The new slayer has been chosen for the Buffy reboot — and she’s no stranger to Disney.
Ryan Kiera Armstrong, best known for her roles in Firestarter, Anne with an E, and most recently Disney+’s low-rated Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, has officially been cast as the lead in the upcoming Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot for Hulu. She’ll star opposite Sarah Michelle Gellar, who returns as the iconic Buffy Summers and now serves as executive producer on the project.
The crew of kids and SM-33 on Star Wars Skeleton Crew – YouTube, Star Wars
The announcement marks a major step forward for Disney’s next big franchise revival. The untitled pilot, described as the “next chapter in the Buffyverse,” comes from 20th Television and Searchlight TV, both under the Disney banner, and is being helmed by Oscar-winning director Chloé Zhao (who also directed Marvel’s Eternals).
Passing the Torch — Gellar Praises Armstrong’s Audition
Sarah Michelle Gellar, who once said she couldn’t envision Buffy returning without compromising its original legacy, is now all-in on the reboot. In a statement released with the casting announcement, Gellar heaped praise on Armstrong’s audition:
“From the moment I saw Ryan’s audition, I knew there was only one girl that I wanted by my side. To have that kind of emotional intelligence, and talent, at such a young age is truly a gift. The bonus is that her smile lights up even the darkest room.”
Gellar also shared a heartfelt video of herself breaking the news to Armstrong, who tearfully thanked her for the opportunity, calling it an honor to take on the role. Armstrong was joined by her father, Canadian actor-producer Dean Armstrong, in an emotional reveal that was clearly designed to capture the symbolic “passing of the stake.”
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The series’ co-writers, Nora and Lilla Zuckerman (Poker Face), also weighed in.
“We are so overjoyed to have found this generation’s slayer in Ryan Kiera Armstrong,” they said. “She absolutely blew us away — there is no question in our mind that she is the chosen one.”
Disney’s Buffy: A New Slayer, A New Era — But at What Cost?
While the casting announcement has generated buzz, it also reinforces a concern that’s followed the reboot since it was first announced: this is Buffy the Vampire Slayer without series creator Joss Whedon.
Joss Whedon at Comic Con – Photo Credit: Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Whedon, who created the character and shaped the entire Buffyverse — from the seven-season TV series to the comic continuations — is not involved in any capacity. Following serious allegations from multiple actors and collaborators, including Ray Fisher, Charisma Carpenter, and Gal Gadot, Whedon was effectively pushed out of Hollywood. His departure may have been inevitable, but it leaves behind a creative vacuum.
Buffy Summers was more than just a slayer — she was the embodiment of Whedon’s razor-sharp writing and deep character complexity. The original show was lauded for exploring trauma, grief, adolescence, and empowerment with wit and nuance. It wasn’t perfect, but it was authentic. Without Whedon’s voice guiding the tone and structure, can a new slayer truly carry that same weight?
Chloé Zhao’s Role Raises Eyebrows
Adding to fan skepticism is the choice of director. While Chloé Zhao is an Academy Award winner for Nomadland, her last franchise outing was Marvel’s Eternals — a bloated, meandering pandering spectacle widely panned as one of the studio’s biggest misfires. Critics pointed to shallow characters, lifeless pacing, and Disney’s now-familiar template of effortless, one-dimensional “girlboss” protagonists.
(L-R): Kingo (Kumail Nanjiani), Makkari (Lauren Ridloff), Gilgamesh (Don Lee), Thena (Angelina Jolie), Ikaris (Richard Madden), Ajak (Salma Hayek), Sersi (Gemma Chan), Sprite (Lia McHugh), Phastos (Brian Tyree Henry) and Druig (Barry Keoghan) in Marvel Studios‘ ETERNALS. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. ©Marvel Studios 2021. All Rights Reserved.
If Buffy follows that model — as seen in other Disney projects like The Acolyte, The Marvels, and Echo — this reboot could easily trade in the soul of the original for a glossy, soulless imitation aimed more at quotas than quality.
Is a Disney Buffy Still Buffy?
There’s no question that Sarah Michelle Gellar’s involvement brings a level of authenticity and gravitas. But the absence of Joss Whedon, combined with Disney’s current track record for character-driven storytelling, continues to cast a long shadow.
Buffy Summers in Buffy the Vampire Slayer – YouTube, MissMojo
Can Armstrong, Gellar, Zhao, and the Zuckermans defy the odds and deliver a Buffy worthy of the name? Or will this be another example of Disney resurrecting a beloved franchise only to strip it of the very essence that made it iconic?
For now, the torch has been passed — but the question remains whether anyone still remembers how to light it.
Are you excited for the Disney Buffy reboot? Sound off in the comments and let us know!
Buffy was the beginning of the girlboss trend. It’ll be somewhat funny to see its legacy ruined.
Buffy and Xena were actually well written shows about complex flawed female characters. It’s nothing like today’s dreck. However this, under Disney and the creative team they have, probably will be.
This is why it was the start. It got progressively worse since then.
A strong woman, probably a lesbian or another type of minority.
They wont stop till they butcher every last thing we once had.
Yet another reboot no one asked for. Just more evidence that Hollywood has completely run out of ideas.
So the mouth,… not the brain is back.