Sarah Michelle Gellar is proving she’s more than just the face of Buffy the Vampire Slayer-she’s now the backbone of its highly anticipated reboot. The original Slayer has been showing up on set every single day, not just to reprise her role in the pilot, but to serve as the show’s lore consultant and an executive producer who’s actually doing the work. 
From advising actors on how to react when bitten by a vampire to explaining the quirks of different vamp types, Gellar is bringing decades of experience right back into the fold.
Actress Chase Sui Wonders, who worked with Gellar on I Know What You Did Last Summer and appears in the reboot pilot as a guest character named Justine, called her “an incredible woman” and praised her hands-on approach. “She’s there from the moment we start filming to when we wrap. She has all this knowledge stored in her brain, and she shares it constantly,” Wonders said.
Filming kicked off last week, and if Hulu greenlights a full series, production will carry into 2026 for a possible late-year premiere. Gellar’s involvement isn’t limited to coaching-she recently shared behind-the-scenes training footage with new series lead Ryan Kiera Armstrong, who plays Nova, as well as glimpses of other cast members including Faly Rakatohavana as Hugo, Sarah Bock as Gracie, Ava Jean as Larkin, Daniel Di Tomasso as Nova’s father, and Jack Cutmore-Scott as teacher Mr. Burke.
Fans even got their first look at Gellar back in costume as Buffy after two decades, sporting a noticeably different style from her high school demon-hunting days. For longtime followers, her commitment sends a clear message: this reboot isn’t just cashing in on nostalgia-it’s aiming to honor the original’s legacy with its most iconic star leading from the front.