So, I’ve read that there’s a Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot film in the works. Here is why I think this is a REALLY BAD IDEA:
1) TOO SOON
You don’t reboot a franchise that’s only been off the air SEVEN YEARS. You just don’t. It’s a stupid, stupid thing to do. Last year’s Star Trek reboot came OVER FORTY YEARS after Star Trek: The Original Series, and FIFTEEN YEARS after the last film that featured members of the original cast. Meanwhile, Buffy the Vampire Slayer hasn’t even been off the air for ten years, and the world of the show is being continued – BY Joss – in comic book form. The fandom is still alive and well with no “franchise fatigue” in sight!
The Buffy reboot’s writer, Whit Anderson (who doesn’t even have a picture up on her IMDB page, and who only has credits as an actress – the biggest of which is as a “Patron” in the film Yes Man), likens this reboot to that of the Batman franchise with Batman Begins and The Dark Knight.
Um, no.
First of all, Batman is OVER SEVENTY YEARS OLD and its creator is dead. It could STAND reimagining every now and again. Secondly, the films she cites weren’t “reboots” so much as adaptations of Frank Miller’s version of Batman. These films were basically created so that the film version of Batman would match what currently existed in the comics, just as previous Batman films and TV shows reflected the comics of their time. So, for her analogy to work, she’d either have to be adapting Buffy: Season Eight comics to film, or having her film match the show so that the film Buffyverse is updated from the Kristy Swanson/Luke Perry film. Either way, what she’s doing is redundant, and insulting, mostly because the CREATOR OF THE ORIGINAL SHOW IS STILL HERE AND WORKING. Which leads me to…
2) NO JOSS, NO BUFFY
Joss IS Buffy The Vampire Slayer. Yes, he was even the less-than-stellar first film version. It’s Joss’ singular humor and take on life that made Buffy what it is. It’s what CONTINUES to make Buffy what it is in its comic incarnation. First of all, who is Whit Anderson, and why was she given the keys to ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR FANTASY FRANCHISES EVER?! Secondly, with Joss still alive and kicking and Creator of the Buffyverse, anything Anderson comes up with will feel like fan fiction. Granted, it might be very good fan fiction. But it won’t feel genuine. It will, at best, feel like a really good imitation. If you’re a first-time screenwriter, why would you want your first project to be a ventriloquist act?
Meanwhile, Joss has responded to all of this with a wonderful mix of candor and humor. My favorite bit?
“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.“
It’s true. He IS doing a reboot. Thing is, THE AVENGERS IS OLD, TOO! And the movie has the blessing of the creator, Stan Lee, and is being PRODUCED BY THE PUBLISHER OF THE AVENGERS. Also, Joss has written for Marvel before, so he’s part of the family. So, it’s really nothing at ALL like what Anderson & Warner Bros. are doing.
I would get more up in arms about this, but the fact is this was a VERY early announcement and the script isn’t even written yet. I wouldn’t be surprised if we never heard about this project again, and it spent eternity in Development Hell.
It can keep Joss’ version of Wonder Woman company.
I suppose they think that vampires = market, but if it’s specifically Buffy & they manage to alienate all the Buffy fans (which they seem to have done), then…not really sure what their target market is. They cut out all the people they could’ve fallen back on if the other vampire audiences didn’t come.
What sad is that I might’ve watched Whit Anderson’s take on the Slayer myth with a different Slayer. It’s not like there’s only one.
I was thinking about that! OR…what about adapting Fray?! THAT I’d go see! (Hell, I’d want to DO that! Who has the rights to Fray…?)
I feel really, really bad for this Whit Anderson gal. No matter how awesome the movie is, poor woman’s gonna be swimming in hate mail.
now if you’ll excuse me, i’m gonna go watch some REAL Buffy on netflix till this thing blows over.
I do, too. I was trying not to be TOO harsh on her, because I get the impulse to want to write this. I just don’t think it’s especially smart. Especially since it’s her first thing. Why start your career w/something that will make people hate you?
Me and my co-worker had the same sentiments. I think this is pretty much the prevailing opinion. I kind of feel bad for Whit, because she is going to enter a Hellmouth of angry fans! There will be very little they can do to bring in the old fans – I guess they’re hoping to get some of those Twilight/Vampire Diary fans in to see this (which is not me). But a lot of those folks that DO love Twilight and Vamp Diaries ALSO GREW UP on Buffy. Not smart.
I agree. And again, I mean Whit Anderson no disrespect. I just hope that 1)she’s ready for severe backlash, and 2) I kind of wish she’d put this to the side, work on something else, then perhaps do something else in a couple of years w/Joss’ blessing.
Yes, I think everyone on the web is pretty much in agreement about this. About half a year ago Joss released a very nice statement saying he was looking forward to seeing what someone else did with it (classy!) but despite that I had heard that the anti-reboot opinion was so strong that they weren’t going to go ahead with it.
That said, I feel like if they want to keep doing Buffy they have two options: 1) Do a continuation with the original cast, or 2) reboot it with a different cast. And if they’re going to get a different cast they should do a different interpretation, and if they do a different interpretation they should get a different creative force behind it. In other words, they should make Joss the executive producer and “creative consultant” and let someone else reinterpret it.
Reinterpretations of classics are often very good. You mentioned Batman, which has been rebooted successfully many times by many creative teams even withing the creator’s lifetime. You also mentioned Star Trek — ditto on that. Paramount sidelined Gene Roddenberry and brought in a new creative team in 1982, and the result was what many people think was the best Star Trek movie.
So I’m not necessarily against a version of Buffy without Joss’s involvement but if they aren’t prepared to do quality work like The Wrath of Khan or The Dark Knight then they should leave it alone.
Again, what’s happened with Batman weren’t reboots so much as adaptations of what was happening in the comics. They weren’t reinterpreting. They were putting what was in the comics on the screen. The Dark Knight and Batman Begins were taking what the current incarnation of Batman was in the comics, and putting it on film.
My problem with this reboot is that it’s too SOON for reinterpretation. The original is still being interpreted. It’s not OVER yet. How can one reinterpret an incarnation that’s not finished?
For those interested, a No Joss, No Buffy petition.
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/no-whedon-no-buffy—boycotting-wbs-buffy-movie/