CaptainWacky
I want to smell dark matter
Nora and Lilla Zuckerman (Poker Face) were going to be showrunners. Zhao was only directing the pilot.
Troll Kingdom
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Buffy: Slayer of the Vampyrs.
- Thread starter Mentalist
- Start date
CaptainWacky
I want to smell dark matter
Sarah was still talking about "finding what the show is about" (I can't find the quote now) just a few weeks ago,so yeah, looks like they didn't have a solid enough concept before filming the pilot?
Fuddlemiff
Is this real life?
What a shame that they didn’t figure it out before filming. I was apprehensive, as I always am with shows coming back, but it could’ve been really good.
CaptainWacky
I want to smell dark matter
I find it really weird they made such a big deal about announcing the casting of her and put that video of her excitedly finding out the news online, when the show was never guaranteed to happen. I guess it's hard to keep unreleased pilots a secret these days, but they should have waited until it got a season order before doing all the "THIS IS YOUR NEW SLAYER" stuff.
Speaking to Variety‘s Ramin Setoodeh and CNN’s Elizabeth Wagmeister on the Oscars red carpet, the Academy Award-winning director said she was “not surprised” by Hulu’s decision.
“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.”
Asked by Setoodeh if that meant Zhao and Gellar would be shopping the project to other distributors, Zhao cheekily repeated herself: “Welcome the mystery.”
Chloé Zhao ‘Not Surprised’ Hulu Killed ‘Buffy’ Reboot: ‘We Keep Our Hearts Open’ to ‘What This Might Lead Us To’
Chloé Zhao has reacted to Hulu killing her 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' reboot with Sarah Michelle Gellar: 'We keep our hearts open.'
variety.com
Well, this just comes off as weird to me. What do you mean you were not surprised? You made it. Isn't it your job to be surprised if the thing you are making gets cancelled before it sees the light of day?
Deadline also reported that the pilot was "less than perfect" and there was a feeling that Chloe Zhao wasn't the right sensibility for the show and that they were in talks to rework it all the way up to last week but eventually passed. I don't know how true any of that is but it sounds plausible.
Apparently the script (or part of it) has leaked online. When I find it I'll post it here.
Here is the leaked script:
Here is a synopsis of the first act (nicked from reddit)
The pilot opens in what appears to be a deserted hallway of the old Sunnydale High from the original show. The camera follows a girl dressed in a sexy school uniform outfit. She pulls out a stake and makes a joking remark suggesting this is just another routine vampire slaying.
Is it Buffy?
The girl turns around and it’s not Buffy but instead Stacy.
Suddenly a vampire drops from the ceiling behind her. She spins around and stakes him in the chest. But instead of turning to dust he cries out in pain.
Lights come on and a security guard rushes over. It’s revealed this isn’t Sunnydale High at all but a haunted house attraction built to look like it. Stacy is cosplaying as a Slayer and the “vampire” is just an actor.
The guard tells her she’s broken the rules because no sharp objects are allowed inside the attraction. Despite her protests that the stake is only plastic, she’s escorted out.
As she exits, we see the haunted house is just one part of a much larger festival called Vampire Weekend.
It’s basically a counter-culture festival somewhere between a renaissance fair and Comic Con, full of horror fans, goths, and tourists. People are cosplaying as famous vampires from Edward to Dracula to The Lost Boys. Some people are even dressed as Slayers, but in exaggerated, overly sexualized versions of the look.
Stacy is kicked out of the event while her boyfriend Chris argues he’s staying. He explains that it’s only preview night and not the real event yet, so she should just let it go. Stacy storms off home while Chris stays behind.
To get home she cuts through a construction site where massive redevelopment is happening. The town is clearly being rebuilt with luxury housing developments and new infrastructure.
She walks through what looks like an unfinished golf course, still under construction.
As she crosses a sand bunker her phone buzzes. It’s a message from Chris apologizing for not leaving the festival with her and attempting to make peace.
She smiles.
Then the sand behind her starts to move.
A pale female vampire with long hair crawls up from the bunker. She looks almost zombie-like, as if she hasn’t fed in years.
Before Stacy can react the vampire attacks, bites her, and drags her down into the sand.
