Whispers of a second Buffy movie have spread ever since the show ended back in 2003. Recently, show creator Joss Whedon adamantly declared that there would be no Buffy movie. Ever. But this week, the Kuzuis, long-time Buffy associates, announced that they wanted to "reboot" Buffy and make another film. But there's so many problems with their vision, I don't even know where to start.
The Kuzuis want to relaunch Buffy without Xander, Willow, Spike, Angel, and the rest of the gang. They don't want to make a prequel, or a sequel, but rather an entirely new story line. No thanks, Kuzuis. I'm not buying it, and neither are hoards of other fans.
Here are the top 5 reasons why relaunching Buffy are a bad idea.
Buffy isn't Buffy without the Scoobies
What made Buffy different from other Slayers, including Faith, was her desire to be connected to her friends and family. She did not work alone. Sure, sometimes she took charge and tried to, but she needed the Scoobies. Giles, Xander, Willow, and, to a certain extent, Dawn, Angel, and Spike all played key roles in Buffy's ability to save the world. Let's face it, Buffy was clearly the best Slayer: she lived the longest and fought the hardest, but she stayed connected to her humanity. Buffy without the Scoobies is just a killing machine.
Replacing actors (and dropping characters) never works for any franchise. Fonzie left Happy Days. Eric Forman left That 70's Show. Dropping characters ruins franchises - and if it doesn't completely ruin them, it leaves fans disappointed and unwilling to continue watching. Replacing actors is an equally stupid idea. Love her or hate her, Sarah Michelle Gellar will always be Buffy. Seven years of playing a character versus a one-off movie? You can replace her, but it won't be the same. The constant comparisons between Sarah Michelle Gellar and the poor girl picked to follow in her footsteps are not something I'd wish on anyone.
Why start from scratch when you have perfectly good material already?
Uber fans of the long dead television show have kept up with Buffy through Dark Horse's season 8 comics. Expanding the world beyond the concept of one Slayer in every generation, and teasing out the grounds between good and evil, the season 8 comics are rife with potential plot lines for an epic summer blockbuster. The characters we know and love have grown even more, and the plot lines are more complex, but they still maintain that witty Joss-esque humor (and crazy attention to detail and follow through) we all know and love.
Approaching the franchise from a different perspective would make a better film.
Um, hello, Fray. You don't need to relaunch the Buffy franchise with Buffy as the lead character. Rather than a spin off, like the Angel television series, using Fray as a basis for the film would be an entirely new way to look at the Buffyverse. You'd still be able to tap into Joss's foundation and world building, but you'd have the freedom to do more with characters and expand on the role of the Slayer. Why take the time to piss off millions of fans by relaunching Buffy (without all of the good parts) when you can take the world and start all over with new characters?
No Joss? No Buffy.
Sorry, it doesn't work without Joss. One of the reasons Buffy was such a cult hit was because Joss understood the hilarity behind the show. A petite little blonde girl against all the forces of darkness? And her name is Buffy? Pure hilarity. Buffy would not have been the same if it was an action show, or a horror or crime solving show. While Buffy had elements of many dramas - action, romance, horror, etc - what drew it all together was its self-awareness of just how ridiculous it was.
The first three seasons all relied on the analogy of "high school as hell", plotting Buffy against the forces of hell, which rested conveniently under her high school's library. It's such a literal comparison that it would have failed if it wasn't done right. But the show managed to tackle serious issues, from abuse to divorce and cheating (on exams, significant others, and at sports), without feeling like an after school special. There's a certain magic to that.
Buffy doesn't exist without the fans.
As desperate as fans are for a new Buffy movie or television show, they're not so desperate that they'll endorse anything with the Buffy name attached to it. Just because you make it doesn't mean we'll watch it. It would be like relaunching Xena and having her married with children: people who weren't fans of the original show might buy it, but others won't. At the end of the day, the fans may not know best, but they are the ones going to the box office, buying DVDs, and reading comic books. If they make this version of Buffy and the fans don't go see it, Buffy is doomed forever, never to return.
There are hundreds of reasons why a relaunched Buffy franchise simply wouldn't work, but mostly it's a combination of reasons. If Joss Whedon was on board to make a new film, but Sarah Michelle Gellar wasn't, she'd be replaced and the film would probably be just as successful.
What do you think, Buffy fans: if they relaunched the movie without Sarah Michelle Gellar and the Scoobies, would you go see it?