Buffy the vampire slayer reboot canceled: sarah michelle gellar blames single hostile executive

Hulu's shock cancellation of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot has left fans reeling, with star Sarah Michelle Gellar blaming a single, hostile executive for the project's demise.

Gellar slams 'proud non-fan' for making reboot an 'uphill battle'

Gellar, who played the titular Slayer in the original series, opened up about the cancellation during a recent interview with People magazine. She claimed the executive in question had never even watched the original show and would frequently remind the cast and crew of this fact.

'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,' Gellar said, emphasizing the challenges this presented for the reboot's creators.

'So that tells you the uphill battle that we had been fighting since day one, when your executive is literally proud to tell you that he didn't watch it. So how do you do a show that's beloved with someone that doesn't love it?' the actress questioned.

Gellar also expressed her disappointment at being informed of the cancellation just before taking the stage for the premiere of her new film, Ready or Not 2, while co-director Chloé Zhao was preparing for the Oscars, where she was nominated for Best Director.

'I got the call as we were stepping onto stage for the premiere of their own movie [Ready or Not 2]. And it's also the weekend of Chloé going to the Oscars as a best director nominee for Hamnet,' Gellar recounted. 'For them to call us on the Friday of what should have been Chloé's victory lap for an incredible film, and my world premiere of something that I worked very hard for, is. That says something.'

Despite the abrupt end to this iteration of the Buffy reboot, Gellar remained optimistic about the franchise's future, praising the talent of young actress Ryan Kiera Armstrong, who was cast as the new Slayer.

'I'd like to use this moment also to say that Ryan Kiera Armstrong is a superstar,' Gellar noted. 'I'm gutted that no one will see her as a Slayer.'

For now, it seems the door has closed on this specific reboot, but fans remain hopeful that the Buffyverse will live on in some form.