Posted on ANDPOP:
In every generation, there is a chosen show that will eventually be rebooted. Fellow Slayers, before you start calling for my death by stake, hear me out.
Now, like you, I’m content with the seven seasons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer we already have. Minus one or two things (like most of season four), it’s a perfect show. But in a world where shows are being rebooted every week, and when movies are being turned into TV shows, it’s time to accept the inevitable.
But the only version of Buffy Summers I want to see involves Sarah Michelle Gellar as our slayer and series creator Joss Whedon at the helm. Be it a film, a limited series or even a reunion photo-shoot in Entertainment Weekly (okay, maybe a bit more than just that) the climate is right for a return to Sunnydale and here’s why.
The Time Is Now
SOURCE: Claudia Blacks on Tumblr
The world is currently craving a female superhero movie for too many reasons to fit into this post. While films like the upcoming Captain Marvel and CBS’s anticipated Supergirl series are on the horizon, studios and networks remain tepid when it comes to female superheroes. The backlash Marvel faced due to the lack of Black Widow merchandise shows the demand is there, regardless if some old and tired Hollywood studio head disagrees.
Buffy Summers is a superhero, just minus the cape. In fact, she may be the most super of them all – who else could kill some demons and still find time to finish her assignments?
Now that Whedon has successfully assembled The Avengers, he has enough pull to do whatever he wants next. While a return to his previous work might not be exciting, it’s a chance at doing what we loves – working with female characters. Whedon and co. could potentially deliver a successful film iteration of Buffy the Vampire Slayer with enough merchandise to sell and feminism to spare.
Where Buffy Is Now
SOURCE: Skyewards on Tumblr
While Buffy fans were treated to a proper series finale, that doesn’t mean we can’t go back.
Most of the cast is readily available (um… maybe except Nicholas Brendon who keeps getting arrested) and the characters have lived on in the comic-world. Whedon created a universe in which Buffy and the gang dealt with relatable issues such as love, loss and grief while battling demons from the underworld. I suspect Buffy Summers hasn’t retired and exploring where she is now could be interesting in a time so desperate for complex female characters waiting to tell great stories.
Sarah Michelle Gellar Is Really Good At Reunions
.@alydenisof and @AlexisDenisof Thanks for such an awesome party and my new #Giraffe You are the #CraftMaster pic.twitter.com/XHVD9AgUBj
— Sarah Michelle (@SarahMGellar) May 23, 2015
Fans are always clamouring for the cast of their favourite show to reunite.
Twitter blew up last month thanks to a little Cruel Intentions reunion which featured a recreation of that famous kiss. The girls – Selma Blair, Reese Witherspoon and Sarah Michelle Gellar – reunited at a showing of the Cruel Intention musical—which is a real thing and very much happening. The week before that, Sarah Michelle Gellar broke the internet with a picture of her and Alyson Hanningan (Buffy’s bestie Willow Rosenberg) at a birthday party. The two had an infamous falling out during the show’s run and have since rekindled their relationship.
It would be great to see the Scooby Gang back together, slaying some demons for fun. It would also give Whedon a chance at expanding the cast and the universe at large, and imagine the celebrity cameos he could pull. Can Amy Adams reprise her role as Tara’s cousin Beth?
Because It Was Fun
SOURCE: Buffy Summersn on Tumblr
Buffy the Vampire Slayer was so specific and special. It was the little show, with the snappy dialogue that has stood the test of time and influenced so many shows that have come after.
Many vampire-related products are so serious. Imagine if those Twilight movies had an once of self-awareness and tried to be a little silly (on purpose)? Whedon understood his characters, their world and had fun with it. With a bigger budget and having now delved into the franchise world, Whedon could make Buffy grander than ever and bring fun back to the genre.
Joss Can Make Amends
SOURCE: Collider
The backlash felt from Black Widow’s backstory in The Avengers: Age of Ultron was a conversation piece online for several weeks. Some were upset over Black Widow’s sterility was treated and handled in the film.
Whedon has been a force in providing exceptional work for women in television and with equally exceptional female characters. So soon we forget that before he came into the Marvel universe, Black Widow really didn’t have that much to do and was underdeveloped.
Buffy Summers is a complex character that Whedon spent a lot of time with and developing. Over seven seasons, she died twice, lost her mother and found out she actually had a sister. He was able to make her complex, layered and kick-ass without being the sidekick or desperate to be liked. A character like Buffy Summers is so rare, one of a kind and doesn’t really exist right now. A reboot would remind studios that this kind of female character is no only bankable but important.
The world needs more Buffy Summers.
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