It’s news that’s been a long time in the making — more than two decades, in fact — but a Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot is on the way. Even more exciting? The cult-classic-revisited just landed the young new lead who’ll save the world alongside OG slayer Sarah Michelle Gellar. What else could the Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot have in store for fans? This huge casting announcement means things are definitely moving in the right direction.
In case you missed the original memo, though, the Buffy reboot pilot will be directed by Oscar winner Chloé Zhao and written and executive produced by Nora and Lilla Zuckerman. Gellar will also be executive producing, alongside the original series’ EPs Gail Berman, Fran and Kaz Kuzui, and even Dolly Parton (whose, fun fact, company Sandollar produced the late ‘90s/early ‘00s forerunner).
Although fan bases of cult shows can be notoriously picky, based on the initial feedback, it looks like Gellar and co. nailed the casting on this one. So, who is this next-generation slayer? And when can we hope to see her slaying on our small screens beside none other than Gellar’s badass Buffy Summers? Here’s the latest, along with everything else we know so far about this nostalgic sequel.
Who’ll star in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot?
On Thursday, May 15, Gellar revealed the first big casting update on social media. In a splitscreen Zoom, she can be seen reassuring a young star, saying, “I know this process has been hard, and there’s been so many parts with me being out of the country, and there’s just sort of, like, one part of it that I just wanted to ask you and I wanted to make sure you were OK with.”
Understandably, the actress on the receiving end looks a little nervous while listening to Gellar, meekly saying, “OK…”
But Gellar flips the script, revealing the young star has nothing to worry about — except, of course, slaying vampires. “How do you feel about helping me save the world?” Gellar asks, adding, “You wanna be my chosen one?”
Overcome with emotion, the young star — who we now know is 15-year-old Ryan Kiera Armstrong — manages to say yes, gushing, “This is so exciting, oh my gosh! … I’m so honored, thank you for trusting me.”
Gellar elaborates on the casting in the caption, saying, “I want to introduce you to @ryankarmstrong. 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. Welcome to #NewSunnydale #btvs.”
Fans seem pretty happy with the decision, too. One commented, “Omg! I felt it as if I’m the chosen one and got emotional too.”
“We found our new slayer; this is awesome,” said another.
Writing and producing pair the Zuckermans couldn’t contain their excitement, either, saying in a statement, “We are so overjoyed to have found this generation’s slayer in Ryan Kiera Armstrong, she absolutely blew us away — there is no question in our mind that she is the chosen one.”
What have we seen Armstrong in before?
First of all, can we just say how fun it is that Armstrong has a triple name like Gellar? There’s just something poetic about that.
Now, onto the young star’s resume, which is pretty full given her age! Armstrong began her acting career in 2017 with a recurring role on Netflix’s Anne with an E, but she really got her big break in 2019 when she starred opposite Amanda Seyfried in The Art of Racing in the Rain. More big roles followed, including parts in It: Part Two, FX’s American Horror Story, The Tomorrow War, Firestarter, and more.
Since 2024, she’s enjoyed a starring role on Disney+’s Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, and she’ll soon appear as a recurring character opposite Ethan Hawke on FX’s The Lowdown. Now, we can add the Buffy reboot to the list.
When will the reboot come out?
Considering they’ve only just cast the first lead, we can expect a bit of a wait on this one. Although no one has officially given any sort of hint about the timeline, IMDB does list the project date as 2026, so maybe next year?!
Here’s hoping, slayers.
