Sarah Michelle Gellar Says One Executive Made 'buffy' Reboot An 'uphill Battle' From The Start

It turns retired nan “Buffy” reboot was fighting its ain metaphorical monster: an executive who was outspoken astir his deficiency of emotion for nan original series.

Sarah Michelle Gellar has addressed Hulu’s determination to termination nan much-anticipated “Buffy nan Vampire Slayer” revival, telling People successful an question and reply published Monday that she is “gutted” and that “nobody saw this coming.”

The character had been group to reprise her iconic domiciled successful nan reboot, tentatively titled “Buffy: New Sunnydale,” which she had been processing on pinch Oscar-winning head Chloé Zhao for nan Disney-owned streamer for years. Despite nan enthusiasm astir nan project, which would person introduced Ryan Kiera Armstrong arsenic nan caller slayer alongside Gellar’s Buffy, Gellar pointed to astatine slightest 1 very vocal detractor.

“We had an executive connected our show who was not only not a instrumentality of nan original, but was proud to perpetually punctual america that he had ne'er seen nan entirety of nan bid and really it wasn’t for him,” Gellar told nan outlet.

“That’s very difficult erstwhile you’re taking a spot that is arsenic beloved arsenic ‘Buffy’ not conscionable to nan world, but to maine and Chloé,” she added. “So that tells you nan uphill conflict that we had been fighting since Day One, erstwhile your executive is virtually proud to show you that he didn’t watch it.”

Though Gellar did not sanction nan executive, according to Deadline nan personification who made nan determination not to proceed was Disney Television Group President Craig Erwich, who besides oversees Hulu Originals.

Gellar seemed wounded by nan timing of nan determination too. She told People that she sewage nan telephone pinch nan bad news conscionable arsenic she was astir to return nan shape astatine SXSW for nan premiere of her caller movie, “Ready aliases Not 2: Here I Come.” The movie is simply a Searchlight Pictures production, which is nether nan aforesaid firm umbrella arsenic nan “Buffy” revival’s Searchlight Television.

“For them to telephone america connected nan Friday of ... my world premiere of thing that I worked very difficult for is ... That says something,” she said, adding that she was “saddened astatine really it was handled and erstwhile it was handled.”

The character besides addressed nan outpouring of emotion from “Buffy” fans and their guidance to nan revival’s cancellation.

“[T]he fans, they were nan only logic we were doing this show successful nan first place,” Gellar said. “We were doing it because everybody loves it. So really do you do a show that’s beloved pinch personification that doesn’t emotion it?”