Apparently Buffy is being rebooted...

[frelling_tralk]

Urgh sorry to have disappeared for so long, I’ve finally managed to resolve the issues with my home broadband :shakes fist at TalkTalk:

So what does everyone think about the news that’s just come out on a Buffy reboot?

One of the most beloved TV series of the past two decades, Joss Whedon’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer, is making a comeback. A reboot of the supernatural drama is in development at Fox 21 TV Studios, the cable/streaming division of 20th Century Fox TV, the studios behind the original series, which ran for seven seasons, first on the WB and then on UPN

Midnight, Texas creator Monica Owusu-Breen has been tapped as writer, executive producer and showrunner of the new Buffy the Vampire Slayer, with the original series’ creator and showrunner Whedon set to executive produce alongside original series’ exec producers Gail Berman, Fran Kazui and Kaz Kazui as well as Joe Earley from Berman’s Jackal Group.

The new version, which will be pitched to streaming and cable networks this summer, will be contemporary, building on the mythology of the original. Per the producers: “Like our world, it will be richly diverse, and like the original, some aspects of the series could be seen as metaphors for issues facing us all today.”

According to sources, the diversity in the show’s description reflects the producers’ intention for the new slayer to be African American. The sources cautioned that the project is still in nascent stages with no script, and many details are still in flux

(Article from deadline which LJ won’t let me link)

I’m really struggling to understand why they would want to recast Buffy the character? I’m sure that many fans would love it if this new show was a sequel with brand new characters and the new actress playing her own slayer, that way they could also feature some of the Buffy characters in cameos even as it would be an actual continuation of the original. Or they could follow the story of a slayer set in the past, how awesome could that be! But very few of us want to see Buffy’s story rebooted, the original was good enough for me

Comments

[petzipellepingo.livejournal.com]

Yes, LJ considers Deadline to be spam which makes no sense.

[frelling-tralk.livejournal.com]

Yep, I did try and link the source, but LJ wasn’t having it!

[rogueslayer452.livejournal.com]

I completely agree with you. I'm unhappy about this whole thing.

It would be more appropriate, and even better, if they would focus on a story that is of another Slayer. Either before Buffy Summers or was one of the Potentials post-S7, because the mythology surrounding the Slayer isn't just confided to one individual person. Buffy was just one story, but there are dozens upon dozens more with other Slayers outside of her. Rebooting an iconic character from an iconic and groundbreaking show is not only disrespectful, it also makes no sense. Again, much like with all the other reboots of well-known shows of that time (Charmed, Roswell, etc) it's just trying to cash in on this trend (aka, lazy as fuck) without really thinking about the alternatives for a more original story.

Never mind that the cast has mentioned previously that they are not thrilled of any kind of reboot of the show or character, no matter what. Yeah, Joss is involved in some way, but it just makes it seem rather....meh. idk. Like, they had to get him aboard somehow to make it acceptable, but even then, it's just not a good look.

You have have a diverse and inclusive show with the mythos of that world....just without recreating the character of Buffy Summers. Have the main character be an original character, telling her story as a Slayer, instead of just remaking the entirety of a beloved character. We've already had Buffy's story, it's time for a new girl to have hers.

[frelling-tralk.livejournal.com]

That just seems like such a no-brainer to me, especially as a Faith spin-off almost happened at one point, so a new show set around a completely different kind of slayer to Buffy could be really cool. But I keep reading that they’re recasting Buffy herself, and really what’s the point of telling her story again when that’s already been done? They could just come up with a brand new slayer, and call it ‘___ The Vampire Slayer’, that way it still clearly has that name brand recognition from the original show, without being a reboot of something that’s already been done. It’s frustrating too when the Buffyverse has so many fresh potential storylines to tell in that universe (Tales Of The Slayers or Fray being televised for one?)

