Updated: A little after this news hit,
EW asked for
Joss Whedon's reaction and he responded with this email;
Kristin, I'm glad you asked for my thoughts on the announcement of Buffy the cinema film. This is a sad, sad reflection on our times, when people must feed off the carcasses of beloved stories from their youthsjust because they can't think of an original idea of their own, like I did with my Avengers idea that I made up myself. Obviously I have strong, mixed emotions about something like this. My first reaction upon hearing who was writing it was, "Whit Stillman AND Wes Anderson? This is gonna be the most sardonically adorable movie EVER." Apparently I was misinformed. Then I thought, "I'll make a mint! This is worth more than all my Toy Story residuals combined!" Apparently I am seldom informed of anything. And possibly a little slow. But seriously, are vampires even popular any more? I always hoped that Buffy would live on even after my death. But, you know, AFTER. I don't love the idea of my creation in other hands, but I'm also well aware that many more hands than mine went into making that show what it was. And there is no legal grounds for doing anything other than sighing audibly. I can't wish people who are passionate about my little myth ill. I can, however, take this time to announce that I'm making a Batman movie. Because there's a franchise that truly needs updating. So look for The Dark Knight Rises Way Earlier Than That Other One And Also More Cheaply And In Toronto, rebooting into a theater near you. Leave me to my pain! Sincerely, Joss Whedon.
Original article follows.... We've known for
18 months or so that Warner Bros. were eying a reboot of the
Buffy The Vampire Slayer franchise as a new big screen film and that creator
Joss Whedon already declined the invite to the party. Today, WB went very public with their announcement in the
L.A. Times revealing the reboot
is 100% happening and we should see the character return to our big screens within the next two years. Blurg! As WB only own the rights to the Buffy Summers character from the
Kristy Swanson 1992 film that Joss Whedon wrote and not his far superior and pop-culturally significant show that ran for seven seasons and that ended in 2003 - there'll be no Willow, Xander, Giles, Angel, Spike or any of the other characters that were introduced on t.v. and they belong to Fox. Basically, this will be Buffy for the
Twilight-crowd and for Warner Bros. it's a very clever way to make a blockbuster film with a character and genre that already has a rabid fanbase built-in without running into any expensive rights complications.
Charles Roven, the producer behind the successful Batman reboot under Chris Nolan is the spearhead and has much faith in a script from the very obscure but
gorgeous young actress
Whit Anderson who has apparently found a way to modernize the vampire slayer for a whole new generation. Yes, Roven says that with a straight face just seven and a half years after the t.v. franchise ended. Roven says;
... Whits take is pretty compelling and a lot of fun, and its interesting to see all of this re-imagined. This is a completely new reboot. Tone is extremely important and you want the audience to realize what is at stake and the peril is real, but at the same time whats going on should be fun and inviting and keep everyone engaged. It needs to be relevant to today, too, and that is what Whit has found a way to do. He adds,
Astonishingly, he goes on;
There is an active fan base eagerly awaiting this characters return. While this is not your high-school Buffy, shell be just as witty, tough and sexy as we all remember her to be.
Yes, you might be right Charles. I was one of the biggest fans of the show during it's seven season run and in the back of my mind since the show ended I've always held out the hope that Joss Whedon would go back and deliver a stand-alone film, ideally with
Sarah Michelle Gellar who remember is still a young woman at 33 but nobody is eagerly awaiting the character's return without either of them involved. Nobody. Not one soul.
Roven says the new Buffy will be released either 2011 or 2012, I'm guessing the latter or even beyond as they haven't even attached a director yet. At least not one that we know of.
