In what has all the potential makings of one of the major pop culture debacles of the new Century, Atlas Entertainment and Warner Bros. announced the production of a new motion picture based on the 1992 film Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Actress-turned-screenwriter Whit Anderson, not Buffy creator Joss Whedon, is writing the screenplay for the new film.
Atlas and Warner Bros. obtained the rights to the property from Kaz Kazui and his wife Fran Rubel Kazui. Kazui bankrolled the original 1992 Buffy movie, which his wife directed from a screenplay by Joss Whedon. The movie, which starred Kristy Swanson and Luke Perry, was a horror comedy about a valley girl cheerleader who discovers she is fated to hunt vampires.
Whedon then took the property in a much darker direction in a TV series that starred Sarah Michelle Geller and ran on the WB network from 1997-2003 where it developed a strong cult following. The new movie will only involve characters from the original film, which means that Willow, Angel, Gilles, Xander, Spike, Oz and other characters created by Whedon during the TV show’s run will be not be available for the reboot.
In spite of the immediate negative outburst from Buffy fans on the Internet engendered by the announcement of the reboot, Atlas Entertainment’s Charles Roven apparently thinks the new movie will appeal to Buffy devotees: “There is an active fan base eagerly awaiting this character's return to the big screen. We're thrilled to team up with Doug and Roy on a re-imagining of Buffy and the world she inhabits. Details of the film are being kept under wraps, but I can say while this is not your high school Buffy, she'll be just as witty, tough, and sexy as we all remember her to be.”
Needless to say, Whedon is not pleased with the prospect of a reboot. Whedon complained to E Online: “This is a sad, sad reflection on our times, when people must feed off the carcasses of beloved stories from their youths.” Then Whedon lapsed into his characteristic satirical mode as he had a little fun with the name of the reboot’s screenwriter: “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.” Finally with tongue planted firmly in cheek, he appeared to threaten retaliation against Warner Bros. by announcing his intention to rework one of the studio’s franchises “that truly needs updating” by making a new Batman film with the title This Dark Knight Rises Way Earlier Than the Other One and Also More Cheaply, and in Toronto.
