Buffy The Vampire Slayer Returns In 2027 With Wild New Release
Buffy the Vampire Slayer is returning in 2027.
A sequel series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer: New Sunnydale, was previously in the works at Hulu, with a pilot episode filmed and directed by Academy Award winner Chloé Zhao, and a script written by Nora and Lilla Zuckerman. Sarah Michelle Gellar was aboard the project as a producer and reprised her iconic role, while Ryan Kiera Armstrong played a new slayer named Nova. However, Gellar revealed in March that the pilot had not been picked up, and the show would not be moving forward.
On Instagram, author Taylor Hartley has now revealed that the franchise does have an official new release coming in 2027 via the young adult novel Buffy the Vampire, which will be published by the Random House Children's Books imprint. Hartley teases that the story sees Buffy becoming a vampire during the events of season 3, with Buffy, Willow, and Cordelia serving as the point of view characters. Check out the announcement below:
In addition to Buffy, Willow, and Cordelia, other fan favorites will also be in the story, including Giles, Angel, Spike, and Oz. Additionally, Hartley shares that the novel will feature plenty of "Bangel" and "Spuffy," referring to the fandom names for shipping Buffy with Angel and Spike.
The post teases some of the book's tone, themes, and deeply personal connection to the author as "a feminist romp and a love letter to the series that quite literally saved me in more ways than one." Hartley emphasizes that the story will be accessible to new fans, and for longtime ones: "I know it’s been rough lately; I promise I’ll take good care of our girl." This refers not only to the cancellation of the sequel series, but to actors Anthony Head, Nicholas Brendon, and Michelle Trachtenberg all passing away over the course of the past year and a half.
Sunnydale · Watcher’s Council Examination Buffy the Vampire Slayer Trivia “Into every generation, a Slayer is born.”
🗡The
SlayerChosen One
🧛VampiresCreatures of Night
🔥HellmouthPortal Below
👥ScoobiesScooby Gang
✨MagicDark Arts
01
She was chosen to fight the vampires, the demons, and the forces of darkness. Which actress plays Buffy Summers across all seven seasons of the series?
✓ Correct! Sarah Michelle Gellar brought Buffy Summers to life from 1997 to 2003, creating one of the most iconic female action heroes in television history. Her blend of vulnerability, humor, and fierce determination defined the character and the show.
✗ Staked! The answer is Sarah Michelle Gellar. Alyson Hannigan plays Willow, Charisma Carpenter plays Cordelia, and Eliza Dushku plays the rogue Slayer Faith. Only SMG is the one and only Buffy Summers.
02
Buffy and her friends live in a fictional California town built directly on top of a mystical convergence of dark energy called the Hellmouth. What is the name of this town?
✓ Correct! Sunnydale, California sits atop the Hellmouth, a portal to demon dimensions that attracts supernatural activity like a magnet. The town’s ironic name — sunny and pleasant on the surface, literally hellish underneath — perfectly captures the show’s tone.
✗ Staked! The answer is Sunnydale. Mystic Falls is from The Vampire Diaries, Santa Carla is from The Lost Boys, and Beacon Hills is from Teen Wolf. Only Sunnydale sits on the Hellmouth.
03
Every Slayer is assigned a Watcher — a mentor from an ancient British organization who guides and trains her. Who is Buffy’s beloved Watcher throughout most of the series?
✓ Correct! Rupert Giles, played by Anthony Stewart Head, serves as Buffy’s Watcher and surrogate father figure. The school librarian by day, Giles is a repository of occult knowledge with a rebellious past — his younger self was known as ‘Ripper.’ His bond with Buffy is one of the show’s emotional pillars.
✗ Staked! The answer is Rupert Giles. Wesley is the by-the-book replacement Watcher who later joins Angel’s team, Quentin Travers heads the Watchers’ Council, and Merrick was Buffy’s first Watcher (from the original film). Giles is the one who truly shaped Buffy.
04
Buffy’s first great love is a vampire cursed with a soul, who was given his conscience back by Romani as punishment for his terrible crimes. Who is this brooding vampire?
✓ Correct! Angel, played by David Boreanaz, is the vampire Angelus cursed with a soul by the Romani people after he murdered a girl from their clan. His tormented romance with Buffy is the emotional core of the early seasons, and he eventually got his own spinoff series, Angel.
