Buffy Getting a Second Shot at the Big Screen ... Without Whedon
Posted 05.26.09 by reelz
Empire Magazine is reporting that we can expect a remake/reboot of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer movie, but it won't be with the man that made the TV series a success, Joss Whedon.
How could this happen, you ask? It turns out the actual rights holders are Fran and Kaz Kazui, who bought them in 1992 from a pre-fame Whedon. The Kazuis are the geniuses responsible for bringing us the Kristy Swanson film of the same name -- the one that sucked eggs. Later, Joss resurrected the character with a reboot of his own, and that became the wildly popular TV franchise starring Sarah Michelle Gellar, with the Kazui brothers listed as producers.
The snub at the character's creator won't make Slayer fans very happy. And as if that weren't bad enough, the Kazuis aren't even going to try to get the supporting cast -- Willow, Xander, Spike, or Angel -- from the show. Instead, they'e planning to restart the storyline by making use of the "Slayer for every generation" concept from the show. Um, will her name still be Buffy? That's not clear. It sounds like maybe these guys haven't thought this through.
So, to summarize, at the helm of the new movie you've got the people responsible for gutting Whedon's original script and concept and churning out the awful 1992 Kristy Swanson movie moving ahead without the man or cast that succeeded in making Buffy enjoyable in the first place.
We're not holding out much hope for this one.