Blood rises to the surface.
Sprinklers suddenly switch on and wash the blood away.
Stacy’s phone lies in the sand as additional messages from Chris keep appearing on the screen as he tries unsuccessfully to get a response.
The camera slowly pulls back to reveal a sign for the new development welcoming visitors to New Sunnydale.
⸻
After the opening sequence, the title card appears.
The next scene opens in a Nova’s bedroom. It’s night and she is tossing and turning, clearly having a bad dream.
She wakes suddenly and stumbles across the room, but as she moves she experiences flashes of three distinct visions: a silver cross, an arrow flying through the air, and a strange symbol splattered in blood.
Shaken, she goes into the bathroom and splashes cold water on her face. When she looks down she realizes her hands are covered in blood.
Panicking, she touches her mouth and her teeth begin falling into the sink. She feels inside her mouth and realizes fangs are growing.
She rushes to the mirror only to discover she has no reflection.
Then in the corner of the room she sees another version of herself. This version is different: steely, hardened, like a warrior.
The warrior version of her walks forward and stakes her through the heart.
She turns to dust.
Nova suddenly jerks awake in bed.
It’s morning.
It was all a dream.
⸻
Nova pulls herself together and gets ready for the day. On her laptop we see a half-completed application for a summer literary programme at Cambridge University in the UK.
Her dad calls to her from downstairs so she quickly closes the laptop. As she does she accidentally knocks something off the desk, but catches it with lightning-fast reflexes. She pauses for a moment, realizing that was a bit odd, but hurries downstairs.
At breakfast her dad notices she seems shaken and asks if she’s okay. It’s hinted that Nova has been through some difficult things in the past, but she brushes it off.
She mentions that she had a strange dream about vampires and jokes sarcastically about the timing given everything happening in town.
Her dad drives her to the nearest bus stop. As they pull up we see posters everywhere advertising Vampire Weekend. Some kids waiting at the bus stop are already dressed up for the festival.
Nova and her dad talk about it. She says it’s kind of lame to build an entire festival around some conspiracy theory about the old Sunnydale collapsing into a crater because of vampires.
According to her, and most sane people it was just a giant sinkhole.
Her dad responds with a joking comparison about how towns like Roswell have also turned strange local myths into tourist attractions.
⸻
They arrive at the bus stop in Old Sunnydale, on the outskirts of town.
It’s noticeably rundown compared to the new development. The bus stop sits directly outside a place called The Sink. It’s an old converted warehouse that now functions as a kind of alternative community hub. Inside are food stalls, vintage record sellers, an organic wine bar, and a courtyard where bands play at night.
Nova heads inside to grab a coffee before the bus arrives.
While she waits, she opens her laptop. The Cambridge summer literary programme application is still on the screen.
After a moment’s hesitation, she hits send.
The bus arrives and Nova heads to school.
As the bus travels we see the stark contrast between Old Sunnydale and New Sunnydale. The original crater where Sunnydale collapsed has been completely filled in and replaced with a pristine, newly built town.
Luxury housing, new infrastructure, and carefully planned developments stretch across what used to be the sinkhole.
After all, this is prime California real estate. It wasn’t going to stay empty forever.
Nova arrives at her school: New Sunnydale Academy.
The campus is sleek and modern, with signs everywhere for Vortechs, the local tech company that funded the school and much of the town’s redevelopment.
At New Sunnydale Academy there seems to be a clear divide between two groups of students: those from Old Sunnydale, arriving by bus, and those from New Sunnydale, pulling up in expensive cars.
Nova spots Hugo across the courtyard chatting with his friends. They’re talking about Vampire Weekend and whether they should go. Some of them say it’s lame, but they eventually decide they might check it out anyway for the girls in costumes.
In another hallway we meet Gracie, standing with her Christian friends at their lockers, also talking about the festival.
One of her friends suggests they should skip it because vampires and demons don’t feel very compatible with their religious beliefs. Another points out that it’s probably harmless since it’s all just fictional.
Gracie offers a different perspective.
She wonders whether the supernatural stories could actually be real. Her reasoning is that if God exists, then perhaps demons could exist as well. She references the long-standing rumours in town about Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Her friends dismiss the idea.
