Additional Spin-off Ideas

[SnoopDoug]

In addition to Ripper, I think Whedon, or Greenwalt, Minear, etc., could do an additional Buffy spin-off. My idea is to have a show which follows one of the activated slayers. It wouldn't have to follow the comic books, but it would still retain all of the Buffy mythology. I'd like to see another young actress (SMG was 20 at the beginning of Buffy), like Taissa Farmiga from American Horror Story, play the part of the slayer.

Any thoughts on any of this? I'm sure I'm not the only one who would like to see something Buffyverse related on television again. Please feel free to share your own ideas here, except maybe a Buffy reboot. There's just no topping the original. 🙂

 

[Blaze]

I've been wanting a Tale of the slayer type show for years now. Whether they use a new slayer for the whole series, a new slayer per season, or even a mini-series with doing one episode per slayer. I just think it would be an awesome concept that would go hand in hand with Buffy, without actually using any of the old characters. Plus they could use slayers before Buffy, slayers post-activation with the scythe, and even Fray.

So basically, ya you're not the only one that has thought of it 😛

 

[white avenger]

A show about a team comprised of Slayers, magic users of some sort, and Watcher types hunting and recovering newly called Slayers would be good.

Then again, I don't think either Eliza or James are particularly busy at the moment. A series about Faith and Spike has definite possibilities.

 

[Black Eye Guy]

I honestly think it's ridiculous we haven't seen something else from the Buffyverse yet. The mythology for the show is so big there are so many areas it could cover, and it's such a waste they haven't explored other options.

Fray would be top of my list, or an anthology slayer series - both would be a perfect mini-series and would be phenomenal as darker shows (like Walking Dead/American Horror Story)

A newly activated slayer story would be okay, but I feel it would be the least creative, I could already picture it being a 22-episode-middle-of-the-road-show that tries to be Buffy 2.0. (by middle of the road, I kinda mean like SHIELD has been so far, though that is getting better)

I'd prefer to see a squad of slayers, so it would at least change up the scenario, so as to not be too similar to the 1 slayer, gets a bunch of friends scenario - instead a team of slayers would be interesting since there would be power struggles, leadership issues that kinda thing.

I think a new watchers story would be interesting, set pre-Buffy, a young student coming up through the Watchers academy, studying monsters, exploring the demon world eventually discovering how crappy the Watchers Council is.

Gwen also has massive amounts of potential that never got explored, she could easily hold her own show.

 

[white avenger]

I honestly think it's ridiculous we haven't seen something else from the Buffyverse yet. The mythology for the show is so big there are so many areas it could cover, and it's such a waste they haven't explored other options.

Most likely, the main reason that things have been so quiet in the Buffyverse is that Joss has too many new irons in the fire at the moment to devote any real time to a Vampire Slayer movie or TV series, and, with the success of "Avengers" and the "S H I E L D" series, plus the comics, and movies based on Shakespearean plays, I don't see that changing any time soon, unless he can find that doctor who removed Lorne's sleep and have the same thing done to himself.

Then again, there's always the possibility that he might find someone with enough talent and a feeling for the characters, who he would trust to handle most of the work. That's about the only way we're apt to see any more live action Slayer stories.

 

[OFAWB]

Then again, I don't think either Eliza or James are particularly busy at the moment. A series about Faith and Spike has definite possibilities.

James has already said that the window of opportunity for a screen reprise of Spike has closed. He's got a bit of a tummy now, and he'd have to work very hard to recreate the physique of his past. Plus, his face has aged...And yeah, there's makeup and there are special effects, but I'm not sure he'd be believable as immortal Spike at this stage of his life. He'd probably need some convincing from his wife and others before even considering it.

Eliza, on the other hand, has hardly aged. I'd love to see her some more, which is why would plan to watch Dollhouse eventually. There was a promo for her on PBS a few weeks ago.

 

[Blaze]

I find the ageing is such a poor excuse for them not to reprise their role. Don't get me wrong, there's tons of reason as to why they wouldn't or shouldn't reprise the role, but I think the fans would have zero problem suspending their disbelief about the ageing thing. I'm sure that if they were to bring back Spike on TV, none of the fans would care if James looked a bit older or looked a bit thicker. I mean, come one now, David gained quite a few pounds in between Buffy s1 and Angel s5, and he looked considerably older, but no one really cared. Obviously you can't get an actor that won't age, so to me that shouldn't be an issue, and I don't think it would be with the fast majority of the fans.

