Insiders Expose the ‘Shock’ Twist That Doomed Sarah Michelle Gellar’s 'Buffy' Revival

Buffy the Vampire Slayer fans have experienced a roller coaster of emotions over the last year over the revival of their beloved show — and right now, it’s not looking good.

In February 2025, Buffy: New Sunnydale was revealed to be a project in development by Hulu with Sarah Michelle Gellar coming back to star as the iconic vampire slayer. With Oscar winner Chloé Zhao directing the pilot, it seemed like a sure-fire hit for the network.

Fast forward to March 2026, when Gellar, Zhao, and the passionate fandom received the worst news — the project was canceled. Now, Deadline is sharing what happened behind the scenes, and it sure sounds messy.

Insiders admitted that the first pilot filmed was “not perfect,” but the writers, Nora and Lilla Zuckerman, went back to work to tackle some of the network notes on the script after they allegedly found it to be “too young” and “small” in scope. It appeared that the networks, 20th Television and Searchlight Television, were reacting positively to the changes and that a green light for the series would be “imminent.”

Instead, Gellar and Zhao got the unfortunate news on Friday night that “the project was not moving forward.” An insider revealed the “shock” they felt over the news, especially when Gellar had a high-profile appearance at SXSW, and Zhao was nominated for an Oscar that same weekend.

After sharing the disappointing news with fans on her Instagram account, Gellar spoke with People about her displeasure with one unnamed studio executive.

“We had an executive on our show who was not only not a fan of the original, but was proud to constantly remind us that he had never seen the entirety of the series and how it wasn’t for him,” she explained while clearly noting the person was a male.

Deadline identified the reported critic of the revival as Disney Television Group President Craig Erwich.

Zhao spoke to Variety at the Oscars on March 15 about the situation, and she had a more positive spin.

“I had an incredible, incredible time with Sarah [Michelle Gellar], with all the cast and crew doing this. And we, first and foremost, see ourselves as the guardians of the original show,” Zhao said. “Our priority for Sarah and for us has always been to be truthful to the show, to be truthful to our fans. So, things happen for a reason, and we keep our hearts open, and we welcome the mystery, and what this might lead us to.”

The project may not be dead forever, though, even though this version appears to be done for good. According to Deadline, 20th Television is looking for a way to bring it back in the next few years.

More on Sarah Michelle Gellar:

Before you go, click here to see all the nostalgic hits getting movie and TV reboots.