In fairness, I think it’s the only way to go for a theatrical film. If they can come up with (and sell) a TV show that takes a new direction with the existing mythology from Buffy and Angel, then they should go for it. :)

Dom, I’d have to disagree that a reboot is the *only* way to go, but I guess we’ll just have to agree to disagree. :)

Anyone know anything about it? From its look, it kinda reminded me of a grittier version of “Alien Nation.”

See above for why I think it isn’t.

‘The fact that the Kuzui’s can make the film without Joss says more to me about the rather uneven power structure with regard to ‘ownership’ in Hollywood than it does about them being ‘nice enough’ to let him make the TV show.’

What? That they bought Buffy, lock, stock and barrel from him, found the financing and made the film? Can’t see anything wrong with that. If you sell your apartment to someone else, you can’t complain if they choose to redecorate it!

‘Buffy was his creation, and while the Kuzui’s provided financing’

No, the Kuzuis bought the script, went out there and got financing for the film themselves. Even Joss admits that nothing would have happened without Fran in particular.

‘the fact that they can simply toss the name on whatever drivel they like without his consent is pretty ridiculous.’

Again: why does it have to be ‘drivel’?

‘And given most accounts of how he was treated, I don’t blame him for slagging off the Kuzuis.’

Joss was allowed on set, which is more than most writers are, and says it was his decision not to give notes to the actors because he felt that would be unfair to the director. Sadly, Donald Sutherland apparently clashed with Fran, who was a relatively inexperienced director. The Kuzuis allowed the TV show and its spin-off to happen, taking a back seat (IIRC, they are based in Japan.) It’s then that the regular abuse of the first film started.

‘Also, most of Whedon’s ‘failures’ involved other folks tinkering with his scripts and ideas, such as Alien Resurrection and the original Buffy movie, neither of which resembled the originals as penned by Whedon.’

Actually, AR is almost word for word Whedon’s screenplay (I’ve got it on a shelf somewhere), as is the Buffy film. It’s how those words are performed that is wrong. And that says something for weaknesses in Joss’s writing: that the only person who can properly direct a Whedon script is Whedon himself. You can only blame other people so much and it seems to be a recurring theme with Whedon fans that it’s always someone else’s fault!

‘And he’s also done numerous uncredited rewrites such as X-Men, Twister and Speed ‘

So what? His name isn’t on those films?

‘I think making a Buffy story without Joss will have equally disastrous results.’

On the other hand, a fresh writer given the freedom of creating a completely separate script based on the concept could do a bang up job. Wait and see is the best option for now. All this might be for nothing anyway!

20. Nick Cook: ‘That said, I honestly do not see the point in doing a Buffy reboot when the Whedon version is still so young, and still has mileage in it.’

In fairness, Buffy’s best years were behind it by the time it moved to UPN and Angel seasons four and five were controversial to say the least (I loved all of Buffy and Angel, incidentally, including Beer Bad.)

But what is Buffy about at its core? Growing up. High school as Hell. The little girl takes back the night from the monsters. SMG (age 32) has long since walked away from Buffy and all the cast are really to old to work in a movie that effectively is about fifteen-20 year olds growing up. Even allowing for the whole ‘adults as kids’ high school thing in the US, having Alyson Hannigan (age 35) playing an early 20-something wouldn’t work.

Buffy, the TV show, has a small, very enthusiastic following and appealed to sections of liberal academia and some critics, but a film continuation of a television show about being a teenager-to-early-20-something when many of its actors are well on their way to 40 (Nicholas Brendan, age 38) or even 50 (James Marsters, age 47) would be no way to get a cinema audience in.

A reboot of Buffy is the only sensible way to do a movie now. And given how impossible everyone seems to think it is to adapt a Whedon script, perhaps, therefore, a new writer is the way to go!

Yeah that’s a fair point, any good writing team that gets the show could do a good Buffy movie. That said, I honestly do not see the point in doing a Buffy reboot when the Whedon version is still so young, and still has mileage in it.

This really strikes me as cashing in (oh, the Star Trek reboot’s been a big sucess, and vampires are popular).

I don’t worship at the altar of Whedon, but I give him credit where it’s due. He’s a talented guy, whose willing to take risks. Sometimes he hits gold, sometimes he doesn’t. But I don’t see any huge value in a Buffy reboot at this point. Maybe in twenty years or so, but not this soon.