WB to Reboot Buffy the Vampire Slayer
By
Agonus,
Posted on: 2010-11-22 15:34 in Comic and Hero-Villain Culture
So WB is rebooting the movie. Kind of meh on it, maybe when I start seeing some productions shots, trailers, and such I can make a decision, but till then it's a meh for me
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Joss Whedon comments, clarifying that he decries this evil studio who does things that would be far beneath him.
Quote:
I think I love this man.|
Kristin, I'm glad you asked for my thoughts on the announcement of Buffy the cinema film. This is a sad, sad reflection on our times, when people must feed off the carcasses of beloved stories from their youthsjust because they can't think of an original idea of their own, like I did with my Avengers idea that I made up myself. Obviously I have strong, mixed emotions about something like this. My first reaction upon hearing who was writing it was, "Whit Stillman AND Wes Anderson? This is gonna be the most sardonically adorable movie EVER." Apparently I was misinformed. Then I thought, "I'll make a mint! This is worth more than all my Toy Story residuals combined!" Apparently I am seldom informed of anything. And possibly a little slow. But seriously, are vampires even popular any more? I always hoped that Buffy would live on even after my death. But, you know, AFTER. I don't love the idea of my creation in other hands, but I'm also well aware that many more hands than mine went into making that show what it was. And there is no legal grounds for doing anything other than sighing audibly. I can't wish people who are passionate about my little myth ill. I can, however, take this time to announce that I'm making a Batman movie. Because there's a franchise that truly needs updating. So look for The Dark Knight Rises Way Earlier Than That Other One And Also More Cheaply And In Toronto, rebooting into a theater near you. Leave me to my pain! Sincerely, Joss Whedon. |
Now to see how fans react to knowing that he isn't overly upset about this... knowing "True fans", they'll ignore it and pitchfork anyway.
mixed feelings on this ...
Hmmm, I guess Mutant Enemy made the TV series and not the movie, so Whedon does have little stake in any big screen reboot.
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Does Excell Saga count?
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Originally Posted by Nethergoat
I'm eagerly waiting for the series with enough gumption to re-boot ITSELF in its first episode!
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I eagerly await the new edition of Angel and Spike for all the lols in the world.
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Yeah, what about the future comic mini they did.|
Originally Posted by Eisregen_NA
If they did a continuation with a completely different setup, or a parallel story of sorts that leaves the TV series untouched or irrelevant and simply picks up on the basic principles, sure.
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Slayer 2099 or whatever.
I remember that being fairly well received.
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It was called Fray, named after the Slayer of a distant, Batman Beyond-esque future. I don't know if it was really that much like BB, or if I'm just projecting onto it, but that's the way I would describe the setting. It's not really consistent with a history in which every possible slayer is activated, but Fray featured in a crossover with Buffy Season 8 that at least acknowledged the inconsistency and hinted at storyline reasons for it to exist.
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Originally Posted by Cowman
Yeah, what about the future comic mini they did.
Slayer 2099 or whatever. I remember that being fairly well received. |
Or they could follow the established storyline and simply follow a new slayer in some terrible new situation. New York slayer?
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@Starflier
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I weirdly liked both the original Buffy movie and the Buffy/Angel TV shows (for different reasons of course). I heard they were talking about a new Buffy movie reboot like a year ago. I guess they are finally getting more serious about it. Frankly I'd prefer to see a "Next Generation" idea for this done instead of trying to bring back the original characters.|
Originally Posted by Nericus
A Buffy: New Generation idea would be far better then hitting the reboot button.
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I really don't have that much hope for a Buffy movie which Whedon has absolutely no involvement with, but I'm willing to wait and see what direction they go with this.
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Originally Posted by Wayfarer
We should start a pool betting on how long it will take them to reboot Harry Potter.
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Then of course fairly recently (like a month or two ago) I read something that suggested she was in fact planning some new Potter stories.
I never really doubted that would happen for a minute.
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They are doing it wrong (No surprise, of course)...
They should reboot the tv show in the style of the movie. 
Now, that I would give a looksee.
Paul Reubens in Buffy... Best. death scene. Ever.
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I too am tired of reboots. Every director who gets hold of a franchise decides that he doesn't like the previous Batman/Superman/Spider-man movie and has to retell the origin story for the umpteenth time.|
Originally Posted by Coin
I think it's the reboot aspect that's annoying the fans. The storyline was ended with a perfect setup for a continuation with a whole new cast and storyline, especially in light of the Season 8 comics.
