The upcoming &34;New Sunnydale&34; had a pilot helmed by Oscarwinning director Chloé Zhao. Buffy revival series killed at Hulu, Sarah Michelle Gellar reveals The upcoming &34;New Sunnydale&34; had a pilot helmed by Oscarwinning director Chloé Zhao. By Wesley Stenzel :maxbytes(150000):stripicc()/WesleyStenzelauthorphoto32b61793a2784639af623f2ae091477e.jpg) Wesley Stenzel Wesley Stenzel is a news writer at . He began writing for EW in 2022. EW's editorial guidelines March 14, 2026 2:04 p.m.

The upcoming "New Sunnydale" had a pilot helmed by Oscar-winning director Chloé Zhao.

*Buffy *revival series killed at Hulu, Sarah Michelle Gellar reveals

The upcoming "New Sunnydale" had a pilot helmed by Oscar-winning director Chloé Zhao.

By Wesley Stenzel

Wesley Stenzel

Wesley Stenzel is a news writer at **. He began writing for EW in 2022.

EW's editorial guidelines

March 14, 2026 2:04 p.m. ET

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Sarah Michelle Gellar on 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' in 1998. Credit:

The *Buffy the Vampire Slayer* revival series is not happening after all.

Sarah Michelle Gellar, who portrayed the titular hero on the original show and was set to star in its upcoming follow-up, *New Sunnydale*, has revealed that Hulu has killed the project.

"I am really sad to have to share this, but I want you all to hear it from me," the actress said in an Instagram video on Saturday. "Unfortunately, Hulu has decided not to move forward with *Buffy: New Sunnydale*."

Sarah Michelle Gellar at SXSW 2026 in Austin on March 13, 2026.

The show's pilot was helmed by Oscar-winning *Nomadland *director Chloé Zhao, who helped convince Gellar that it was time to bring the show back.

"I wanna thank Chloé Zhao because I never thought I would find myself back in Buffy's stylish yet affordable boots," Gellar said, "and thanks to Chloé, I was reminded of how much I love her and how much she means not only to me, but to all of you. And this doesn't change any of that."

Gellar concluded, "I promise, if the apocalypse actually comes, you can still beep me."

** has reached out to representatives for Hulu for comment and more information.

Sarah Michelle Gellar in season 4 of 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer'.

20th Century Fox Film Corp; Courtesy Everett

The original *Buffy* ran for seven seasons from 1997 to 2003. The series also inspired the spinoff *Angel*, which ran for five seasons from 1999 to 2004.

EW reported that Gellar was in talks to revive the series in a Hulu project in February 2025, with Zhao set as director and executive producer and *Poker Face* alums Nora Zuckerman and Lilla Zuckerman serving as writers.

Gellar confirmed her interest in the potential revival shortly after, explaining that a long, enthusiastic meeting with Zhao helped her understand the vision for the project after she had resisted signing on to a revival for years.

"I have always listened to the fans and heard your desire to revisit Buffy and her world, but it was not something I could do unless I was sure we would get it right," Gellar said at the time. "This has been a long process, and it's not over yet. I promise you, we will only make this show if we know we can do it right. And I will tell you that we are on the path there."

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In May, Gellar announced that Ryan Kiera Armstrong had been cast as a new slayer and would star alongside her in the revival.

Gellar had also teased that *New Sunnydale* would feel distinct from the original show's later chapters. "It will be lighter than the last few seasons of the original," Gellar told *Vanity Fair*. "We will try to find a balance between new and old characters. My dream is to bring back everyone who has died, but space will have to be made for new stories as well."

The actress added that the creative team hoped to update *Buffy* for contemporary audiences. "We're trying to figure out how to modernize the themes of the series, especially what it means to feel like an outsider in a world dominated by social media," she said. "What we want to explore are the space-time boundaries that affect society today."

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Gellar previously told EW that working on the recent *Dexter* revival, *Original Sin,* helped her shift her attitude about a possible *Buffy* return.

"It's definitely changed my perspective on it," Gellar said. "I've had long talks with Michael C. Hall, too, about it. Because I think there was always this idea of you can't go home again, and you can't recreate magic. And then you realize that sometimes there are more stories to tell and there are other ways. So it definitely changed my 'never say never' attitude."**

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Source: "EW Sci-Fi"

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Source: Sci-Fi

Published: March 14, 2026 at 02:57PM on Source: PRIME TIME

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