✗ Staked! The answer is Angel (Angelus). Spike is a different vampire who gains a soul later by choice, Oz is a werewolf (Willow’s boyfriend), and Riley Finn is a human soldier from the Initiative. Angel is Buffy’s first star-crossed supernatural love.
05
In the critically acclaimed Season 4 episode ‘Hush,’ the Gentlemen steal something from every person in Sunnydale. What do they take?
✓ Correct! The Gentlemen steal everyone’s voices, rendering the entire town unable to speak or scream. The episode is famous for having almost no dialogue, forcing the cast to communicate through physical acting. It earned Buffy its only Emmy nomination for writing.
✗ Staked! The answer is their voices. The Gentlemen need silence so no one can scream when they come to cut out hearts. The episode’s near-total lack of dialogue made it one of the most innovative hours in TV history and earned the show its only Emmy writing nomination.
06
Buffy’s best friend Willow Rosenberg begins the series as a shy computer nerd but eventually becomes one of the most powerful beings in the Buffyverse. What is the source of her immense power?
✓ Correct! Willow, played by Alyson Hannigan, develops into an incredibly powerful witch over the course of the series. Her magic arc goes from floating pencils to nearly destroying the world as ‘Dark Willow’ in Season 6 — one of the show’s most dramatic character transformations.
✗ Staked! The answer is witchcraft and magic. Willow’s journey from timid hacker to world-ending witch is one of Buffy’s most compelling arcs. Her addiction to dark magic in Season 6 and eventual mastery of her powers in Season 7 show the full spectrum of her character.
07
Which bleach-blonde vampire starts as a villain who has killed two Slayers, but over the course of the series falls in love with Buffy and ultimately sacrifices himself to save the world?
✓ Correct! Spike, played by James Marsters, goes from one of Buffy’s deadliest enemies to one of her most devoted allies. After seeking out a soul of his own free will — unlike Angel, who was cursed with one — Spike sacrifices himself in the series finale to close the Hellmouth and save the world.
✗ Staked! The answer is Spike. Angelus is Angel’s evil alter ego, Drusilla is Spike’s sire and former love, and Darla is Angel’s sire. Only Spike made the journey from Big Bad to self-sacrificing hero, choosing to earn his soul rather than having it forced upon him.
08
The Season 6 episode ‘Once More, with Feeling’ is a full musical where the cast sings and dances. What supernatural force causes the townspeople to burst into song and reveal their deepest secrets?
✓ Correct! Sweet, a dapper singing demon summoned accidentally by Xander, forces everyone in Sunnydale to express their hidden feelings through song — with the deadly side effect that some people literally dance themselves to death. The episode is widely considered one of the greatest TV musical episodes ever made.
✗ Staked! The answer is a demon named Sweet. Xander accidentally summoned Sweet with an amulet, unleashing musical chaos across Sunnydale. The songs revealed painful truths — Buffy’s depression, Giles’s plan to leave, Tara’s suspicion about Willow’s magic — making it both entertaining and emotionally devastating.
Sunnydale · Patrol Complete Your Slayer Record
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Chosen One — or just another Sunnydale civilian?
While nothing can change the tragedy and disappointment that the fandom has experienced recently, Buffy the Vampire comes as a pleasant surprise announcement, delivering a brand-new story that explores a compelling "what if" scenario. With season 3 often considered to be the best Buffy the Vampire Slayer season, the timeline of the novel is also poised to be appealing, featuring many of the original show's classic characters and dynamics set during the end of the high school years.
Season 3 was also the last one before Angel and Cordelia exited the main show for the Angel spinoff. Having Cordelia not only be in the book, but having her as a point of view character alongside Willow is another major draw, and promises that the "feminist romp" will go beyond Buffy's perspective.
Publishing appears to be the future of the franchise for now, as in addition to the upcoming novel, Dynamite Entertainment launched new Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel comic book series in 2026. There is always a chance of the characters returning to television, but this is more complicated after the cancellation of the Hulu sequel series and the rights still belonging to Disney via 20th Century Studios.
Prior to writing an official Buffy the Vampire Slayer novel, Hartley wrote the romantic fantasy novels Song of the Hell Witch and Dance of the Dark Mother and the romantic drama The Risks of Falling.
Buffy the Vampire will be released in 2027.