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Why retell the origin story? Why not just have another chapter in the life of the character? Or tell the story of a different character?
As you suggest, Whedon's multi-generational slayer concept primes the pump for spin-offs. If the new director has a new slayer that's not supposed to be the same old Buffy but just played by a new actor then there is a scintilla of hope for the project. But if their "new" movie is just a rehash of the original movie or series there really is no point. Been there. Seen that.
The real problem is not that directors and writers lack creativity and imagination and CAN'T come up with new and original ideas. The problem is that the money guys at the studios won't greenlight those ideas. They want to lock in an existing audience who have an emotional attachment to those old characters.
What the money guys don't seem to get is that the audience is predisposed to like anything that is inspired by or reminiscent of their old favorites. That audience will go watch new and original stuff that's not identical to their old favorites, but will react poorly to hackish remakes.
The success of Twilight, True Blood and the Vampire Diaries shows that audiences are still drawn to original shows in the same vein as Buffy. These shows tell many of the same kinds of stories as Buffy did, but in different ways that add (well, sometimes add) something new to the genre. Some of the new ideas will then become even more popular than the shows that went before.
Remakes are a three-edged sword: some fans will go to see it because they'll see anything attached to their favorite show, some fans will refuse to see because it despoils the original, and some movie goers will never go because they didn't like the original.
For a show like Buffy with a devoted but smallish fan base, the money guys would be better off picking an original project, or at least one that's disconnected enough from the original Buffy that it won't turn off hard-core fans or hard-core haters.
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Well...Forever Knight's TV Movie Pilot, rebooted itself in the first episode of the TV series. That's pretty close.
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Originally Posted by Nethergoat
I'm eagerly waiting for the series with enough gumption to re-boot ITSELF in its first episode!
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I hate the word 'reboot'. It's becoming synonymous with 'utter crap'. So I can only have one response to this news:
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So I felt I should just throw this out there.
The Buffy Movie and the Buffy TV show were both created by the same person: Joss Wheadon.
So what happened was Joss wrote the screenplay to the movie but since he was relatively unknown, Fran Rubel Kuzui ended up funding the movie but also drastically changed the script from the original version.
The director, Fran Rubel Kuzui, saw it as a "pop culture comedy about what people think about vampires". Whedon disagreed: "I had written this scary film about an empowered woman, and they turned it into a broad comedy. It was crushing." The script was praised within the industry, but the movie was not.
Then down the road a Fox executive asked Joss to take his Buffy concept and develop it into a show. Which became the Buffy/Angel franchise. However, he was also well aware that the Kuzui's film company still retained rights to make another Buffy movie, so that is why he's not overly upset or surprised. I'm not even sure if the new film could legally use any of characters or lore from the tv show without Fox devouring them alive.
My opinion on the film is, meh.
I liked the Buffy movie because I was...12 at the time so the humor worked for me and growing up to be a cheerleader that kicked vampires sounded awesome to me. I loved the Buffy/Angel TV shows because I was 15 when they started so the whole high school/college/adult melodrama that happened through the shows fit my age group each season. So if they throw it back to High School I have no interest in it because I haven't been in High School for 10 years now so a lot of the association that made me like the originals will be lost on me.
My biggest hope for it, if it happens, is that they keep the vampires as they were in the series, you know, monsters that actually ripped your throat out and killed you, not the sparkly emo nonsense of the Twilight era.
And if they go that way with the cast of the likes of High School Musical, THAT I would love to see, Sharpay being turned and killing everyone in HSM, would be all kinds of awesomesawuce
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Er. Every time I watched Buffy (when nothing else was on the telly cause it was Sunday morning and I was stuck at work back then), wouldn't you know it, there was either emo Angel or emo Spike in it. I've never been a regular viewer, but these guys made Louis from Interview with the Vampire look manly at the worst of times.
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Originally Posted by Coin
My biggest hope for it, if it happens, is that they keep the vampires as they were in the series, you know, monsters that actually ripped your throat out and killed you, not the sparkly emo nonsense of the Twilight era.
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I dunno. Rutger would make an excellent Watcher now I think.
