Over the weekend, Sarah Michelle Geller announced via Instagram that Hulu had officially canceled the Buffy the Vampire Slayer sequel. Buffy: New Sunnydale was first confirmed last February, and all of the early information sounded promising. After years of being on the fence about returning to the role, SMG was back as Buffy. In May, Ryan Kiera Armstrong was cast as Nova, Sunnydale’s new slayer. Poker Face showrunners Nora and Lilla Zuckerman wrote the pilot and Chloe Zhao directed it. The pilot was filmed this past August.
The cancellation surprised a lot of fans, who immediately expressed their disappointment online. One person who is not surprised that the Buffy reboot was scrapped? Zhao, who said just that when she was asked about it by Variety and CNN on the Oscars red carpet on Sunday.
Chloé Zhao is addressing the Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot being scrapped at Hulu. The 43-year-old Hamnet director got candid about the surprising news while walking the red carpet at the 2026 Academy Awards on Sunday (March 15) at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.
If you didn’t know, the planned series, which was called New Sunnydale and would have included original series star Sarah Michelle Gellar, is no longer moving forward at the network following the pilot being filmed.
Chloé spoke about the series, which would have starred Ryan Kiera Armstrong as the new slayer, in an interview with Variety and CNN on the red carpet.
The director said she was “not surprised” by Hulu’s decision.
“I had an incredible, incredible time with Sarah [Michelle Gellar], with all the cast and crew doing this. And we, first and foremost, see ourselves as the guardians of the original show,” she went on to say.
“Our priority for Sarah and for us has always been to be truthful to the show, to be truthful to our fans. So, things happen for a reason, and we keep our hearts open and we welcome the mystery. And what this might lead us to.”
When asked if they would be trying to make the show happen elsewhere, she simply repeated: “Welcome the mystery.”
She also clarified that her look was inspired by Hamnet, not the Buffy news: “The crow. The power of taking and letting things die, so something new can come through.”
Chloe gave a good response, but I thought she looked a little uncomfortable when asked about it. Hulu sources called the pilot “not perfect” and blamed her, suggesting that she wasn’t a good fit for the reboot. On Monday evening, People published an exclusive interview with SMG who sounded really pissed and spilled the tea that New Sunnydale was killed by a single a-hole Hulu executive who continually reminded them that he was not a fan of the original series. If what Sarah says is true, then that would explain why Zhao ultimately wasn’t surprised by its cancellation. It also sucks that Hulu didn’t stick with a beloved female-centric series that was being brought back by a group of talented women.
As for Chloe’s comment clarifying that her look was inspired by Hamnet and not the Buffy news, she wore a long, black gown by Gabriela Hearst. At first I thought it was leather, but some reports say it’s metallic gunmetal. It had bell sleeves and a ruffled skirt, and she accessorized with a diamond snake necklace and dramatic black veil. There were a lot of “goth bride” jokes online, but it was a nod to Hamnet’s themes of death and mourning. I’ve seen mixed opinions about it, with some outlets putting her on their “Worst Dressed” lists and others praising her for being bold and daring. I initially did not like it at all, but the more that I look at it, the more it’s grown on me. I think it would look a lot better without the sleeves.
Chloé Zhao says she’s “not surprised” that the #Buffy reboot was canceled at Hulu.
The CNN & Variety Red Carpet Afterparty is now live on the CNN app and YouTube. #Oscars pic.twitter.com/BxGA31LpPl
— Variety (@Variety) March 16, 2026
Photos credit: IMAGO/RW/Avalon, Roger Wong/INSTARimages, Wally Skalij/The Academy/Avalon, LCY/Avalon
I’m not surprised that a show about strong capable women and girls killing demonic beings got canned. Wouldn’t want girls and women getting any ideas in their heads. I hate this timeline.
I’m with you. I was looking forward to this, so of course it got killed in this garbage timeline.
Of course Hulu is gonna blame Zhao. I believe SMG that it was one d*ckhead exec at Hulu. Time to bring back DEI because once again, the men are ruining everything for everyone.
So the one jerk was butt hurt because he did not like a show that ran for 7 seasons. Sounds like those white boy preference hires are bad for business.
If Sarah Michelle Gellar is correct that is ridiculously stupid from a business sense. It’s clear that there was interest in the reboot, and if there were issues with the pilot and Chloe Zhao’s direction style those things can be worked out, it’s a pilot.
Look, I think the Fast and Furious series is ridiculous as an entire concept. I saw the first one, and that was one too many for me. If I was a movie executive would I green light another of the 1 billion dollar grossing movies that that franchise produces? Absolutely. Personal feelings about whether or not you enjoyed it shouldn’t matter.
I have gone to SMG pilates studio in Santa Monica and worked out with her next to me once or twice. I never talked to her as she is enjoying her workout but she seemed super nice and warm. Anyway that is all I have to add. 🙂
Men shouldn’t be in charge of anything.
lol hear, hear
The whole thing just drips in misogynistic mess.
I never watched Buffy and I didn’t even know this reboot was being made since I don’t keep up with news about SMG. So the first I learned about it was hearing about its cancelation by Hulu. But I know the show has a dedicated fanbase and I’m sure this is incredibly disappointing. I don’t think Chloe Zhao wanted her Oscars appearance to be tied to Buffy’s cancelation so I think that’s why she kept her answer vague on the red carpet. She wasn’t there promoting Buffy, she was there for Hamnet. She’s also a woman of color so my guess is she didn’t want to out the fact it was one ahole Hulu exec who killed the project.
SMG is white and probably has been around long enough to not care if she burns bridges with one Hulu exec. She’s not a young 18 year old, she’s a grown woman and is like, I’m going to let the dedicated fans know exactly what happened. She didn’t name him so he can’t really complain that she defamed him or whatever. Though I’m sure everyone involved with the reboot knows who it is, she didn’t name and shame.
When the Deadline article came out after the announcement and had the source saying Zhao was not a good fit, I knew they were throwing her under the bus to cover up their own whack decisions. Zhao is such an easy target since she’s a female director with her own style.
This makes me glad I dumped Disney+/Hulu. I was looking forward to this. White men make the worst managers because they arrogantly f up everything they touch while lining their pockets. I absolutely adored Poker Face. This would have been so good with that team.