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Actress Sarah Michelle Gellar was candid about why the highly anticipated sequel to \u201cBuffy the Vampire Slayer\u201d isn\u2019t moving forward, claiming it all came down to one Hulu executive who never liked the original series.<\/span><\/p>\n Gellar, 48, made the revelation during an <\/span>interview<\/span><\/a> with People published this week, where she reflected on the abrupt end of \u201cBuffy the Vampire Slayer: New Sunnydale,\u201d a project that had already shot a pilot. The actress rose to fame for starring in the original supernatural drama series, which began in 1997. She went on to appear in several films and then took a prolonged hiatus from Hollywood to raise her children.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve been asked since the day I left to return to Sunnydale,\u201d Gellar told the outlet. \u201cIt never occurred to me that it was something I was going to do.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n That changed, she explained, after meeting Oscar-winning director Chlo\u00e9 Zhao, whose passion for the character convinced her to sign on.<\/p>\n \u201cIn one meeting, she makes me say yes to something I never saw on my radar,\u201d Gellar said.<\/span><\/p>\n However, Gellar said the project did not move forward because one executive involved openly distanced themselves from the original series.<\/p>\n \u201cWe had an executive on our show who was not only not a fan of the original, was proud to constantly remind us that they had never seen the entirety of the series and how it wasn\u2019t for them,\u201d she said.<\/span><\/p>\n People reported that Gellar was at the South by Southwest festival (SXSW) in Austin on March 11 when she learned the project was off the table. \u201cNo one saw this coming,\u201d she added.<\/span><\/p>\n Despite the setback, Gellar emphasized that her decision to return was rooted in the show\u2019s enduring fanbase.<\/p>\n \u201cThe fans are why I wanted to do it in the first place,\u201d she said. <\/span>\u201cBuffy was about chosen family, and that you may feel like you don\u2019t belong in the world, but there\u2019s someone out there that sees you. And for me, it\u2019s always been about me seeing those fans.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The sequel was first announced in February 2025 as a pilot order at Hulu, according to Variety<\/span><\/a>. Zhao, speaking on the red carpet over the weekend, suggested the series could still get picked up by a different distributor.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cOur priority for Sarah and for us has always been to be truthful to the show, to be truthful to our fans,\u201d Zhao said. \u201cThings happen for a reason, and we keep our hearts open and we welcome the mystery.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Whether \u201cNew Sunnydale\u201d finds a new home remains to be seen. For now, Gellar says she\u2019s moving forward with the same resilience as her iconic character.<\/p>\n