For most people in town, the stories about what actually happened in Sunnydale are treated as conspiracy theories, similar to the myths surrounding Roswell. The town has simply leaned into the legend and turned it into tourism with the Vampire Weekend festival.
But Gracie remains more open-minded. If demons existed, she reasons, it would make sense for someone to be sent to fight them. She compares Buffy to a Joan of Arc type figure.
⸻
The next scene is in class.
Nova is sitting next to Hugo. She lightly teases him about his interaction earlier with his friends, pointing out that she could see through the persona he was putting on to impress them.
Their history teacher, Mr. Burke, interrupts and asks if anyone wants to volunteer for a blood drive he’s running later that evening at the Vampire Weekend festival. The class responds with very little enthusiasm.
Carson arrives late to class. He’s a junior Olympic tennis player and clearly one of the popular students at school. Nova has a slightly awkward interaction with him, and it’s clear she has a bit of a crush.
Mr. Burke then asks the class which historical figure they’re profiling for their midterm projects.
Most of the students say Alexander Hamilton, much to Burke’s annoyance at their lack of imagination.
Nova says she’s doing Agatha Christie.
Then Gracie announces she’s profiling Buffy Summers - the Vampire Slayer.
The class reacts with groans. One student asks “wasn’t she just some girl who died in the sinkhole?”
Mr. Burke objects, explaining that Buffy the Vampire Slayer isn’t considered a historical figure but a myth.
Gracie insists she believes the stories about Buffy the Vampire Slayer and wants to attempt to prove they are true.
Burke eventually allows it but says she will need to rely on credible historical sources rather than conspiracy websites.
Nova doesn’t believe the stories, but she tries to help by suggesting a library in Old Sunnydale that has a section dedicated to the town’s history.
Gracie thanks her.
As she does, Nova notices the silver cross necklace around Gracie’s neck catching the light.
It’s the same cross she saw in her dream.
Nova pauses for a moment, unsettled, but quickly shakes it off.
Mr. Burke then asks which historical figure Larkin is profiling.
But Larkin isn’t in class.
She’s absent.
⸻
Meanwhile a ribbon cutting ceremony is taking place for Phase Two of the New Sunnydale development, next to the golf course from the opening scene.
Larkin and a group of protesters are demonstrating against the project, claiming the land the town is being built on is sacred.
Among the crowd is Nova’s dad, working as a photojournalist and taking pictures of the event.
At the edge of the ceremony, a supervisor notices that one of the sand bunkers on the golf course isn’t looking very “photo ready.” He signals for a small backhoe to quickly flip the sand so it looks cleaner for the cameras.
Just as the ribbon is cut, the backhoe digs into the bunker.
Instead of sand, it uncovers a body.
It’s Stacy, the girl from the opening scene. Her corpse is pale, her neck savaged with vampire bite marks.
The crowd erupts in horror.
Nova’s dad instinctively starts snapping photos.
Nearby, a construction worker smoking a cigarette watches the chaos unfold and remarks that this feels eerily similar to the kinds of events that used to happen in Sunnydale years ago.
End of Act One.
Here is a synopsis of the first act (nicked from reddit)
The pilot opens in what appears to be a deserted hallway of the old Sunnydale High from the original show. The camera follows a girl dressed in a sexy school uniform outfit. She pulls out a stake and makes a joking remark suggesting this is just another routine vampire slaying.
Is it Buffy?
The girl turns around and it’s not Buffy but instead Stacy.
Suddenly a vampire drops from the ceiling behind her. She spins around and stakes him in the chest. But instead of turning to dust he cries out in pain.
Lights come on and a security guard rushes over. It’s revealed this isn’t Sunnydale High at all but a haunted house attraction built to look like it. Stacy is cosplaying as a Slayer and the “vampire” is just an actor.
The guard tells her she’s broken the rules because no sharp objects are allowed inside the attraction. Despite her protests that the stake is only plastic, she’s escorted out.
As she exits, we see the haunted house is just one part of a much larger festival called Vampire Weekend.
