'Buffy' movie planned without Whedon

A new version of Buffy The Vampire Slayer is being planned for the big screen, claims The Hollywood Reporter.

Fran Rubel Kuzui, who holds the rights to the franchise, has announced that she is hoping to resurrect the character with Vertigo Entertainment without the involvement of creator Joss Whedon.

"It was [Vertigo's] interest in taking Buffy into a new place that grabbed us," she explained.

"Everything has its moment. Every movie takes on a life at some point and this seems like the moment to do this."

Kuzui added that she has not ruled out the possibility of inviting Whedon to participate, but confirmed that the movie will have no connection to the TV series and that supporting players including Angel, Willow, Xander and Spike will not be involved in the plot.

Whedon, who wrote the script for the 1992 movie starring Kristy Swanson, later revived the character for the highly successful cult series of the same name. The show, which starred Sarah Michelle Gellar, ran from 1997 until 2003.

Buffy was an ensemble piece.

Willow Xander and Giles are essential!

Angel is a very welcome addition, but unlike some others on this forum I have never liked Spike.

I agree with you, don't even mind Spike but to have a Buffy without the other characters seems pointless.

Whedon should be involved as should the other characters (including Angel and Spike :wub:)

Will Sarah Michelle Gellar be Buffy again for this? Or is it just going to be seen as something completly seperate to the tV series?!

ive never really watched buffy but i agree that they cant really make a film without the other characters, it seems a bit silly

It would be silly to try and do this as a completely seperate thing, the tv series was too big for everyone to forget it and judge any movie at face value so doing it without the other characters (or at least without a reason why they aren't their) would just be wrong

Buffy The Vampire Slayer producers have brushed off rumours Hollywood siren Megan Fox has signed up to star in the TV show's upcoming big screen revival - insisting casting has yet to begin.

The title character in the blood sucking series, most famously played by Sarah Michelle Gellar, was originally brought to cinemas in the 1992 movie of the same name, starring Kristy Swanson.

Gellar's TV show ran for six years before coming to an end in 2003.

And Fox has been a rumoured favourite to revive the series since studio bosses announced last month they are looking for a new vampire slayer to take the story back to the big screen.

But producer Roy Lee insists casting has yet to begin: "The rumours of Megan Fox being involved with Buffy are just rumours. As with any film project with a female lead under the age of 30, Megan is the actress that most studios want so it is no surprise her name is mentioned. While I think she would be great for our project, we are still in the early stages of developing the script."

She started the modern, pop culture craze for all things vampire, and now stake-wielding, butt-kicking Buffy, the vampire slayer, is getting the reboot in a new Hollywood movie, producers said on Monday.

"Buffy the Vampire Slayer," which tells of a teenage girl named Buffy who learns her destiny is to chase and kill the living dead, originated as a 1992, B-movie starring Kristy Swanson as Buffy and became a cult hit on video and DVD.

"There is an active fan base eagerly awaiting this character's return to the big screen," Charles Roven of producer Atlas Entertainment said in a statement.

"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," Roven added. He called the new movie a "re-imagining" of the slayer.

Atlas is a co-producer along with Vertigo Entertainment. Warner Bros. will distribute. Whit Anderson is writing the screenplay. Cast members were not announced.

Joss Whedon has admitted that he has "mixed emotions" about Warner Bros' planned big screen remake of Buffy The Vampire Slayer.

Whedon penned the script for the 1992 Kristy Swanson movie before creating the 1997 TV series, which starred Sarah Michelle Gellar as the titular vampire killer.

"This is a sad, sad reflection on our times, when people must feed off the carcasses of beloved stories from their youths - just because they can’t think of an original idea of their own, like I did with my Avengers idea that I made up myself," he joked to E! Online.

Whedon explained that he had "always hoped that Buffy would live on even after my death. But, you know, AFTER".

"I don't love the idea of my creation in other hands, but I'm also well aware that many more hands than mine went into making that show what it was," he continued. "And there is no legal grounds for doing anything other than sighing audibly. I can't wish people who are passionate about my little myth ill."

Yes Man actress Whit Anderson will write the new Buffy movie with Charles Roven (Batman Begins) producing.