'Buffy' Remake Might Be Dead, Internet Fandom Rejoices

Quick thought experiment: When I say Buffy the Vampire Slayer, what do you think of?  The cult classic TV show that introduced most of us to Joss Whedon, of course.  What you don't think of, is the 1992 movie which was radically changed by the studio and ultimately disowned by screenwriter Whedon.  It failed both critically and commercially.  Nonetheless, Warner Bros expressed interest in a reboot without any input from Whedon, proceeding to irritate both him and fans of the original show.  Now, it seems that Warner Bros. is thinking of killing the project, and hardcore Whedon fans have gotten their first Christmas present.

According to the LA times, Warner Bros. was extremely impressed with writer Whit Anderson's pitch, but were severely under whelmed by the script that was ultimately produced.  I was always more of a Firefly fan then a Buffy one, and I'm more optimistic about reboots then most, but remaking Buffy sounds just awful.  With the movie, we've already seen what happens to the franchise when it goes through the studio system without Whedon.  Well, most of us haven't seen it, but that's the point.

What made Buffy good weren't the outside trappings, like the vampire fights and monsters-of-the-week.  It worked because the characters were wonderful and the writing was hilarious.  In the age of Twilight, I doubt that those things are the first priority of Warner Brothers to translate into a remake.  It looks like we may have dodged a bullet.