I just pulled this off E! I knew that the 7th season would be the last one, but it still kinda sucks to hear an "official" word.
Buffy" Laid to Rest
by Lia Haberman
Feb 27, 2003, 11:45 AM PT
The demons of Sunnydale won't have Buffy the Vampire Slayer to kick around anymore.
UPN has officially announced the cancelation of the series, as star Sarah Michelle Gellar leaves to concentrate on her big-screen career.
Earlier this week, it was announced that Gellar was close to signing on to the feature film Romantic Comedy. Production on the lovestruck spoof starts in August, ostensibly when Buffy would start filming on its eighth season. The casting news put a stake through Gellar's return to the UPN series.
Then word leaked of Gellar's come-clean interview in Entertainment Weekly's March 7 issue. "Buffy, in this incarnation, is over," said the actress, whose contract expires at the end of this season.
Finally on Thursday, 20th Century Fox Television and UPN confirmed what insiders already knew, production on the series would end this April after seven seasons and 144 shows.
The series finale will air May 20. While Eliza Dushku and Alyson Hannigan are both making crossover appearance on Angel and Buffy, this season there's no word if the titular lovers separated by destiny, several hundred years and network rivalry will finally reunite for the last episode.
"It's hard to believe it's over," said creator Joss Whedon in a written statement released through UPN Thursday. "Well, it's hard to think at all, or stand, or form vowel sounds, so maybe it's time to take a break. I'm just glad I can say we did our best on every single episode. We didn't always succeed, but we never slacked, and I'm immensely proud of my writers, actors and crew for that.
"And I'm proud of what this show means...I truly believe that in years to come, people will look back and say 'that was a show that was on TV.' Yessir. I truly do," said Whedon, who received an Emmy nomination for the creepy classic episode "Hush."
The eulogies were echoed by execs at 20th Century Fox and UPN. "Buffy the Vampire Slayer will go down in history as one of television's best shows and an enduring testament to the vision and genius of its creator Joss Whedon," said 20th Century Fox Television prez Dana Walden. "For seven years, Joss, his team of writers led by Marti Noxon and an extraordinary cast led by Sarah Michelle Gellar captured the cultural zeitgeist and effortlessly combined drama, action and humor. Without question, Buffy will live on for generations to come."
"We have been very fortunate to be the home to such a landmark series, always brilliantly written and acted," chimed in Dawn Ostroff, UPN's entertainment boss. "I'd like to send a special thanks to the remarkably talented actors, producers, writers and crew who worked tirelessly through the years."
Gellar won the role of the Chosen One back in 1997 when Buffy the Vampire Slayer was nothing more than a punchline, based on the box-office bomb starring Kristy Swanson and Luke Perry (how bummed are they not to have signed on for the series?).
Prior to Buffy, Gellar was best known for her sudsy role as Kendall Hart, daughter of scheming Erica Kane (Susan Lucci) on All My Children, for which she won a Daytime Emmy.
Despite its dedicated fan base, Buffy would never win the thespian an Emmy (or even a nomination, though she was nominated for a Best Actress Golden Globe), but during her seven-season tenure Gellar managed to add multiple credits to her résumé. While pulling double duty as wisecracking schoolgirl and vampire slayer, Gellar also moonlighted during her hiatus in movies like Scream 2, I Know What You Did Last Summer, Cruel Intentions, Simply Irresistible and Scooby-Doo.
Gellar's break-neck schedule won't slow down, with the actress slated to begin production on Scooby-Doo Too with husband Freddie Prinze Jr. as soon as Buffy wraps. Warner Bros. is eyeing a summer 2004 release for the sequel with a script already in the works for the third installment of the franchise.
Rumors of Gellar's departure began lurking on the Internet last summer, when news that Buffy's sister Dawn (Michelle Trachtenberg) would have a larger role in the seventh season, prompting speculation that the demon-battling heroine would pass the stake on to her little sis.
Most recently, Dushku's name was put forward as a possible slayer sub for a potential spinoff series. Dushku joined the Scooby Gang in the third season as rogue Slayer Faith, but an alliance with the dark side put an end to her time in Sunnydale.
Ultimately, the Hellmouth could go unprotected since a rep for the actress just confirmed she's inked a pilot deal with Fox for an untitled project from writer John Feldman, which would see Dushku as a morgue employee who talks to the dead instead of staking them. The corpses tell Dushku's character how they were murdered and every morning she relives the same day, hoping to set things right.
In addition, Buffy's executive producer Noxon has already been tapped for a new one-hour drama next season, leaving the fate of Sunnydale uncertain.
Still producers maintain the possibility that the slayer mythology lives on. According to the statement from 20th Century Fox and UPN: "Discussions regarding the future of the Buffy franchise and a possible spinoff are ongoing."