It’s basically a counter-culture festival somewhere between a renaissance fair and Comic Con, full of horror fans, goths, and tourists. People are cosplaying as famous vampires from Edward to Dracula to The Lost Boys. Some people are even dressed as Slayers, but in exaggerated, overly sexualized versions of the look.
Stacy is kicked out of the event while her boyfriend Chris argues he’s staying. He explains that it’s only preview night and not the real event yet, so she should just let it go. Stacy storms off home while Chris stays behind.
To get home she cuts through a construction site where massive redevelopment is happening. The town is clearly being rebuilt with luxury housing developments and new infrastructure.
She walks through what looks like an unfinished golf course, still under construction.
As she crosses a sand bunker her phone buzzes. It’s a message from Chris apologizing for not leaving the festival with her and attempting to make peace.
She smiles.
Then the sand behind her starts to move.
A pale female vampire with long hair crawls up from the bunker. She looks almost zombie-like, as if she hasn’t fed in years.
Before Stacy can react the vampire attacks, bites her, and drags her down into the sand.
Blood rises to the surface.
Sprinklers suddenly switch on and wash the blood away.
Stacy’s phone lies in the sand as additional messages from Chris keep appearing on the screen as he tries unsuccessfully to get a response.
The camera slowly pulls back to reveal a sign for the new development welcoming visitors to New Sunnydale.
⸻
After the opening sequence, the title card appears.
The next scene opens in a Nova’s bedroom. It’s night and she is tossing and turning, clearly having a bad dream.
She wakes suddenly and stumbles across the room, but as she moves she experiences flashes of three distinct visions: a silver cross, an arrow flying through the air, and a strange symbol splattered in blood.
Shaken, she goes into the bathroom and splashes cold water on her face. When she looks down she realizes her hands are covered in blood.
Panicking, she touches her mouth and her teeth begin falling into the sink. She feels inside her mouth and realizes fangs are growing.
She rushes to the mirror only to discover she has no reflection.
Then in the corner of the room she sees another version of herself. This version is different: steely, hardened, like a warrior.
The warrior version of her walks forward and stakes her through the heart.
She turns to dust.
Nova suddenly jerks awake in bed.
It’s morning.
It was all a dream.
⸻
Nova pulls herself together and gets ready for the day. On her laptop we see a half-completed application for a summer literary programme at Cambridge University in the UK.
Her dad calls to her from downstairs so she quickly closes the laptop. As she does she accidentally knocks something off the desk, but catches it with lightning-fast reflexes. She pauses for a moment, realizing that was a bit odd, but hurries downstairs.
At breakfast her dad notices she seems shaken and asks if she’s okay. It’s hinted that Nova has been through some difficult things in the past, but she brushes it off.
She mentions that she had a strange dream about vampires and jokes sarcastically about the timing given everything happening in town.
Her dad drives her to the nearest bus stop. As they pull up we see posters everywhere advertising Vampire Weekend. Some kids waiting at the bus stop are already dressed up for the festival.
Nova and her dad talk about it. She says it’s kind of lame to build an entire festival around some conspiracy theory about the old Sunnydale collapsing into a crater because of vampires.
According to her, and most sane people it was just a giant sinkhole.
Her dad responds with a joking comparison about how towns like Roswell have also turned strange local myths into tourist attractions.
⸻
They arrive at the bus stop in Old Sunnydale, on the outskirts of town.
It’s noticeably rundown compared to the new development. The bus stop sits directly outside a place called The Sink. It’s an old converted warehouse that now functions as a kind of alternative community hub. Inside are food stalls, vintage record sellers, an organic wine bar, and a courtyard where bands play at night.
Nova heads inside to grab a coffee before the bus arrives.
While she waits, she opens her laptop. The Cambridge summer literary programme application is still on the screen.
After a moment’s hesitation, she hits send.
The bus arrives and Nova heads to school.
As the bus travels we see the stark contrast between Old Sunnydale and New Sunnydale. The original crater where Sunnydale collapsed has been completely filled in and replaced with a pristine, newly built town.
Luxury housing, new infrastructure, and carefully planned developments stretch across what used to be the sinkhole.
After all, this is prime California real estate. It wasn’t going to stay empty forever.
Nova arrives at her school: New Sunnydale Academy.
