Okay … let’s take this new report with a HUGE grain of salt but it sounds like Buffy the Vampire Slayer may rise from the dead, once again, in a new animated web series. As many of you are prolly still very painfully aware, Whedon’s latest endeavor Dollhouse was canceled by Fox last week … but that means that Joss has a bunch of newly freed up time on his hands. According to SyFy’s SciFiWire, Whedon is now planning to bring the Season 8 comic book series based on BtVS to life in a new animated web series:

Buffy lives! No, not the proposed Buffy the Vampire Slayer movie that wouldn’t involve creator Joss Whedon or anyone from the beloved TV show, which all serious Bronzers consider an abomination against nature. Rather, a series of motion-comic webisodes based on Whedon’s highly successful series of “Season Eight” comics. An actor friend of ours has clued us in to the casting of the new Buffy webisodes, which makes it sound like the proposed Web series is moving ahead quickly. Based on the breakdown, the series will be based on the comics and feature the characters Twilight, the Big Bad of Season Eight, and evil British socialite Slayer Lady Genevieve Savidge, who plots to usurp Buffy’s place in the Slayer hierarchy. Casting director Jeff Shuter is also looking for voice actors to play the parts of familiar Buffyverse characters Faith, Kennedy and Robin Wood, as well as a bunch of new characters (including someone who sounds like actor Daniel Craig to play a character based on the James Bond star). Below is the full breakdown, with character names and descriptions. Now that Dollhouse is winding up, Cabin in the Woods is delayed until 2011 and there’s no new Dr. Horrible on the immediate horizon, this is the best news yet for a Whedonite. Yay!

Click HERE to see a list of characters that are being cast for this proposed Buffy animated web series. Man … this is great news. I know it’s a far cry from having the live-action Buffy gang back together again but it’s a damn fine consolation prize. I’ve been really enjoying the BtVS Season 8 comics and I think they will make an EXCELLENT animated series. Please gods, let this happen … fans of the Buffyverse could really use this sort of great news right about now. What do y’all think … would you watch an animated webseries based on Buffy the Vampire Slayer?

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When I heard the blasphemous news that plans are in the works for a redux of Buffy the Vampire Slayer that will not include any input from Buffy creator Joss Whedon nor any of his amazing supporting characters my first thought was, I wonder what the eff Joss has to say about any of this. Michael Ausiello of Entertainment Weekly managed to get a quote from Whedon late Tuesday and brings us Joss’s response to plans for this new incarnation of Buffy the Vampire Slayer:

Blasphemous. Insane. Moronic. Re-freakin’-diculous. Those are just some of the colorful reactions that greeted today’s announcement that H’wood is planning to make a new Buffy movie without Joss Whedon (a.k.a. the worst idea in the history of civilization). But one person has remained suspiciously silent throughout the escalating controversy: Whedon himself. Until now, that is. In an explosive Q&A conducted over e-mail, Whedon weighed in for the first time about the sure-to-be-hellacious Buffy reboot. What follows is a complete transcript of that interview…

Alright, so maybe I over-hyped our exchange a little bit. In my defense, it’s all I could get out of him given the time constraints. (Whedon’s crazy busy shooting the horror flick Cabin in the Woods and only had 10 seconds to spare.) But while his words may have been brief, come on, the meaning behind them was anything but. At the very least, his statement is open to all kinds of interpretation. Is he taking the high road? Is he genuinely hopeful it won’t suck? Is “cool” secret code for something else — like “colossal failure,” perhaps?

In my estimation, Joss Whedon is taking the high road (as he always does) and is trying to sound as positive as possible about the most horrendous idea ever unleashed upon the world. As I mentioned before, it is my understanding that Joss does not hold the Kuzuis in high regard and if they are behind the project (and are willing to move forward without Whedon’s input) then I don’t believe he holds high hopes for this new endeavor. I still contend that without Joss, any “Buffy” project will outright suck balls. I’m sure Joss will comment further when he has the time and inclination. But for now … this is all we get.

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The most blasphemous of blasphemies is upon us … and I’m so thrown off by it, I’m having a hard time wrapping my head around the news. In early April a new rumor started to make its way around the Internets that Sarah Michelle Gellar was “finally ready” to take on a Buffy the Vampire Slayer movie which got all the Buffygeeks (me included) excited at the prospect that BtVS might be coming to the big screen. Not long after that report took off, it was reported that Sarah Michelle Gellar is pregs with her first child (meaning she prolly wasn’t going to do a Buffy movie) and BtVS creator Joss Whedon himself insisted that the movie was “not gonna happen”. It turns out that he was wrong … kinda. The Hollywood Reporter is reporting today that a new Buffy the Vampire Slayer movie is, in fact, in the works … but here’s the kicker (in the privates), the movie will have nothing to do with Joss Whedon and will not include any of Buffy’s amazing supporting characters … ie. no Willow, Xander, Angel, Spike, etc. So now it turns out that the Best.News.Ever is actually the Worst.News.Imaginable!