I get the feeling that Joss is getting a credit in name only kind of thing, just because there was such a backlash last time there was talk of rebooting Buffy without involving him. It sounds like he’s going to be more tied up with his new show on HBO though, and that the Buffy reboot is going to more or less be the new showrunners concept to run with

[http://users.livejournal.com/_profiterole_/]

Just from reading the article, I assumed it would be a new Slayer, not Buffy herself, but maybe it doesn't make as much sense to them as it makes to us. ^^;;

[frelling-tralk.livejournal.com]

I wondered that as everyone is saying that a new slayer show makes the most sense, but I’m definitely reading about them casting an actress to play Buffy, so it does seem like it’s being marketed as a straight-up reboot at the moment and it will be a new actress playing the role of Buffy? I’m hoping that plans could change once the backlash becomes apparent though lol, it doesn’t sound like talks are that far along at the moment

[valeria-sg-1.livejournal.com]

I'm done with all these reboots. I agree that expanding on the existing universe, maybe including a couple of cameos by the originals would have been fine enough. A completely different era would have been cool as well. Victorian age or the roaring 20s for example.
I don't see the need to do the same thing with a different cast. Same for Charmed.

Also, these shows are still fairly recent. Rebooting may make sense if you're picking up where you left off with the same characters, like Twin Peaks, the X-Files, or Will & Grace (or Roseanne, but let's not talk about that trainwreck). What's the point of re-doing a show with different people when the show hasn't been off the air even that long and the original actors are still in their 40s?

[frelling-tralk.livejournal.com]

Totally agree! Some kind of historical show looking at different slayers through the ages could be really badass, but I just don’t see the point in attempting to redo Buffy when they did that already. The show might be a little dated in some respects, but it still holds up

[sueworld2003.livejournal.com]

I may be biased but I think this is going to stink. :(

[frelling-tralk.livejournal.com]

Honestly I know that it’s not exactly the done thing to still admire Joss’s work these days, but I really can’t see this version living up to the original if there’s a new showrunner and Joss isn’t the one running things :shrugs: Having an executive producer credit is one thing, but it very much sounds like it’s going to be The Midnight Texas creators show, so that doesn’t give me much hope that it’s going to capture the tone of the original any better than any other generic vampire show would. It might still turn out to be a legitimately good show with that writers vision (I don’t really know much of her previous work to say), but is it going to feel anything like Buffy is the question

[liliaeth]

esp. since every character would constantly gets compared to the version of them in the original. With people having expectations and demands.

Just look at the new Star Trek. Sure plenty of people like it, but there's that endless comparison.

If they'd just use a new Slayer, they could also work with making her different in that she isn't the only slayer in the world, and thus making her story inherently different from Buffy's from the start.

[shakatany.livejournal.com]

Hmm if they had the Buffy series happen around the turn of the century and the new Vampire Slayer happen around 2019/2020 and they didn't remake the original series then perhaps over the past 20 years many of the original slayers could have perished at the hands of villains that the new heroine has to stop. That might be interesting especially if some of the original characters could guest star on ____ the Vampire Slayer.

Shakatany

[domluver.livejournal.com]

Yeah I really don't like this news at all. I was a big Buffy fan when I was younger (I remember going on a trip for school and calling home to make sure Buffy was taped) and I just don't think it's a good idea. A sequel would be much better because you could bring in Buffy and the other characters if you wanted and still be able to keep it it's own thing.

They are shooting themselves in the foot for this bad idea.

[frelling-tralk.livejournal.com]

I just don’t know who they are expecting to appeal to with this, nearly all the fans that I’ve seen so far are very frustrated at the idea of Buffy being recast (and there was this exact same reaction last time they raised the possibility of a reboot), while a lot of us are open to a new story with an original slayer

[bm-shipper.livejournal.com]

So what does everyone think about the news that’s just come out on a Buffy reboot?

That obviously NO ONE has new and Original ideas anymore? I never watchd Buffy or Angel (probably never will), but it's bad enough they are remaking Charmed and Roswell, which are not THAT old at all, and it seems like they are remaking EVERYTHING these days... I just told a friend I'm waiting for a "Lost" or "Heroes" remake, or maybe even Queer as folk, as that's a quite old show and they have had this "Celebration photoshoot", so you never know...

Some remakes are good, especially if you are "young enough" not to know the Original (in my case for example I really enjoyed the new Hawaii Five-0, never watched the Original one, or also Lethal Weapon - never watched the movie or such), but then there are the ones that make me wanna scream... like McGyver, and while I do like the actors, I just think the show itself is SUPER stupid, compared to the Original. Which I have on DVD completely...

I'm almost waiting for them to "figure out" that hey, BAYWATCH was a huge success back then, let's bring that back... oh wait... they kinda did with the movie they already made...

