Sarah Michelle Gellar

Sarah Michelle Gellar has thrown her support behind the reboot of ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’, a role and TV series that Gellar made famous from 1997-2003.  The new version, announced in July, comes from Joss Whedon who created the first seriesm after a comedy film version proved unsuccessful years before, and ‘Midnight, Texas’ creator Monica Owusu-Breen.  One thing that may have ruffled feathers, was the announcement that the new Buffy would be African American.

Gellar, who is now 41, said:

“At the end of the day, it’s all about great storytelling.  If a story lives on, then I think it should be told in any incarnation it can be told in.”

Owusu-Breen addressed the fan uproar shortly after the announcement of the reboot was made, saying:

“Before I became a writer, I was a fan. For seven seasons, I watched Buffy Summers grow up, find love, kill that love. I watched her fight, and struggle and slay. There is only one Buffy. One Xander, one Willow, Giles, Cordelia, Oz, Tara, Kendra, Faith, Spike, Angel … They can’t be replaced.”

Among Gellar’s costars, the reaction has been mixed.  James Marsters, who played vampire bad guy-turned-good guy Spike, expressed faith is Whedon and offered to appear on the reboot, as either Spike or any other role Whedon could concoct for him.  But Alyson Hannigan, who played Buffy’s BFF Willow, was more hesitant, lamenting “Honestly, they should just put reruns on primetime. I feel like the old show would still hold up.”

This weekend, David Boreanaz, who played Buffy’s tortured vampire beau Angel, addressed a crowd at New York Comic Con that booed the the mention of the reboot, saying:

“Come on, guys, it’s a good thing. Let’s just embrace [it]. I’m very happy for them. They want to embrace a new generation, something new. … Everybody wants old, they want to go back, which I can understand. You want to see us back in these roles. It’s great, it’s cool, [but] things move on, stories evolve, times change. I think it’s a great opportunity for a reboot like this to show where we are with society now, what you can do with technology. How you can explore those relationships with the same kinds of metaphors. I’m all for it. I think it’s fantastic. Good for them. I hope that it becomes huge and successful, and does what it does.”

Gellar’s reaction?  “I’m with David.”

Source: People