Sarah Michelle Gellar breaks silence on “Buffy” revival, says she'll only star 'if we know we can do it right'

"Thank you to all the fans who never stopped asking for this. This will be for you."

20th Century Fox Film Corp/Courtesy Everett Sarah Michelle Gellar on 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' in 1999

20th Century Fox Film Corp/Courtesy Everett

Sarah Michelle Gellar on 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' in 1999

Sarah Michelle Gellar is discussing a possible Buffy the Vampire Slayer revival for the first time.

Following the news that an "untitled Buffyverse pilot" is in development at Hulu from 20th Television and Searchlight TV, the Scooby-Doo actress shared her thoughts on the project — which she's open to joining, but will only board under the perfect conditions.

"So... you might have heard some news this week, but I realize you haven't heard from me," Gellar wrote on Instagram Thursday. The actress explained that three years ago, she received a call from her "dear friend and mentor," producer Gail Berman, who executive produced the original Buffy and its spinoff Angel. "She told me that she wanted me to sit down with Chloé Zhao to hear her take on a potential Buffy revival."

Gellar said that she was surprised to hear about Zhao's interest in the project — after all, the Nomadland and Eternals director has never helmed a TV project before. "I was blown away that Chloé even knew who I was, but, as I've always done, I told Gail that I just didn't see a way for the show to exist again," Gellar wrote. "We'd always been aligned on that, but this time I heard something different in her voice. I eventually agreed to go (mainly just to meet Chloé) and our twenty minute coffee quickly turned into a four hour adventure."

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The I Know What You Did Last Summer actress said that the lengthy meeting was an emotional rollercoaster. "We laughed, we cried, but mostly we both talked about how much this show means to us," she said.

Gellar reiterated that she hasn't fully committed to a new iteration of Buffy, but she's open to exploring Zhao's project as it evolves. "While I didn't agree to anything at that meeting, I did shock myself by agreeing to continue the conversation," she wrote. "These conversations did, in fact, continue over the next few years and eventually we added the incredible Nora and Lilla Zuckerman to our little tribe until ultimately, one day, we landed on an idea." (The Zuckerman sisters currently serve as showrunners for Poker Face.)

Taylor Hill/FilmMagic Sarah Michelle Gellar at the iHeartRadio Jingle Ball in December 2024

Taylor Hill/FilmMagic

Sarah Michelle Gellar at the iHeartRadio Jingle Ball in December 2024

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The actress didn't disclose any further information about what that idea actually entails, but assured Buffy-heads that the show will only go on if everything feels correct. "I have always listened to the fans and heard your desire to revisit Buffy and her world, but it was not something I could do unless I was sure we would get it right," Gellar said. "This has been a long process, and it's not over yet. I promise you, we will only make this show if we know we can do it right. And I will tell you that we are on the path there."

Gellar ended her post by thanking her collaborators and fans. "I feel so lucky to be on this journey with these four unbelievably talented women, all of whom love Buffy as much as I do. And as much as you do," she wrote. "Thank you to all the fans who never stopped asking for this. This will be for you."

Related: Sarah Michelle Gellar reacts to reunion of Buffy the Vampire Slayer's villainous Trio

Earlier this week, Variety reported that the new Buffy series would see the Buffyverse continue with a new series that "would focus on a new Slayer and Gellar would appear in a recurring role rather than leading the series."

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Buffy first launched as a standalone movie in 1992 with Kristy Swanson playing the titular high school vampire killer. Five years later, screenwriter Joss Whedon revived the idea as a TV series starring Gellar as Buffy, ultimately running for five seasons on the WB and another two on UPN. The show also launched the spinoff series Angel, and has continued with a sequel comic book series and an Audible sequel, Slayers: A Buffyverse Story.

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