ET confirmed last week that a reboot was in the works featuring a black actress in the lead role.
Monica Owusu-Breen isn't trying to replace Buffy Summers.
Backlash from fans sparked almost instantly when ET confirmed last week that a Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot was in development with creator of the original series, Joss Whedon, executive producing, and Owusu-Breen writing the pilot script. Now, Owusu-Breen is speaking out about her plans for the show, which is set to feature a black actress stepping into the main role made famous by Sarah Michelle Gellar.
"For some genre writers it's Star Wars. Buffy the Vampire Slayer is my Star Wars," Owusu-Breen wrote on Twitter on Thursday. "Before I became a writer, I was a fan. For seven seasons I watched Buffy Summers grow up, find love, kill that love. I watched her fight, and struggle and slay."
"There is only one Buffy. One Xander, one Willow, Giles, Cordelia, Oz, Tara, Kendra, Faith, Spike, Angel…They can't be replaced. Joss Whedon's brilliant and beautiful series can't be replicated. I wouldn't try to," she continued. "But here we are, twenty years later…And the world seems a lot scarier. So maybe, it could be time to meet a new Slayer…And that's all I can say."
The original Buffy the Vampire Slayer ran for seven seasons from 1997-2003 on The WB and UPN, following Buffy and her friends, Willow (Alyson Hannigan) and Xander (Nicholas Brendon) attending high school by day and slaying vampires by night.
Gellar has remained proud of her Buffy roots since the show ended 15 years ago, and paid tribute to the iconic character in a touching post about her strength in March.
"I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the anniversary of #btvs is the same week as #internationalwomensday," she wrote on Instagram. "I have always believed that the world is changed by your example, not by your opinion. We have all learned a lot from Buffy, and the best part is, that never ends."
See more in the video below.
RELATED CONTENT:
