Buffy reboot afoot
We knew it was coming. Deep down we all knew that somewhere along the line, the legendary awesomeness that is Buffy the Vampire Slayer would be given some kind of emergency CPR and forced to return to our screens. It was only so long before the first girl who made it cool to have a creature of the night boyfriend would return and show everyone who is boss. Yet it was still a shock when Atlas Entertainment announced its plans to reboot our beloved Buffy as a feature film franchise without Joss Whedon. Minus the man who made seven seasons of true genius, incredible characters, comedy, horror, romance and everything in between. It doesn’t bear thinking about.
Originally starring Kristy Swanson, Buffy the Vampire Slayer was a truly terrible teen movie released in 1992. Written by Joss Whedon and directed by Fran Rubel Kuzui the film flopped at the box office. In 1996, Whedon and Kazui teamed up with Gail Berman and sold the concept this time as a TV series with a different approach. And so began one of the most successful sci fi series of all time. Starring Sarah Michelle Gellar, Alyson Hannigan, Nicholas Brendan and Anthony Stewart Head as the eponymous Scooby Gang, it was a breath of fresh air when it appeared on our screens. Seven astounding seasons (well, it depends where you stand on Season 7, comments at the bottom folks) and now here comes the inevitable rehashing. Tackling so many issues head on, and even being the first television series to show a lesbian sex scene between Willow and her girlfriend Kennedy (boo, hiss for Tara fans) Buffy was a stunning and well thought out piece of television. Joss Whedon’s passion for his characters was unparalled.
Writer Whit Anderson (completely unknown actress turned screenwriter) apparently has an exciting new take on the story. As far as every Buffy fan is concerned, it was already exciting enough. Remove cast and writer from the series and what is left? Probably dollar signs. Whedon is unimpressed. As a statement he made to E! News states.
‘This is a sad, sad reflection on our times, when people must feed off the carcasses of beloved stories from their youths-just because they can’t think of an original idea of their own, like I did with my Avengers idea that I made up myself.
Obviously I have strong, mixed emotions about something like this. My first reaction upon hearing who was writing it was, “Whit Stillman AND Wes Anderson? This is gonna be the most sardonically adorable movie EVER.” Apparently I was misinformed. Then I thought, “I’ll make a mint! This is worth more than all my Toy Story residuals combined!” Apparently I am seldom informed of anything. And possibly a little slow. But seriously, are vampires even popular any more?
I always hoped that Buffy would live on even after my death. But, you know, AFTER. I don’t love the idea of my creation in other hands, but I’m also well aware that many more hands than mine went into making that show what it was. And there is no legal grounds for doing anything other than sighing audibly. I can’t wish people who are passionate about my little myth ill. I can, however, take this time to announce that I’m making a Batman movie. Because there’s a franchise that truly needs updating. So look for The Dark Knight Rises Way Earlier Than That Other One And Also More Cheaply And In Toronto, rebooting into a theater near you.’
With all the Buffy cast berating the news on Twitter, what do you think? Is there any chance this could be anything less than awful? With a release date rumoured to be 2011, this doesn’t bode well.
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