Buffy the Vampire Slayer Next on the Remake/Reboot Chopping Block

If the idea of remaking or reboot movies make you quiver with frustration, then you’re probably not a very big fan of Roy Lee and Doug Davison and their Vertigo Entertainment. These two guys, but in particular Roy Lee, have been nearly single-handedly responsible for all those by-the-numbers Asian horror movie remakes you’ve seen over the past decade or so. They haven’t stopped at remaking horror movies, either. Some of their past credits include remakes of “My Sassy Girl”, “Quarantine”, “The Lake House”, and “Possession”. Basically, if it’s a remake of an Asian title, check the credits, and you’ll usually find these guys’ names attached as producers. Their latest? A reboot of Joss Whedon’s “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” on the big screen.

You may or may not recall, but the Buffy TV series that you Whedon fans know and love actually started as a feature-length film from Fox in 1992. The original film, written by Joss Whedon, starred Kristy Swanson as Buffy and Luke Perry as the motorcycle-riding heartthrob who helps her save the day. You know, back when Luke Perry had a movie career. But I digressed. The movie kind of bombed, but did pave the way for Whedon to bring his creation to TV, where it flourished, eventually creating one of the most diehard fanbase in all of fandom.

The remake will be coming to you courtesy of Fran Rubel Kuzui, who directed the original movie, and her husband Kaz Kuzui. The duo actually owns the rights to the Buffy character, so they’ll be rebooting the franchise with or without Joss Whedon’s. Yes, we’re talking about the possibility of a Buffy movie without the man who put it on the map. That’s sort of like doing “Star Wars” without George Lucas. That would be crazy … right? Producing, of course, will be the infamous Roy Lee and Doug Davison of Vertigo Entertainment.

Isn’t there some kind of universal crime against this? Apparently not.

According to THR, the reboot would not be a prequel or sequel to the 1992 original or the TV series, but would simply continue the story with a new set of slayers. The idea is to make a “darker, event-sized movie that would, of course, have franchise potential.” Since the entire Buffy concept allows for whole universes of different slayers, the idea behind the reboot is very sound. Of course, whether Whedon’s fans will flock to see this thing without their lord and savior’s name attached to it remains in doubt.

If Kuzui and Lee are smart, they’ll go to Whedon and get him onboard. But would he come onboard without creative control? Doubtful.

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