New Buffy the Vampire Slayer Screenwriter and Old Buffy Talk Buffy
Posted 11.24.10 by Ryan
How many Buffy the Vampire Slayers are there? Well, first came the 1992 original movie, written by Joss Whedon and directed by Fran Kuzui. Then there was the TV show, which Whedon adapted into seven seasons of highly popular television and spawned Buffy action figures, magazines, board games, and comic books.
Now there's a third. Warner Bros. was recently reported to be moving forward with a new version of the Buffy, this time written by actress-turned-screenwriter Whit Anderson and without any input from Whedon. Prior to Whedon's public reaction to the Buffy reboot, the LA Times spoke to Anderson, who revealed she was a huge fan of the TV show and will take "touchstones" of the show into "a new story" set in the present day. Anderson said that it's Buffy's inner conflict that makes her story "timeless."
The thing that was so wonderful about Buffy is what made it special was so timeless. The deep struggle she had with duty and destiny, that tug between what you're supposed to be doing and what you want to be doing. The fate of the world is on her shoulders, but some days she wakes up, and she just doesn't want to do it. And are we doomed and destined to love someone? That conflict was very interesting to me. Those are the things I loved about her and her world. She also represents — like all the heroes — something empowering for us. She reminds us of what we could be if we were in our top form, the best of us if we were at our very best, and even then we still see the vulnerability and doubts she has inside. That’s where we all connect.
Anderson noted director Christopher Nolan's revival of Batman as the supreme example of how to take a popular character and reboot it. The comparison is somewhat apt, since Batman Begins and The Dark Knight producer Charles Roven is responsible for pushing Anderson's script.
"Generally, I wouldn't have said, 'Let's revive this,' but Whit's take is pretty compelling and a lot of fun, and it's interesting to see all of this reimagined," Roven told the publication. "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 what's 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."
Roven added that "there is an active fanbase eagerly awaiting this character's return," apparently not concerned about any backlash from Whedon or his fanbase. One such supporter is Kristy Swanson, who originally portrayed the character in the 1992 movie. Swanson told Entertainment Weekly that she supports the reboot and would even appear in it if asked.
Let Buffy live. Why not? There are die-hard Joss Whedon fans who absolutely love him to death, and rightly so. He's a brilliant man, no doubt. I love everything Buffy. I don't care who's doing it. If they wanted me to be a part of it, I think that would be fantastic and that it would be a blast.
Luke Perry, Swanson's love interest in the movie, had no comment.