The campus is sleek and modern, with signs everywhere for Vortechs, the local tech company that funded the school and much of the town’s redevelopment.
At New Sunnydale Academy there seems to be a clear divide between two groups of students: those from Old Sunnydale, arriving by bus, and those from New Sunnydale, pulling up in expensive cars.
Nova spots Hugo across the courtyard chatting with his friends. They’re talking about Vampire Weekend and whether they should go. Some of them say it’s lame, but they eventually decide they might check it out anyway for the girls in costumes.
In another hallway we meet Gracie, standing with her Christian friends at their lockers, also talking about the festival.
One of her friends suggests they should skip it because vampires and demons don’t feel very compatible with their religious beliefs. Another points out that it’s probably harmless since it’s all just fictional.
Gracie offers a different perspective.
She wonders whether the supernatural stories could actually be real. Her reasoning is that if God exists, then perhaps demons could exist as well. She references the long-standing rumours in town about Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Her friends dismiss the idea.
For most people in town, the stories about what actually happened in Sunnydale are treated as conspiracy theories, similar to the myths surrounding Roswell. The town has simply leaned into the legend and turned it into tourism with the Vampire Weekend festival.
But Gracie remains more open-minded. If demons existed, she reasons, it would make sense for someone to be sent to fight them. She compares Buffy to a Joan of Arc type figure.
⸻
The next scene is in class.
Nova is sitting next to Hugo. She lightly teases him about his interaction earlier with his friends, pointing out that she could see through the persona he was putting on to impress them.
Their history teacher, Mr. Burke, interrupts and asks if anyone wants to volunteer for a blood drive he’s running later that evening at the Vampire Weekend festival. The class responds with very little enthusiasm.
Carson arrives late to class. He’s a junior Olympic tennis player and clearly one of the popular students at school. Nova has a slightly awkward interaction with him, and it’s clear she has a bit of a crush.
Mr. Burke then asks the class which historical figure they’re profiling for their midterm projects.
Most of the students say Alexander Hamilton, much to Burke’s annoyance at their lack of imagination.
Nova says she’s doing Agatha Christie.
Then Gracie announces she’s profiling Buffy Summers - the Vampire Slayer.
The class reacts with groans. One student asks “wasn’t she just some girl who died in the sinkhole?”
Mr. Burke objects, explaining that Buffy the Vampire Slayer isn’t considered a historical figure but a myth.
Gracie insists she believes the stories about Buffy the Vampire Slayer and wants to attempt to prove they are true.
Burke eventually allows it but says she will need to rely on credible historical sources rather than conspiracy websites.
Nova doesn’t believe the stories, but she tries to help by suggesting a library in Old Sunnydale that has a section dedicated to the town’s history.
Gracie thanks her.
As she does, Nova notices the silver cross necklace around Gracie’s neck catching the light.
It’s the same cross she saw in her dream.
Nova pauses for a moment, unsettled, but quickly shakes it off.
Mr. Burke then asks which historical figure Larkin is profiling.
But Larkin isn’t in class.
She’s absent.
⸻
Meanwhile a ribbon cutting ceremony is taking place for Phase Two of the New Sunnydale development, next to the golf course from the opening scene.
Larkin and a group of protesters are demonstrating against the project, claiming the land the town is being built on is sacred.
Among the crowd is Nova’s dad, working as a photojournalist and taking pictures of the event.
At the edge of the ceremony, a supervisor notices that one of the sand bunkers on the golf course isn’t looking very “photo ready.” He signals for a small backhoe to quickly flip the sand so it looks cleaner for the cameras.
Just as the ribbon is cut, the backhoe digs into the bunker.
Instead of sand, it uncovers a body.
It’s Stacy, the girl from the opening scene. Her corpse is pale, her neck savaged with vampire bite marks.
The crowd erupts in horror.
Nova’s dad instinctively starts snapping photos.
Nearby, a construction worker smoking a cigarette watches the chaos unfold and remarks that this feels eerily similar to the kinds of events that used to happen in Sunnydale years ago.
End of Act One.
