Buffy The Vampire Slayer Film Remake?
So let’s just get it out of the way now, Joss Whedon has no involvement with this remake, that is not a sequel or prequel to the TV series or the original film, which has just been announced by former Buffy film producers, Kuzui and Vertigo Entertainment.
Roy Lee and Doug Davison of Vertigo Entertainment are working with original movie director Fran Rubel Kuzui and her husband, Kaz Kuzui, on what is being labeled a remake or relaunch, but not a sequel or prequel.
Unfortunately Whedon, who when he got the chance to make a TV show about this character, Buffy Summers, got to create a show that more closely related the original idea of the character unlike the film version with Kristy Swanson, which changed dramatically from Whedon’s original script. Something Whedon was never excited or happy about saying on multiple occasions how the TV series was a much closer rendering of his vision than the movie, which was compromised by commercial concerns and differences in interpretation. The film is now considered a relatively minor chapter in the broader Buffy legacy.
Kuzui and her Kuzui Enterprises unfortunately have controlled the rights since the beginning, when she discovered the “Buffy” script from then-unknown Whedon. She developed the script while her husband put together the financing to make the 1992 movie. Kuzui and Sandollar received executive producer credits on the series “Buffy” and its spinoff, “Angel.”which has plagued forever the ability for Whedon to ever get a continuation of Buffy onto the big screen because he doesn’t want to give credit to Kuzui anymore than he has had to.
I guess this is the Kuzui clan getting back at Whedon and developing their own new reboot of the character without her Scooby Gang support team of Willow, Xander, Onya, Giles, etc.
“Vertigo and Kuzui are looking to restart the story line without trampling on the beloved existing universe created by Whedon, putting the parties in a similar situation faced by Paramount, J.J. Abrams and his crew when relaunching “Star Trek.”
The goal would be to make a darker, event-sized movie that would, of course, have franchise potential. The parties are meeting with writers and hearing takes, and later will look for a home for the project. The producers do not rule out Whedon’s involvement but have not yet reached out to him.Speaking from Tokyo.
So this is a conundrum I faced back when the Star Trek reboot was announced. I was concerned but this new vision put together by Abrams has taken money from my wallet 5 times. So how to I feel about Buffy? Ideally I would love to have Whedon’s involvement and I hope they honor his vision and creation which has made them much money and at least approach him to direct or write the remake. I would have said the same thing if Rodenberry was still alive.
Secondly, I hope they really hone in on Buffy and what she was all about. As Matt Roush of TV Guide said, “Clueless meets Carrie by way of Salem’s Lot” and “My So-Called Life as a Vampire Slayer. Buffy was deep and took us to some scary places that were unexpected for a teen show. A coming of age allegory that showed us all that high school and growing up is truly hell and that one wrong decision could bring the end of the world…at least six times. Throughout its seven seasons the show’s genious was Whedon, giving us life lessons through a genre convention completely flipped around, where the talky blonde girl usually killed in the first act, is a kick ass broad not to be messed with. The series showed us pain, joy, sex, friendship, more sex and death. Today’s biggest shows, Heroes, Alias, Lost all owe a debt to Buffy and Whedon’s vision. Even Meyer’s Twilight Saga wouldn’t be without the influence of Buffy.
To conclude I will hold reserverations until more about this comes to light and what type of Buffy the Vampire Slayer will we see. I may have to begin the Joss Whedon for Buffy campaign! Who is with me?
