Sarah Michelle Gellar Isn't Interested In Slaying More Vampires As Buffy
"Buffy the Vampire Slayer" premiered back in 1997, and pretty much right out of the gate, it proved a viewer favorite. The series follows Buffy Summers (Sarah Michelle Gellar), who's destined to become a great slayer of evil entities. Although, as she learns of her remarkable gifts and rids the world of dangerous foes, she yearns to live a normal life. Along the way, she's joined by several allies, with some meeting a darker fate as Buffy's story unfolds. Simply put, audiences couldn't get enough of Buffy and her supernatural world, hence why the program stuck around for a while.
When it was all said and done, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" extended to seven seasons and almost 150 episodes over the course of six years. It bid fans farewell on May 20, 2003, seemingly closing the book on a show that means so much to so many people. Fast forward two decades, and television is riddled with reboots, revivals, and retreads of pretty much every program with something resembling a fanbase. Therefore, it's only logical to ask if a "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" comeback is in the cards. If a revival rather than the currently on-hiatus reboot comes around, don't expect Sarah Michelle Gellar to be a part of it.
According to Gellar herself, she's done playing Buffy Summers for good. Here's why she has no interest in returning to one of her most famous characters.
Gellar is satisfied with Buffy's conclusion
In late December 2022, Sarah Michelle Gellar spoke with SFX Magazine (via MovieWeb) about "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." More specifically, she revealed whether or not she's interested in returning to the role of Buffy Summers in some form or fashion. "I'm not. I am very proud of the show that we created, and it doesn't need to be done. We wrapped that up," she explained, though she mentions that she wouldn't be opposed to the powers that be keeping the story behind the series alive without her. As she notes, it's a story of female empowerment — a fact encapsulated perfectly by the series' ending.
Additionally, there's another factor to consider when discussing a "Buffy" revival: time. As of May 2023, the show will have been off the air for 20 years, and as a grown adult, Gellar doesn't feel it's right to keep her version of Buffy Summers around. She says, "The metaphors of 'Buffy' were the horrors of adolescence. I think I look young, but I am not an adolescent." With that, it couldn't be more clear that Gellar's time in the world of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" is long over, which may be disappointing to some, but her reasons make sense. Besides, Gellar is just as busy as ever with other big and small screen productions.
Surely someday "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" will return to TV, and when it does, it will have to do so without Sarah Michelle Gellar at the forefront.