Wednesday, February 12, 2025

All Buffy, No Joss

While this isn’t exclusively gay good news, Buffy’s queer pedigree remains historic so I’m counting it. Plus, in the comics Buffy herself explored her bisexual/pansexual side (having relations with technically dead people/vampires also seems pretty pan, right?). So imagine my delight at the news that a legit Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot (not like that stalled 2018 one) is in the works at Hulu with Sarah Michelle Gellar attached to appear and Oscar-winner Chloé Zhao to direct the pilot. Writing, producing and showrunning will be sister team Nora Zuckerman and Lila Zuckerman. And guess whose name is nowhere to be found on the reboot? Yep, it’s Joss. No more marzipan in his pie plate, bingo!

A Whedon-Free Buffy is – after all the past revelations about his behavior to particularly the female cast – is pretty much the dream. And here it is happening from a team whose resumes are, quite frankly, awesome. Chloé's “Nomadland” is a beautiful testament to the innate human desire to live free – but not in that bullshit live-free-or-die way too many right-wing jackoffs think we do. And while her Marvels outing with “The Eternals” was probably a little too cerebral and slow-paced for the MCU, her vision remains singularly stunning. Meanwhile the Zukerman sisters’ credits includes the recent Natasha Lyonne Columbo-esque series “Poker Face” and the sci-fi series “Fringe.” Also, have I mentioned they’re all women? Because, yeah, they’re all women. Finally, Buffy has come home where she belongs.

Not a ton is known about the reboot so far, but SMG will not be the lead star and instead appear in more of a supporting or recurring role as what I can only assume is the wise, elder Slayer. As you might recall, the final season activated all the Potentials, so into every generation a boatload of slayers is born. The new Buffy is expected to follow one of the newer Slayers. Is it too much to hope that they also bring back Willow as the wise, elder gay Wiccan too? I mean, if we’re finally getting that Joss-less Buffy, anything is possible.

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