Hulu’s ‘Buffy The Vampire Slayer’ Revival pilot has found its new Slayer! 15-year-old Ryan Kiera Armstrong, who played the wonderfully snarky “Fern” in ‘Star Wars: Skeleton Crew’, will be standing side-by-side to save the world (again) with Sarah Michelle Gellar‘s Buffy.
The original series followed Buffy Summers (Gellar) attempting to live a normal teenage life at Sunnydale High School. Guided by her Watcher, Giles (Anthony Head) and helped by friends Willow (Alyson Hannigan) and Xander (Nicholas Brendon), Buffy embraced her responsibilities and destiny as a hunter of vampires and demons – making her The Slayer.
We don’t yet officially know much about the plot of the revival, other than it will see Gellar return to the iconic role of Buffy Summers, alongside a new teen Slayer, played by Armstrong.
Gellar posted an adorable video to social media of her informing Armstrong that she had got the role. “From the moment I saw Ryan’s audition, I knew there was only one girl that I wanted by my side,” Gellar adds.” To have that kind of emotional intelligence , and talent, at such a young age is truly a gift. The bonus is that her smile lights up even the darkest room.”
Ryan Kiera Armstrong is a rising young American actress best known for her standout roles in American Horror Story: Double Feature, the 2022 remake of Firestarter, where she portrayed “Charlie McGee”, and for playing “Fern” in the wonderfully fun Star Wars: Skeleton Crew. Born in 2010 in New York City to Canadian actor/producer Dean Armstrong and Dr. Berta Bacic, Ryan began acting at the age of five and quickly made a name for herself with early appearances in Anne with an E, It Chapter Two, and Black Widow. She is next due to appear in the new Ethan Hawke-fronted drama ‘The Lowdown‘ on FX.
“We are so overjoyed to have found this generation’s slayer in Ryan Kiera Armstrong, she absolutely blew us away,” said Nora and Lilla Zuckerman, who are writers/EPs Nora and Lilla Zuckerman. “There is no question in our mind that she is the chosen one.”
The Zuckermans, who are showrunners/EPs of the utterly brilliant ‘Poker Face‘, and previously worked on projects such as ‘Suits’ and ‘Prodigal Son’, ‘Fringe’, ‘Agents Of SHIELD’, and ‘Haven’, write and exec produce the pilot. Oscar winner (and self-professed lifelong Buffy fanatic) Chloé Zhao (Eternals, Nomadland) is set to direct the pilot.
Gellar, Zhao, and the Zuckermans exec produce, alongside original executive producers Gail Berman, Fran Kuzui & Kaz Kuzui and Dolly Parton (yes, that Dolly Parton, whose production company, Sandollar, was a producer of the original show.) The project comes from Disney’s 20th Television and Searchlight TV.
We stress, the ‘Buffy The Vampire Slayer’ revival has not officially been ordered by Hulu yet, but they do appear to be gearing up to shoot a pilot, so we’ll let you know if and when we hear more!