I just hope they never touch my beloved "21 Jump Street" or "Dr. Quinn"... but you never know...

But hey: Why not cancel every Original show and just do remakes and reboots anymore? Yes, I'm still (very) bitter about the cancelation of my favorite show of all times, and I highly doubt that is gonna change at all :( But since it was an Original and no reboot or remake, it's no surprise it got axed... *shrugs*

[frelling-tralk.livejournal.com]

Totally agree! I can understand it in some respects, like with Battlestar Galactica for example that was a case of the writers seeing it as a cool concept that didn’t reach its full potential, so they wanted to do their own grittier version of it, okay fine that’s bringing something new to the table. But what’s the point in these new reboots just telling the same story again with a different cast?

It’s almost like saying that modern audiences won’t sit through anything that’s more than ten years old, so let’s just remake older films and tv shows instead (literally frame by frame once in the case of the movie Psycho!) just because anything deemed ~old~ is automatically dated and irrelevant

[honeymink]

Like others have already said more eloquently, I compeletely agree – I think Buffy as a character was well explored, in the movie (yes, sorry I consider that part of canon though others do not), the show most of all, and also the comics I guess. I do not see why they couldn't take this as an opportunity to expand on the universe. Either like you said with a setting in the past – or really, with one of the potentials (obviously it doesn't have to be one we met in s7 but could be a new character) who became a full slayer through the events of s7. I don't see what we would gain from a re-boot. Then again, I have real trouble with all these re-boots... I think one of the only ones I liked was when they tried to do a new version of "V" almost 10 years ago now? I though that fell into the same cateogry as the new Battlestar Galactica. More of a true re-imagining of the story and it was decades after the original.

[frelling-tralk.livejournal.com]

Absolutely, I keep repeating myself here, but it just seems like such an obvious thing to explore the many possibilities that the Buffyverse offers, rather than trying to tell Buffy’s story again with a new actress. Keeping the continuity with Chosen would be awesome, than they could do a proper follow-up on how it turned out with awakening all the slayers, but through the eyes of a new and younger character. They could then also consider cameos from Buffy, Willow, Xander, Giles etc once the show was established. I could see that getting a much more positive response from the fans

[ragnarok-08.livejournal.com]

I couldn't agree more.

[frelling-tralk.livejournal.com]

:)

[eiffels.livejournal.com]

I’m honestly so confused about it. Like I get they want to have more diversity and stuff but...Buffy is such a classic!

[frelling-tralk.livejournal.com]

Exactly, and I’m at all against them having a new slayer show with a more diverse cast, but why does it have to be a reboot of Buffy?

[geekslave.livejournal.com]

Like others have said a straight up reboot is a completely dumbass idea. It's like "my God the body isn't even cold yet." They really need to start waiting for at least 20 years starting at the end date - of a show before even considering a stupid reboot. It's lucky Supernatural is still on the air after a bazillion years or they'd already be talking about rebooting that. It's ridiculous to be rebooting this or Charmed or Roswell already. And if a reboot just had to be made they have a full-proof way to do based on the show's starting concept about one slayer in every generation (and picking a different slayer other than Buffy) or continuing where the show left off and picking one of the many chosen slayers (or maybe even a few of them) and doing a show based around that.

Stacey

[frelling-tralk.livejournal.com]

And I feel like it’s especially ridiculous when you’re talking about shows that became iconic and beloved very much because of the actors playing those roles (Buffy obviously, and also shows like idk X-Files, Supernatural, Farscape etc), and then you’re just going to try and redo the concept with different actors. Good luck with that!

[wendelah1]

It seems a little too soon for a reboot to me.

[frelling-tralk.livejournal.com]

Definitely, Buffy only just celebrated their 20th anniversary for goodness sake, it’s not that old a show at all

[nemophilist.livejournal.com]

I'm on board if she's a new slayer. Why can't we just have a new storyline??

[frelling-tralk.livejournal.com]

I am hoping that they might rethink things and come up with a new slayer in response to the backlash, but we’ll just have to wait and see I suppose!

[sabotabby]

I have a number of reservations, much as there's a big part of me that would love to see a black Slayer as the main character of a show.

