Big news out of San Diego Comic-Con for Joss Whedon: The creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer is overseeing a reboot of his landmark television series, acting as executive producer while Monica Owusu-Breen (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.; Midnight, Texas) will write the script and serve as showrunner. The most significant detail of the reboot news, which comes from The Hollywood Reporter, is that the new Slayer will be black.
While there isn’t too much substantial information about the reboot, with Whedon still working with Owusu-Breen to develop the script, THR did share some details:
The new version, sources say, will be contemporary and build on the mythology of the original. Like today’s world, the new Buffy will be richly diverse, with some aspects of the series, like the flagship, seen as metaphors for issues facing society today.
No word yet on who will play the new Slayer.
In a previous interview in March 2017, tied to the beloved series’ 20th anniversary, Whedon addressed the then-rumors of a reboot as well as his own misgivings. “I see a little bit of what I call monkey’s paw in these reboots,” he said at the time. “You bring something back, and even if it’s exactly as good as it was, the experience can’t be. You’ve already experienced it, and part of what was great was going through it for the first time. You have to meet expectations and adjust it for the climate, which is not easily. Luckily most of my actors still look wonderful, but I’m not worried about them being creaky. I’m more worried about me being creaky as a storyteller. You don’t want that feeling that you should have left before the encore.”
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Perhaps that’s part of why a new writer will serve as showrunner. In addition to the aforementioned series above, Owusu-Breen has written and produced countless episodes of Alias, Lost, Fringe, and Charmed. Most recently, she was co-creator and EP of Midnight, Texas, based on Charlaine Harris’ book series. Original producers Gail Berman, Joe Earley, Fran Kazui and Kaz Kazui are also onboard as EPs.
No network is currently attached to the project, though 20th Century Fox Television is producing (having also produced the original series). The plan is to pitch the reboot to streaming and cable outlets.