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Originally Posted by Rodion
The original cast included Kristy Swanson, Hillary Swank, Rutger Hauer, Paul "Pee Wee Herman" Reubens, Luke Perry and Donald Sutherland. Those actors are all a bit long in the tooth for the original concept now, so it would require a new cast.
But I agree with your sentiment: why remake a movie that was only made 18 years ago? I would guess that's why Whedon is not involved. |
This is Joss' response:
Warning: If you're a Buffy fan, this will make you love Joss Whedon all the more. And will make the sting of today's news, even well, stingier.
After Warner Bros. announced today that they are moving forward with a Buffy the Vampire Slayer "reboot" without the involvement of the iconic mastermind behind the TV series, Joss WhedonI checked in with Joss for his reaction, and here's what he just shared with me via email:
Kristin, I'm glad you asked for my thoughts on the announcement of Buffy the cinema film. This is a sad, sad reflection on our times, when people must feed off the carcasses of beloved stories from their youthsjust because they can't think of an original idea of their own, like I did with my Avengers idea that I made up myself.
Obviously I have strong, mixed emotions about something like this. My first reaction upon hearing who was writing it was, "Whit Stillman AND Wes Anderson? This is gonna be the most sardonically adorable movie EVER." Apparently I was misinformed. Then I thought, "I'll make a mint! This is worth more than all my Toy Story residuals combined!" Apparently I am seldom informed of anything. And possibly a little slow. But seriously, are vampires even popular any more?
I always hoped that Buffy would live on even after my death. But, you know, AFTER. I don't love the idea of my creation in other hands, but I'm also well aware that many more hands than mine went into making that show what it was. And there is no legal grounds for doing anything other than sighing audibly. I can't wish people who are passionate about my little myth ill. I can, however, take this time to announce that I'm making a Batman movie. Because there's a franchise that truly needs updating. So look for The Dark Knight Rises Way Earlier Than That Other One And Also More Cheaply And In Toronto, rebooting into a theater near you.
Leave me to my pain! Sincerely, Joss Whedon.
Quote:
I dunno what series you were watching for Emo Spike, cos I don't remember seeing that, even after he got his soul back!|
Originally Posted by Eisregen_NA
Er. Every time I watched Buffy (when nothing else was on the telly cause it was Sunday morning and I was stuck at work back then), wouldn't you know it, there was either emo Angel or emo Spike in it. I've never been a regular viewer, but these guys made Louis from Interview with the Vampire look manly at the worst of times.
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Emo Angel, that I agree with, especially in the early days of the series before he lighten up a little, but the rest of the vampires were NOT the Emo, Sparkly Twilight nonsense! They used to just kill you and feed on you. So did Spike as well, come to that
We built this city on Rock and Roll!
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Spike definitely had his emo phase. It was horribly annoying. I think it was about the 5 or 6 episodes following getting his soul back before he got some sense slapped into him.|
Originally Posted by Coin
I dunno what series you were watching for Emo Spike, cos I don't remember seeing that, even after he got his soul back!
Emo Angel, that I agree with, especially in the early days of the series before he lighten up a little, but the rest of the vampires were NOT the Emo, Sparkly Twilight nonsense! They used to just kill you and feed on you. So did Spike as well, come to that |
Keep in mind, pre-vampire Spike was pretty emo when they were showing his flashbacks.
total kick to the gut
This is like having Ra's Al Ghul show up at your birthday party.
Oh, I'd say Spike had his emo-ish moments though those were mostly in the last season when the First was screwing with his head.
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I doubt anyone is willing to throw enough money at Gellar to get her to change her mind about returning to -anything- Buffy related.
And as far as Boreanaz, this is supposed to be his reaction to the news of the reboot. (The other guy in the pic is the creator of the Bones show.)
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The season 8 comics have gone down hill since they tried explaining the whole Twilight bs. I've read every freaking issue and I'm still not sure I get it.
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Originally Posted by Flarstux
Anybody following Season 8? I've tried, but it's just not working for me.
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Tales of Judgment. Also here, instead of that other place.
good luck D.B.B.
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Dude.
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Originally Posted by Coin
I dunno what series you were watching for Emo Spike, cos I don't remember seeing that, even after he got his soul back!
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But I agree with your sentiment: why remake a movie that was only made 18 years ago? I would guess that's why Whedon is not involved.
just my two cents....
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