Buffy the Vampire Slayer Gets a Remake

Buffy the Vampire Slayer may be heading to the bigscreen, in what is being labeled a remake or relaunch, rather than a sequel or prequel.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, "Buffy" creator Joss Whedon is not involved and the project is not set up at a studio, but Roy Lee and Doug Davison of Vertigo Entertainment are in talks with original movie director Fran Rubel Kuzui and her husband, Kaz Kuzui to bring this remake to theaters.

While Whedon is the person most associated with "Buffy," Kuzui and her Kuzui Enterprises have held onto the rights since the beginning, when she discovered the "Buffy" script from then-unknown Whedon. She developed the script while her husband put together the financing to make the 1992 movie, which was released by Fox.

Kuzui later teamed with Gail Berman, then president of Sandollar Television, bringing back Whedon to make the TV series, which was produced by Fox TV and launched on the WB in 1997. Kuzui and Sandollar received executive producer credits on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spinoff, Angel.

The new "Buffy" film, however, would have no connection to the TV series, nor would it use popular supporting characters like Angel, Willow, Xander or Spike. Vertigo and Kuzui are looking to restart the story line without trampling on the beloved existing universe created by Whedon, putting the parties in a similar situation faced by Paramount, J.J. Abrams and his crew when relaunching Star Trek.

One of the underlying ideas of "Buffy" allows Vertigo and Kuzui to do just that: that each generation has its own vampire slayer to protect it. The goal would be to make a darker, event-sized movie that would, of course, have franchise potential.

No production date has been set.