Warner Bros. announced yesterday that there will be a reboot of the Buffy The Vampire Slayer movie franchise (does one make a franchise?).   Sadly missing from the project is concept creator Joss Whedon. 

The new writer of the next Buffy movie will be Whit Anderson.

”I didn’t really watch much television at all, but I always watched ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer.‘ That was the one show I would watch when I got home. I just loved this character. I was the same age as Buffy, and it was so rare to have a female lead character on TV in those days who was strong and capable and smart but also allowed to be feminine.”-Whit Anderson

The franchise, which began with 1992’s cult classic Buffy The Vampire Slayer starred Kristy Swanson (How funky is your chicken?  How loose is your goose? Our goose is totally loose!) and was written by Joss Whedon.  The movie then spawned the TV series which ran for seven seasons on WB and UPN and starred Sarah Michelle Gellar.  The TV series lead to  the offshoot Angel, which starred David Boreanaz.   Three years ago TV guide named Buffy the Vampire Slayer to the third spot in its list of top 25 all-time cult shows.  Falling only behind Star Trek and The X-files.   The show is living a quasi life as a comic book now. 

Joss Whedon released the following remarks to E! Online’s Kristin Dos Santos:

Kristin, I’m glad you asked for my thoughts on the announcement of Buffy the cinema film.  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.

Obviously I have strong, mixed emotions about something like this. 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. Then I thought, “I’ll make a mint!  This is worth more than all my Toy Story residuals combined!” Apparently I am seldom informed of anything. And possibly a little slow. But seriously, are vampires even popular any more?

I 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. 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. I can, however, take this time to announce that I’m making a Batman movie.  Because there’s a franchise that truly needs updating. So look for The Dark Knight Rises Way Earlier Than That Other One And Also More Cheaply And In Toronto, rebooting into a theater near you.

Leave me to my pain!  Sincerely, Joss Whedon.

While it remains to be seen if the reboot will be any good since it is still in its infancy stages, we are sure that the project will fall under tons of scrutiny from the die-hard fans of the original.  What made the show great was Whedon’s writing ability and his direction.  Something that is not always easily to replicate.

For more info check out the story thanks to the  LATimes.