(Originally published February 26, 2003 at 3 p.m. PT.)
Buffy" Laid to Rest
by Lia Haberman
Feb 27, 2003, 11:45 AM PT
The demons of Sunnydale won't have Buffy the Vampire Slayer to kick around anymore.
UPN has officially announced the cancelation of the series, as star Sarah Michelle Gellar leaves to concentrate on her big-screen career.
Earlier this week, it was announced that Gellar was close to signing on to the feature film Romantic Comedy. Production on the lovestruck spoof starts in August, ostensibly when Buffy would start filming on its eighth season. The casting news put a stake through Gellar's return to the UPN series.
Then word leaked of Gellar's come-clean interview in Entertainment Weekly's March 7 issue. "Buffy, in this incarnation, is over," said the actress, whose contract expires at the end of this season.
Finally on Thursday, 20th Century Fox Television and UPN confirmed what insiders already knew, production on the series would end this April after seven seasons and 144 shows.
The series finale will air May 20. While Eliza Dushku and Alyson Hannigan are both making crossover appearance on Angel and Buffy, this season there's no word if the titular lovers separated by destiny, several hundred years and network rivalry will finally reunite for the last episode.
"It's hard to believe it's over," said creator Joss Whedon in a written statement released through UPN Thursday. "Well, it's hard to think at all, or stand, or form vowel sounds, so maybe it's time to take a break. I'm just glad I can say we did our best on every single episode. We didn't always succeed, but we never slacked, and I'm immensely proud of my writers, actors and crew for that.
"And I'm proud of what this show means...I truly believe that in years to come, people will look back and say 'that was a show that was on TV.' Yessir. I truly do," said Whedon, who received an Emmy nomination for the creepy classic episode "Hush."
The eulogies were echoed by execs at 20th Century Fox and UPN. "Buffy the Vampire Slayer will go down in history as one of television's best shows and an enduring testament to the vision and genius of its creator Joss Whedon," said 20th Century Fox Television prez Dana Walden. "For seven years, Joss, his team of writers led by Marti Noxon and an extraordinary cast led by Sarah Michelle Gellar captured the cultural zeitgeist and effortlessly combined drama, action and humor. Without question, Buffy will live on for generations to come."
"We have been very fortunate to be the home to such a landmark series, always brilliantly written and acted," chimed in Dawn Ostroff, UPN's entertainment boss. "I'd like to send a special thanks to the remarkably talented actors, producers, writers and crew who worked tirelessly through the years."
Gellar won the role of the Chosen One back in 1997 when Buffy the Vampire Slayer was nothing more than a punchline, based on the box-office bomb starring Kristy Swanson and Luke Perry (how bummed are they not to have signed on for the series?).
Prior to Buffy, Gellar was best known for her sudsy role as Kendall Hart, daughter of scheming Erica Kane (Susan Lucci) on All My Children, for which she won a Daytime Emmy.
Despite its dedicated fan base, Buffy would never win the thespian an Emmy (or even a nomination, though she was nominated for a Best Actress Golden Globe), but during her seven-season tenure Gellar managed to add multiple credits to her résumé. While pulling double duty as wisecracking schoolgirl and vampire slayer, Gellar also moonlighted during her hiatus in movies like Scream 2, I Know What You Did Last Summer, Cruel Intentions, Simply Irresistible and Scooby-Doo.
Gellar's break-neck schedule won't slow down, with the actress slated to begin production on Scooby-Doo Too with husband Freddie Prinze Jr. as soon as Buffy wraps. Warner Bros. is eyeing a summer 2004 release for the sequel with a script already in the works for the third installment of the franchise.
Rumors of Gellar's departure began lurking on the Internet last summer, when news that Buffy's sister Dawn (Michelle Trachtenberg) would have a larger role in the seventh season, prompting speculation that the demon-battling heroine would pass the stake on to her little sis.
Most recently, Dushku's name was put forward as a possible slayer sub for a potential spinoff series. Dushku joined the Scooby Gang in the third season as rogue Slayer Faith, but an alliance with the dark side put an end to her time in Sunnydale.
Ultimately, the Hellmouth could go unprotected since a rep for the actress just confirmed she's inked a pilot deal with Fox for an untitled project from writer John Feldman, which would see Dushku as a morgue employee who talks to the dead instead of staking them. The corpses tell Dushku's character how they were murdered and every morning she relives the same day, hoping to set things right.
In addition, Buffy's executive producer Noxon has already been tapped for a new one-hour drama next season, leaving the fate of Sunnydale uncertain.
Still producers maintain the possibility that the slayer mythology lives on. According to the statement from 20th Century Fox and UPN: "Discussions regarding the future of the Buffy franchise and a possible spinoff are ongoing."
(Originally published February 26, 2003 at 3 p.m. PT.)