A new incarnation of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” could be coming to the big screen. “Buffy” creator Joss Whedon isn’t involved and it’s not set up at a studio, but Roy Lee and Doug Davison of Vertigo Entertainment are working with original movie director Fran Rubel Kuzui and her husband, Kaz Kuzui, on what is being labeled a remake or relaunch, but not a sequel or prequel. 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” 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. The parties are meeting with writers and hearing takes, and later will look for a home for the project. The producers do not rule out Whedon’s involvement but have not yet reached out to him.Speaking from Tokyo, Fran Kuzui said the company is constantly approached not only about sequels but theater, video games and foreign remakes for “Buffy.” When Vertigo’s Lee contacted them, they were intrigued. “It was Roy’s interest in taking Buffy into a new place that grabbed us,” she said, noting that original exec producer Sandy Gallin also was consulted. “It was based on our respect for what he does, and his particular sensitivity to Asian filmmakers, that we wanted to work with him.” Kuzui, who is prepping do direct a movie in Japan in the fall, added: “Everything has its moment. Every movie takes on a life at some point, and this seems like the moment to do this.”

NOOOOOOO! This is such a terrible idea … a Joss-less Buffy is no Buffy at all. As I understand it, Joss was not a big fan of the Kuzuis. I believe he took issue that their names were splashed all over every ep of Buffy and Angel even tho they had NOTHING at all to do with either series and only got credit because they financed the original, cheesy film. I imagine their plans to hijack his creation for more financial gain will not sit well with him this time. But, I have to say, on the one hand … there is hope that this drive to bring Buffy to the big screen can work — but only if Joss Whedon gets involved. I hate, no LOATHE, the idea of a new Buffy with new friends … but if Joss is able to take control of the story and write the script, I think he could come up with some way to make it work. If these people decide to move forward with this idiot idea without Whedon’s involvement, I’ll have NOTHING to do with it. I am very curious to hear what Joss has to say about all of this. I imagine he may make a statement on this new development. One thing is for sure, at least for me, no Joss = no Buffy = no chance in hell I’ll want anything to do with any bastardization of one of my favorite things in life.

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Earlier this month we heard the AMAZING rumor that Sarah Michelle Gellar was reportedly FINALLY ready to take on a Buffy the Vampire Slayer movie … but about a week later, we learned the even more amazing news that SMG is pregs at last with her first child (meaning that reports that she was ready to do a BtVS movie were prolly greatly exaggerated). Today, tho, Buffy creator Joss Whedon drives the final stake into the heart of this Buffy movie rumor by categorically denying that any BtVS movie is in the works:

Here’s the final word on that rumored Buffy the Vampire Slayer movie from the creator himself, Joss Whedon. “Not gonna happen,” Whedon told reporters in Hollywood on Wednesday. “Not gonna happen. Until I gather the press and make a public announcement myself that it’s going to happen, never believe anything.” So there you have it!

Booooooooooooooooooooo! While this news is a TOTAL bummer, I guess it’s really not that much of a surprise. This Buffy movie rumor rears its head every once-in-a-while and hopeful fans (like me) hope against hope that the rumor is true at last. But, alas, we are left dejected and crestfallen once again. I suppose we should keep this in mind the next time a rumor like this goes around but something tells me that hope and belief will win out in the end … and we (well, I) may fall for it again. So that’s it … no Buffy movie either with or without SMG is in the works. Since Joss has his hands full with the fate of Dollhouse these days, I doubt we’ll be hearing any future Buffy news anytime soon.

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OMG! This news is too good to be true … so I’m trying to hold off on the embarrassing celebrating but … just in case this report does turn out to be true, THIS WILL BE THE BEST NEWS EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!! According to Showbiz Spy, Sarah Michelle Gellar is “in talks” to sign on for a Buffy the Vampire Slayer movie:

Sarah Michelle Gellar is reportedly in talks to reprise her role as Buffy the Vampire Slayer – for a movie. The 31-year-old actress ended her role as Buffy in 2003 after a seven-year run. Now the feisty character could be making a return on the big screen. An insider says, “There is an idea for a script and to pick the story up with Buffy older and maybe even a mother. Michelle is busy with movie projects at the moment but she is excited about the idea. Buffy still has a huge fan-base so this is a movie that already has an audience. Michelle is a shrewd businesswoman so the chances are this will happen at some point.”

As much as I really wish this were true … the info provided by this “insider” seems really weak. SMG has very famously balked at all attempts to get her reprise her Buffy role on the big screen. I suppose it’s possible that she has changed her mind in recent months but … my heart just can’t believe it just yet. For now, I’ll cross my fingers and hope for the best … but I fear we’ll be hearing soon that this rumor is just that … an erroneous rumor.

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Yesterday afternoon I met up with Darion and Kirsten at D’s place because we made plans to drive down to Torrance, CA to spend some time in Sunnydale. As you may or may not know, Sunnydale High and the house that was used as Buffy Summers’s home are real places that exist in Torrance, CA. Sunnydale High (which is also West Beverly High in Beverly Hills, 90210) is actually Torrance High School and Buffy’s house is a regular house on a street in Torrance. Here are a couple pics of us in front of “Buffy’s House”:

Yes, we brought along an official stake prop replica from Buffy the Vampire Slayer for use in our photos … we’re cheesy geeks, we’re well aware. We also spent some time (well, quite a bit of time) on the grounds at Sunnydale High (um, Torrance High). After the jump, check out a whole slew of our fun pics from that excursion …

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