“Into every generation, a Slayer is born.” Those immortal words opened tv series “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” For seven seasons, Sarah Michelle Gellar staked vampires, chopped the heads of demons, and defended the residents of Sunnydale against all kinds of horrors as Buffy Summers. There were other Slayers as well, something that resulted from story points that are a bit too complicated to go into now, but we were curious if the upcoming “Buffy” reboot would bring a new Slayer with it. Indeed it has.
Ryan Kiera Armstrong is not a stranger to the notion of playing a young girl with intense powers; she played the pyrokinetic Charlie Mcgee in 2022’s “Firestarter.” She’s also starred alongside Nicolas Cage in 2023’s “The Old Way,” and has played Fern in “Star Wars: Skeleton Crew.” Gellar, who will be part of the new series, felt compelled to work with Armstrong as the new Slayer.
“From the moment I saw Ryan’s audition, I knew there was only one girl that I wanted by my side,” Gellar said. “To have that kind of emotional intelligence, and talent, at such a young age is truly a gift. The bonus is that her smile lights up even the darkest room.”
Not only are those amazingly kind and generous words, but Gellar went ahead to deliver the news to Armstrong herself that she got the part.
A pilot has been ordered for Hulu to be directed by Oscar winner Chloé Zhao (“Eternals,” “Nomadland”). With the talent behind the camera, and Gellar and Armstrong in front of it, it sounds like the pilot has a pretty good shot at turning into something more.
A lot of questions remain about how this would tie into the greater continuity that lived on in comic form for years and tied into the world of spinoff “Angel.” It’s a story we’ll be keeping our eyes on. Here’s hoping a Hellmouth doesn’t open up underneath us in the meantime.
