Sarah Michelle Gellar aims dig at cancelled Buffy reboot as she reunites with David Boreanaz

Sarah Michelle Gellar took a dig at the cancellation of Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot New Sunnydale, after reuniting with David Boreanaz to present an award at the Emmys on Monday night.

Standing at the microphone, the pair kicked off by joking about the plot of the original Buffy, with Gellar saying: "A teenage girl chosen by fate to fight vampires, demons and forces of darkness, and then she falls in love with a vampire with a soul carrying around a couple hundred years of regret.

"A much, much older vampire with a soul and agonising remorse about his past. For those of you who don’t know, his character was 241 years old."

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Gellar then referenced the cancelled reboot, telling viewers they would never get to see how Buffy and Angel's story ended.

"You know, Sarah, I always thought Buffy and Angel would end up together," said Boreanaz.

"Well, I guess we won’t find out!" Gellar quipped.

The Buffy Summers actor also paid tribute to some of the cast members who recently passed away, saying: "David and I would like to acknowledge that it has been a tough two years for our beloved cast and crew, and we feel very lucky to have known and worked with such amazing people."

She was referring to the deaths of Michelle Trachtenberg, who played Dawn Summers and died in February 2025 at 39, Nicholas Brendon, who portrayed Xander Harris, who died in March at 54, and Anthony Head, who played Rupert Giles, who died in June at 72.

The cancellation of the Buffy reboot was announced in March this year, with Gellar confirming that the network Hulu had decided to drop the project.

Gellar, who served as executive producer alongside director Chloé Zhao, shared the news via a video on Instagram.

She said: "So, I am really sad to have to share this but I wanted you all to hear it from me. Unfortunately, Hulu has decided not to move forward with Buffy: New Sunnydale."

She continued: "I want to thank Chloe Zhao because I never thought I would find myself back in Buffy's stylish, yet affordable boots. And thanks to Chloe I was reminded how much I love her, and how much she means not only to me but to all of you. And this doesn't change any of that.

"And I promise if the apocalypse actually comes... you can still beep me."

Buffy the Vampire Slayer can be streamed on Disney+ and ITVX in the UK, and on Hulu in the US.

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Harriet is a freelance news writer specialising in TV and movies at Digital Spy. 

A horror enthusiast, she joined Digital Spy after working on her own horror website, reviewing films and focusing largely on feminism in the genre. 

In her spare time, Harriet paints and produces mixed-media art. She graduated from the University of Kingston with a BA in fine art, where she specialised in painting. She also has an MA in journalism from Birkbeck University.