Sarah Michelle Gellar Says 'Nobody Saw' Buffy Reboot Cancellation Coming - Reveals ONE Person Killed It!

Listen up, Buffy fans! The queen Sarah Michelle Gellar is opening up about what stopped the reboot!

As you know, Hulu sadly decided to stop pursuing the Buffy The Vampire Slayer reboot that was going to feature the reprise of the iconic Buffy Summers. Fans were so disappointed to hear this news, but SMG has been trying to keep spirits up about it. And when she talked to People during SXSW, she revealed all the behind-the-scenes info on what went down.

She told the outlet she got the sad news when she was preparing to go onstage for the premiere of her new flick, Ready or Not 2: Here I Come:

“I was just about to take the stage in front of all the fans. Hulu had decided not to move forward with the Buffy revival. Let me tell you, nobody saw this coming.”

While discussing the series, she said director Chloé Zhao is the one who convinced her to bring back her iconic role:

“I’ve been asked since the day I left to return to Sunnydale. And it never occurred to me that it was something I was going to do. Then four years ago, Chloé, the witch that she is — and I say that as a good thing — comes into my life. In one meeting, she makes me say ‘yes’ to something I never saw on my radar. That was because of the deep love and commitment and passion she had for this character. It was like I was stepping back in time.”

What a shame it got canceled after she and Chloé did all that work!!

To make things worse for fans, the 48-year-old said the pilot episode for the reboot was SO good:

“Chloé and I talked a lot. The dialogue flew off the tongue. When I was on set, it was craziness. It was like, ‘Oh, we’re here. We’re doing this.’ I loved the duality that we had this new, younger slayer who was where Buffy was when the show started, and then we would pick up with where Buffy was now. And I’d like to use this moment also to say that Ryan Kiera Armstrong is a superstar. I’m gutted that no one will see her as a slayer.”

Ugh!

Sarah Michelle then revealed that “no one” saw this coming — not even the head of Searchlight Pictures:

“I got the call as we were stepping onto stage for the premiere of their own movie. And it’s also the weekend of Chloé going to the Oscars as a best director nominee for Hamnet. For them to call us on the Friday of what should have been Chloé’s victory lap for an incredible film, and my world premiere of something that I worked very hard for is… That says something.”

Oh man… Horrible timing, to say the very least. But that’s not the only thing that went down. Get ready to get MAD, y’all! Because SMG said there was one person who put a stop to the whole production — and he didn’t even LIKE Buffy:

“We had an executive on our show who was not only not a fan of the original, but was proud to constantly remind us that he had never seen the entirety of the series and how it wasn’t for him.”

OMG! Seriously?! She continued:

“That’s very hard when you’re taking a property that is as beloved as Buffy, not just to the world, but to me and Chloé. So that tells you the uphill battle that we had been fighting since day one, when your executive is literally proud to tell you that he didn’t watch it.”

No s**t! That’s so tough to hear. And she says it was a labor of love from herself and Chloé. This was supposed to be for the fans:

“But the fans, they were the only reason we were doing this show in the first place. We were doing it because everybody loves it. So how do you do a show that’s beloved with someone that doesn’t love it?”

Sarah Michelle added that she and the director talked recently, and they’ve got some strong feelings about all this:

“Chloé and I are feeling the same things. Disappointment. We don’t want to let the fans down. That hurts. Saddened at how it was handled and when it was handled. But I just said to Chloé, and I was very specific, I said, ‘Sunday night, you put that crown on and you walk that red carpet and you take in all that love for what you worked for and forget the other stuff.’ It’s important to me that this doesn’t take away from what we achieved and what she’s achieved. And there’s always so more to do.”

She even said she’s spoken to some of the other cast members and read all the comments fans have been leaving her:

“Every single one of them. No one more so than David Boreanaz. I spoke to him last night. It just shows the lasting relationship that we have. But Buffy is timeless. And the one thing I do want all these fans to know is that legacy is still there and this doesn’t diminish it. It doesn’t change it. That legacy is still there — for them.”

All in all, the actress has one goal after this:

“I’m going to hold my head high and keep going. That’s what Buffy Summers would do.”

Aww!

Man, this really sucks! But don’t give up hope just yet, Buffy fans. A source told the outlet that there’s still a chance someone else will pick up the series reboot:

“Disney owns the IP. As it stands today, it can’t go elsewhere. But that doesn’t mean the team behind the reboot, including Sarah and Chloé, Nora and Lilla Zuckerman, can’t take their talent and ideas elsewhere.”

Here’s to hoping they can find someone to do it — and do the series justice! An actual fan of the show, maybe!

Thoughts, Perezcious readers? Let us know (below).

[Image via 20th Century Fox Television/Jimmy Fallon /YouTube]