Buffy the Vampire Slayer revival is 'frequently' discussed, says Fox head

With the current golden age of reboots and revivals, will Buffy Summers live to slay another day? According to Gary Newman, head of the Fox Television Group, a return of Buffy the Vampire Slayer is something that’s “frequently” discussed but would never happen without the blessing of series creator Joss Whedon. Fox produced the vampire series for the WB and UPN networks until 2003.

“It’s something we talk about frequently, and Joss Whedon is really one of the greatest creators we ever worked with,” Newman said at the INTV Conference in Jerusalem Tuesday, as reported by Variety. “When Joss decides it’s time, we’ll do it. And until Joss decides it’s time, it won’t happen.”

But does Whedon want to revive it? When EW reunited the cast to celebrate the show’s 20th anniversary in 2017, he seemed to think a revival could work.

“Everything sort of finds its way back somewhere,” Whedon said. “I’ve been trying deliberately to move forward and do something a little bit different. But yeah, the great thing is everybody looks great, and the other great thing is the show is about growing up. If we did it with these guys, they’d be the age they basically are. They’d probably play a little younger because they can do that. But yeah, you’d see somebody going through their life at a different stage. It wouldn’t be like, ‘I can’t believe we’re still in high school! I wear Depends!’”

Newman further acknowledged that he “wouldn’t get out of the building alive” if he actually announced a Buffy reboot, but said the property is “the most ripe show we have for bringing back.”

Newman does see the “marketing opportunity” that comes with reviving past hits, especially when there’s so much television in development. “[If] people are aware of the show, you don’t have to build awareness,” he said. “If the show’s beloved, you get a great deal of intent to view right from the get-go.”

Sarah Michelle Gellar starred as Buffy in the original series, and the story of the Slayer still speaks volumes today.

“The most important thing to me is that I have had people come up to me and say the show made me feel different about what they could be, about what they could do, about how they respond to problems, about being a female leader,” Whedon told EW. “People getting strength from my own little terrors is… There is no better legacy than that.”

Gellar then marked the 21st anniversary, which had an added significance this year.

“I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the anniversary of #btvs is the same week as #internationalwomensday,” the actress wrote on Instagram. “I have always believed that the world is changed by your example, not by your opinion. We have all learned a lot from Buffy, and the best part is, that never ends.”