Buffy was groundbreaking for its time, but since then there have been a lot of supernatural-themed shows with quippy, ass-kicking female leads (in fact, nearly all urban fantasy!). What is going to make this stand out from them?

Has Joss Whedon evolved as a writer at all since then?

Why does everything have to get rebooted? I agree that if anything, a continuation with new characters would be way better. But also, I'd like to see new ideas from new writers.

[velvetwhip.livejournal.com]

I think a black Slayer could be FABULOUS, but why not make her a brand new Slayer with her own exciting and new backstory and journey? Imagine if she were a school shooting survivor struggling against a commitment to nonviolence? Or a BLM activist? There are a million exciting things you could do with a BRAND NEW character who's also a young woman of colour. Why does she have to be a cynically-crafted version of the suburban Buffy we already know? What in the heck is groundbreaking or original about that?


Gabrielle

[velvetwhip.livejournal.com]

Two words: Heathers reboot

That's exactly the kind of disaster I am expecting. Why can't they just tell the story of a different damn Slayer? How hard would that be????



Gabrielle

[frelling-tralk.livejournal.com]

It just seems like they want to take the lazy out by reusing the Buffy name that audiences are already familiar with :(

[silverusagi]

What everyone else has said. Also, I watched Midnight, Texas and found it cringe-worthy, so that doesn't exactly inspire hope in me.

[frelling-tralk.livejournal.com]

I have seen a few people mention that they don’t rate her past work very highly, so that doesn’t seem too promising :(

[giallarhorn.livejournal.com]

Huh.

It seems odd that they'd want to go with a entire reboot vs a spinoff? Spinoff seems like it'd be a lot easier to do given the nature of the original series, but reboot seems like taking the rocky road. Why make life hard for yourself when there's an easy out?

[frelling-tralk.livejournal.com]

It just seems like they can’t get past the value of the name recognition to draw in a bigger potential audience, but I can’t see how it’s going to help if the Buffy fans are all complaining that they don’t want a reboot of Buffy, it would be far better to make a new show that’s its own thing

[mazephoenix.livejournal.com]

I have to agree, a spinoff about a new slayer would be great. A tired reboot sounds so dull. New ideas, people..
Please reconsider and give us new stories. I love SMG's Buffy so much. Also well first there was a movie with Kristy Swanson, but the series didn't revist those events it just continued the story. Why not do that now? The new slayer is Kendra's daughter say.

[frelling-tralk.livejournal.com]

Exactly, I’ve seen a few people suggest that the series was already a reboot of the movie, but in fact it was actually more of a continuation as it starts off with Buffy already established as a vampire slayer from the movie, so back then at least Joss apparently didn’t see the point in telling the same story twice

[snogged.livejournal.com]

It would be one thing for them to create a show based within the Whedon!Verse mythos and showcase a more diverse cast. But if we're actually looking at a new Buffy Summers, I'm not thrilled.

[frelling-tralk.livejournal.com]

Agreed, creating a show around a new slayer is what I think we all want, Buffy Summers’s story has been told already

[paynesgrey.livejournal.com]

I'm not thrilled about it as a Buffy/Angel fan, but then again, I'm really getting tired of these reboots and remakes in general.
If it's a sequel to the original then maybe I'd watch it, but I don't know why they can't leave the good stuff alone. *hugs Buffy DVDs*

[frelling-tralk.livejournal.com]

Yeah a sequel or continuation is one thing, but if it’s just going over old ground again then there doesn’t seem to be much point in that when the original is already such a classic

The Sunnydale Herald Newsletter, Wednesday, July 24

[livejournal.livejournal.com]

User rahirah referenced to your post from The Sunnydale Herald Newsletter, Wednesday, July 24 (https://su-herald.livejournal.com/1042251.html) saying: [...] hosted by Buffylover [Fandom Discussions] Apparently Buffy is being rebooted... [...]

[grappig47.livejournal.com]

Like, as long as they dont try to reboot the characters.... i sorta fine with it? Like a continuance with one of the future slayers would be interesting.

[frelling-tralk.livejournal.com]

Now that they’ve reworded it and made it clearer that it’s not going to be an actual Buffy reboot, I’m kind of excited about it too! A new slayers story definitely isn’t something that I’m opposed too, just as long as they don’t retread the exact same ground as Buffy