Sarah Michelle Gellar had one request for fans after Hulu shelved the “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” reboot: don’t seek out the unfinished script or pilot.
The “Ready or Not 2: Here I Come” actress issued the plea during an appearance on SiriusXM’s “Page Six Radio,” where she acknowledged that the axed pilot was not a finished product.
“I actually hope it doesn’t [leak],” Gellar noted to hosts Danny Murphy and Evan Real. “Because, then everyone’s going to have an opinion on this and that. And pilots are not finished. It wasn’t done, right? It’s not like we did a season and finished it and then they shelved it.”
As Gellar went on, she explained the situation differed from Warner Bros. Discovery’s decision to pull the “Batgirl” movie in 2022, which was a nearly completed project that got put on ice amid cost-cutting measures.
Why Hulu Killed the 'Buffy' Reboot
“That movie was finished,” she continued. “I want to clarify this, we made a pilot on purpose, because there’s some new characters … and you want to see how it goes … you learn from it and there’s things you fix.”
Gellar added: “Usually, a pilot doesn’t air in its entirety ever. And so you use that information, it’s a learning tool.”
Per Gellar, who starred as the titular vampire slayer for seven season between 1997 and 2003, the original “Buffy” pilot was “very different” from the first episode that eventually made it to air.
She admitted that she had seen a supposed reboot script circulating the internet, adding, “It’s not actually correct.”
“That stuff is really unfortunate,” Gellar said. “And I ask fans, if you see scripts, if you see it leaked, don’t watch it cause you’re not getting our visions and all of that.”
Instead, Gellar encouraged her fans to “go stream ‘Buffy’” or check out “Ready or Not 2: Here I Come” in theaters if they felt like showing her support. Watch her full remarks below.
Gellar’s commentary came four days after the actress confirmed that the highly anticipated reboot would not be moving forward at Hulu.
“So, I am really sad to have to share this, but I wanted you all to hear it from me. Unfortunately, Hulu has decided not to move forward with ‘Buffy: New Sunnydale,’” Gellar said. “I want to thank Chloé Zhao because I never thought I would find myself back in Buffy’s stylish yet affordable boots.”
She continued, “And thanks to Chloé, I was reminded how much I love her and how much she means not only to me but to all of you, and this doesn’t change any of that. And I promise, if the apocalypse actually comes, you can still beep me.”
At the time, an individual with knowledge of Hulu’s decision told TheWrap that the streamer is exploring next steps for the franchise and the door is still open to revisit Sunnydale.
However, Gellar later blamed one “Buffy”-hating executive for scrapping the reboot, telling People, “We had an executive on our show who was not only not a fan of the original, but was proud to constantly remind us that he had never seen the entirety of the series and how it wasn’t for him.”
“That’s very hard when you’re taking a property that is as beloved as ‘Buffy,’ not just to the world, but to me and [director] Chloé [Zhao],” Gellar added. “That tells you the uphill battle that we had been fighting since day one, when your executive is literally proud to tell you that he didn’t watch it.”
