Hulu has opted not to proceed with its Buffy reboot, starring and executive produced by Sarah Michelle Gellar. She broke the news to fans on Instagram Saturday morning.
The news comes a year after the streamer ordered a pilot for the project, with Oscar winner Chloé Zhao, a self-professed lifelong Buffy fan, directing from a script written by Nora and Lilla Zuckerman (Poker Face).
The decision comes after weeks of speculation about the fate of the pilot. Sources described it as “not perfect,” noting the Zhao’s sensibility may not have been the perfect match for the reboot. Zhao is now riding a wave of critical acclaim for her latest movie, Hamnet.
There had been talk about reworking the pilot. In the end, Hulu opted not to proceed with it but remains high on the Buffy IP and plans to regroup and mull a possible new incarnation of the beloved franchise.
Ryan Kiera Armstrong landed the lead opposite Gellar in the Buffy pilot, playing the new slayer in the untitled Buffyverse project, with Gellar reprising her signature role as Buffy Summers.
The pilot came from 20th Television and Searchlight TV.
