Once More With Movies: Buffy Gets A Reboot

In case you didn't catch the Buzz of the Day, Buffy the Vampire Slayer has been confirmed for a reboot film.  As I am typing this, thunder is booming ominously in the background.  Whether it is a portent or merely an interestingly timed result of Michigan weather pattern, only time will tell.

That's right, you read that first sentence correctly.  There will be a Buffy reboot.  If that shocked you, than brace for impact: Joss Whedon is not involved.  Buffy's new writer will be Whit Anderson, of whom I honestly don't know enough about to comment.  Joss Whedon has already reacted to the news.

I really have mixed feelings about this.  At this point, there just doesn't seem to be enough information for meaningful speculation.   In her interview with the Los Angeles Times, Anderson says that "While this is not your high-school Buffy, she’ll be just as witty, tough and sexy as we all remember her to be."  This could mean that Buffy won't be back in high school for the reboot, but in context with the rest of the article, it could also mean simply that it won't be the same Buffy you remember from when you were in high school.  Not exactly a crammed full of information, are you quote?  At least it says "just as" instead of "even more."  That's a good sign.

The popular TV show ran for seven seasons and was itself a reboot of a far less successful 1992 film, so this film will actually be a reboot of a reboot and will be joining Spider-man in his tangled web of reboots.  The TV series also spun-off a continuation in the form of the comic series Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season Eight, so people who want more Buffy but not without Whedon ought to check that out if they haven't already.


So, because I love bullet-points so much, some things to speculate about despite my assertion that there's not enough info:

• The Setting: I guess I already covered this above, but still.  Will it be high school, college, or neither?  While the original concept was based on the motif of "high school is hell," the TV series hit on all of these times in Buffy's life.  I personally think high school would be the most logical choice, but, hey, you never know.
• The Friends: will the Scoobies (Buffy's friends/side-kicks) be in the film, with new interpretations of Willow and Xander, or will Buffy have new friends?  Over the course of the series, the Scoobies became extremely popular among fans in their own right, so will they be carried over?
• The Cast: this one's pretty obvious.  Since Whedon's not involved, we probably shouldn't expect any of the TV series' cast to return either.  There's also the fact that the series ended seven years ago and the cast has continued aging regardless.
• The Villains: will they be reinterpretations of villains from the series or all-new?
• The Love-Interest: will there be one?  Will he be undead?  Will he be all-new or Angel?  Or would they be so radical as to make it someone from the series who isn't Angel?
• The Vampires: will they return to the campy masks, or-- wait, stupid question.  Here's a better one: how will their appearances differ from their televised counter-parts?  Will their abilities, weaknesses, and lore be different?
• The Story: will it be new or from the series?  While there are plenty of interesting story arcs in the series to choose from, I rather doubt they'll go that route.  Many of them built up over a long period of time and would be difficult to introduce new viewers to, like the Dark Willow Saga.

Those are what I'm wondering about for now.  I'd say more, but I need more time to process this and figure out whether I should be afraid, excited, or both.  At this point, I really don't know how to react, which is probably the proper reaction.

Here are the relevent links once more:

Announcement!
Interview with a Writer!
The Creator's Response!