The 25-year anniversary of the famous series Buffy the Vampire Slayer is here, and a celebration is most definitely in order. For fans, pleas for a potential Buffy reboot have been the main agenda, and main star of the series, Sarah Michelle Gellar, who portrayed Buffy Summers throughout all 7 seasons, has even offered her support and expressed her desire to see Zendaya take over her iconic role.
The idea for the franchise all began after the release of the 1992 horror-comedy flick, Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Although the movie itself wasn’t a big hit, the roots that blossomed from it eventually became the cult-classic TV show. The series ran on air from 1997 to 2003 and is regarded still to this day as a cultural icon. Buffy the Vampire Slayer was groundbreaking at its time, seeing as how it was taking fan-favorite classics such as vampirism and horror elements, but instead presenting an all female-lead cast of slayers as opposed to the usual male protagonists. The show centers around Buffy learning how to master her destiny of being a supreme demon hunter, while still managing to try and squeeze in some fun with her group of friends along the way. The series combined genres of not only horror but comedy, action, even romance.
Not only was Buffy the Vampire Slayer paving the way for females to be cast in more action driven roles, but the series was one of the first on television to present an openly lesbian main character as well. For these reasons, Buffy holds a very special place to fans across the world, so naturally talks of a reboot have followed. Although there are many elements that make Buffy so successful, the magnetism of Gellar and the chemistry amongst the cast is most certainly one of them. It’s hard for fans to even picture someone else other than Gellar as Buffy. Luckily, Gellar has pitched in herself and lobbied for Spider-Man: No Way Home star Zendaya to take on her role for a potential future reboot, telling this to Into Every Generation a Slayer Is Born: How Buffy Staked Our Hearts author Evan Ross Katz.
Buffy's secret weapon is in fact her inner strength, and it’s no doubt that Zendaya possesses this herself both on and off-screen. Buffy as a character is also celebrated for her dark sense of humor and wit, which is something Zendaya's portrayal of MJ in the Spider-Man: Homecoming trilogy seems to have an unlimited supply of. Many fans have also noted the shared sense of chemistry between the central trio of MJ, Peter, and Ned to be quite comparable to the energy of Buffy, Willow, and Xander. Zendaya has also showcased her range as an actress throughout her career, jumping from dark drama, to action, comedy, and romance.
Zendaya's stunning performance as Rue (a recovering, teen drug addict) in HBO's hit drama series Euphoria even earned her an Emmy. The last proper mention of a Buffy reboot was back in 2019, with a brand-new modern twist set for the series. The alleged reboot was described as, “contemporary and building on the mythology of the original show.” Gellar seems to be on to something here - perhaps Zendaya is the new Buffy fans have been looking for all along.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer is available to stream on Hulu.