kiera Armstrong," writers Nora and Lilla Zuckerman told The Hollywood Reporter at the time of the casting announcement. "She absolutely blew us away — there is no question in our mind that she is the chosen one.”

In an Instagram post from May 2025, Gellar also praised her then-costar. "I want to introduce you to @ryankarmstrong," the actress wrote in the post caption. "From the moment I saw Ryan’s audition, I knew there was only one girl that I wanted by my side. To have that kind of emotional intelligence , and talent, at such a young age is truly a gift. The bonus is that her smile lights up even the darkest room. Welcome to #NewSunnydale #btvs"