Chloé Zhao reacts to the cancellation of the new Buffy series
The director seems to believe that the project could be taken up elsewhere: “We keep our hearts open and we welcome the mystery… and what it might have in store for us.”
She arrived on the 2026 Oscars red carpet dressed in black. A veil in front of the face. As if she were in mourning…
Chloé Zhao made a notable appearance at the Ceremony last night, a few hours after the announcement of the cancellation of the new Buffy series.
“But it’s for Hamnet, eh… Let me be clear,” said the director, laughing, at the microphone of the American press on the red carpet. Chloé Zhao was not in mourning for Buffy, she had just put on an outfit in the vein of her Shakespearean drama, several times nominated and for which she was herself in the running in the Best Director category.
Chloé Zhao says she’s “not surprised” that the #Buffy reboot was canceled at Hulu.
The CNN & Variety Red Carpet Afterparty is now live on the CNN app and YouTube. #Oscars pic.twitter.com/BxGA31LpPl
— Variety (@Variety) March 16, 2026
Moreover, for her, the decision of Disney and Hulu concerning Buffy New Sunnydale. is no more surprising than that:
“No, I’m not surprised. I had an incredible time with Sarah (Michelle Gellar), the entire cast and crew working on this project. But most of all, we consider ourselves custodians of the original series. Our priority, for Sarah and me, has always been to stay true to the show and the fans. Things always happen for a reason. We keep our hearts open and embrace the mystery…and what it might have in store for us.”
Asked if this meant the project could be offered to other broadcasters, Zhao replied with a smile: “Let’s welcome the mystery.”
We understand between the lines that for Chloé Zhao, this return of Buffy is not yet completely forgotten. She still seems to believe that the project could be taken up elsewhere…
Announced in February 2025 as a pilot (ordered by Hulu, Disney’s other platform in the United States), the project was directed and produced by Chloé Zhao, with Nora Zuckerman and Lila Zuckerman writing and showrunning, and Sarah Michelle Gellar back in the skin of the killer, ready to pass the torch to a young recruit (Ryan Kiera Armstrong). It was she who revealed this weekend, with a heavy heart, the abandonment of the Buffy return project.
