Something's stirring in New Sunnydale! With cameras beginning to roll on Chloé Zhao's Buffy The Vampire Slayer reboot for Disney+ over the past week
Something’s stirring in New Sunnydale! With cameras beginning to roll on Chloé Zhao’s Buffy The Vampire Slayer reboot for Disney+ over the past week, there’s been no shortage of newsy tidbits — or Scoobie snacks, if you will — for fans to get hyped over, from on-set glimpses of Sarah Michelle Gellar’s return to SMG and modern chosen one Ryan Kiera Armstrong slaying together at the gym. Now, courtesy of Deadline, we’ve got a buzzy modern casting announcement to share: The Studio star Chase Sui Wonders has joined the Buffy reboot pilot, teeing up a reunion with fellow I Know What You Did Last Summer alum Gellar.
According to Deadline, Wonders’ role in Zhao’s pilot is a one-off, guest starring slot as a vampire believed to be named Shirley. Speaking to the trade about helping bring Buffy back, Wonders was effusive in her praise for Sarah Michelle Gellar and her hands-on approach to making sure Poker Face showrunning duo Nora and Lilla Zuckerman get this long-awaited return right. “It’s the dream to bring back a show like this, to have someone who was there day in and day out and through the origin of the series, be the consultant,” said Wonders. “She’s the onset consultant for all kinds of things of like, how do you react to these types of vampires, or how does someone react to a bite, and all the lore she’s got stored in her brain. So, it’s very helpful.”
And it’s not just Wonders whose casting confirmation we now have, either. We already knew that the reboot-cum-legacy sequel would follow Armstrong’s modern chosen one Nova as Gellar’s Buffy Summers teaches her the ropes with slaying, but now we also know who’ll be joining them. Faly Rakatohavana is set to play a privileged high schooler named Hugo; Ava Jean will take on the role of ‘chronic do-gooder’ Larkin; Sarah Bock has been cast as the ringleader of a group of churchgoing students at Armstrong’s school; Daniel Di Tomasso will appear as Nova’s single father Abe; Jack Cutmore-Scott is in as a popular high school teacher; and last but not least, Kingston Vernes will guest star as Carson, Nova’s crush at New Sunnydale Academy.
In every generation there is a chosen one, and on present evidence, it looks like Zhao, the Zuckermans, and Sarah Michelle Gellar have done a hell(mouth) of a job shepherding in their modern slayer. Here’s hoping Buffy The Vampire Slayer‘s next era is full of bite, and that it doesn’t, er, pale in comparison to its predecessor. Stay tuned for more on all things Buffy as we get it!
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