As its written on the page I don't think there is anything egregiously bad that sticks out at me. The whole Buffy being treated like a mythic figure and not a real person is definitely weird, but overall reading the script doesn't scream at me that it was this super misguided story idea. A few eyebrow raisers with the whole logic of building over Sunnydale but nothing THAT crazy.
The big takeaway is probably that Buffy only arrives in the last moments of the episode but if you are worried about that then that seems like a rework thing, not a cancel the whole project thing. Also, I think the reveal works fine for a pilot. Maybe a little disappointing for those chomping at the bit to see Buffy kicking ass and quipping straight away perhaps but hardly a deal breaker.
Should be noted the script (which I'm almost certain is real btw) was penned in 2024 and the pilot was filmed in august 2025 so we don't know what the filming script was like compared to this but from the set leaks it definitely wasn't a million miles off.
The big takeaway is probably that Buffy only arrives in the last moments of the episode but if you are worried about that then that seems like a rework thing, not a cancel the whole project thing. Also, I think the reveal works fine for a pilot. Maybe a little disappointing for those chomping at the bit to see Buffy kicking ass and quipping straight away perhaps but hardly a deal breaker.
Should be noted the script (which I'm almost certain is real btw) was penned in 2024 and the pilot was filmed in august 2025 so we don't know what the filming script was like compared to this but from the set leaks it definitely wasn't a million miles off.
CaptainWacky
I want to smell dark matter
(I'll read it later.)
At least we're getting a Firefly cartoon for some reason: https://deadline.com/2026/03/nathan-fillion-firefly-animated-series-development-1236754122/
At least we're getting a Firefly cartoon for some reason: https://deadline.com/2026/03/nathan-fillion-firefly-animated-series-development-1236754122/
Okay folks, major MAJOR 
Sarah saying that an executive was being a cock nose (my phrasing not hers) about the whole production and would keep reminding them that he didn't like the original show and that the decision came down to him. It really doesn't feel that it should be that hard to dig into who that person is. This also makes Chloe Zhaos comments about not being surprised make a whole lot more sense.
This is pretty juicy, tbh. Given the history of Joss in relation to Btvs (obviously) and Sarah the fact that another man in a position of power has basically pissed in everyone's cornflakes sounds like it might gain some media traction. It's also very unusual for Sarah to be this forthright about behind the scenes goings on so I'm guessing she's pretty fucking pissed.
I have a strong feeling this is not the end of this story.
Sarah saying that an executive was being a cock nose (my phrasing not hers) about the whole production and would keep reminding them that he didn't like the original show and that the decision came down to him. It really doesn't feel that it should be that hard to dig into who that person is. This also makes Chloe Zhaos comments about not being surprised make a whole lot more sense.
This is pretty juicy, tbh. Given the history of Joss in relation to Btvs (obviously) and Sarah the fact that another man in a position of power has basically pissed in everyone's cornflakes sounds like it might gain some media traction. It's also very unusual for Sarah to be this forthright about behind the scenes goings on so I'm guessing she's pretty fucking pissed.
I have a strong feeling this is not the end of this story.
CaptainWacky
I want to smell dark matter
'Buffy': Inside Story Of How High-Profile Reboot Was Shockingly Slayed
The inside story of how the high-profile 'Buffy' reboot starring Sarah Michelle Gellar was shockingly axed by Hulu to the surprise of everyone.
deadline.com
CaptainWacky
I want to smell dark matter
SLAYER OF HEARTS.
Nicky doing well then
www.yahoo.com
Buffy’s Nicholas Brendon ‘Threw Objects’ at Workers, Tracked Contractor With Airtag, Court Docs Claim
Buffy the Vampire Slayer star Nicholas Brendon has been accused of throwing things at construction workers and tracking a man who was hired to do home renovations at his Midwest property amid an ongoi...
Eggs Mayonnaise
All In With The Nuts
Doesn't sound like he's nuts, just that a lot of bad stuff has happened to him (health-wise). 
Doesn't sound like he's nuts, just that a lot of bad stuff has happened to him (health-wise).
Nicholas Brendon is a PROLIFIC domestic abuser. Not only to his own partners but to those who are unlucky to meet him at conventions, etc. He's been banned from the circuit now. It's so bad there is an entire support group on Facebook for people who have been abused by him.