 

[OFAWB]

Oh, I'd totally suspend my disbelief! I'm just saying that if the actors aren't having any of it, then they aren't having any of it and we're stuck with our fanfics and comics. 🙂

 

[Blaze]

Agreed about the actors, truth is, I don't think any of them (or at least the majority of them) would want to reprise their role.

Which is why a Tale of the Slayer type show would be epic!

 

[buffffy]

Clem spin off please

 

[white avenger]

I find the ageing is such a poor excuse for them not to reprise their role. Don't get me wrong, there's tons of reason as to why they wouldn't or shouldn't reprise the role, but I think the fans would have zero problem suspending their disbelief about the ageing thing. I'm sure that if they were to bring back Spike on TV, none of the fans would care if James looked a bit older or looked a bit thicker. I mean, come one now, David gained quite a few pounds in between Buffy s1 and Angel s5, and he looked considerably older, but no one really cared. Obviously you can't get an actor that won't age, so to me that shouldn't be an issue, and I don't think it would be with the fast majority of the fans.

Absolutely right. Forgive me bringing up "Star Trek" again, but it was established in the original series that Vulcans have a much longer lifespan than humans, there was even an episode where all of the stars aged very rapidly, and Spock remained basicallu unaffected physically (so, no excuse for being half human would be possible) Then, when the "Star Trek" movies began, Nimoy was obviously older and heavier than he had been on the TV show, and the only complaints about the actors having changed over the years were about Shatner's extra weight and horrible new hairpiece.

If the Trek fans can accept Spock aging when he shouldn't have, I firmly believe that the Buffy fans would do the same for Spike.

Except for the most outspoken members of the "I Hate Spike, No Matter What He Does Or Doesn't Do," of course.

 

[Black Eye Guy]

Except for the most outspoken members of the "I Hate Spike, No Matter What He Does Or Doesn't Do," of course.

I dont mean to speak for all of us, but I'd like to think we wouldn't use that as a reason for not wanting Spike back - if we did that would have to apply to Angel (though James does look older then David) and Dru too.

I've never heard a fan say the actors would be to old, it's just actors that seem to have that problem, and I'd say it's more of an excuse.

 

[Lyri]

I dont mean to speak for all of us, but I'd like to think we wouldn't use that as a reason for not wanting Spike back - if we did that would have to apply to Angel (though James does look older then David) and Dru too.

Exactly. It's not just Spike/James who would have this issue, but Angel/David, Juliette/Drusilla, Mercedes/Harmony, Amy/Illyria...and probably others that I'm forgetting 'cause it's after midnight and I'm sick, lol.

I've never heard a fan say the actors would be to old, it's just actors that seem to have that problem, and I'd say it's more of an excuse.

Again, I agree. Like it or not, but the actors from this series just don't seem to have the same level of love/appreciation for these characters as, say, the Firefly/Serenity actors or even those from Supernatural. We've all seen them, at some point, trying to distance themselves from the show, David and Sarah moreso than others, but Sarah seems to have mellowed a little over the years and her tweets lately have been full of praise for Buffy. This is a fantasy show, and if the writers want to reboot/continue the show on air, there are ways around the 'immortality' issue, be that the Shanshu or another sort of spell/curse/prophecy or recasting the character altogether.

But, in saying that, I've always been one of those people who has said that I think it would be too hard to accept James/David reprising their roles ten plus years later. It was fine when the shows were on the air, it was easier to get caught up in the action and that world. But it's been ten years, we've seen these actors in different roles, roles where they're ages weren't an issue. Accepting them as those same vampires we left in that alley would be hard for me to do. I think I really would need the shanshu or some other mystical what's-it to humanize them and make it more believable.

As for the actual thread, my favorite part of this verse was always thinking about the other Slayers. I LOVE the Tales of the Slayers novels/graphic novel and I love the idea that Buffy took the life of a Slayer and turned it on it's head, but I would have really loved to have spent time with some of the other Slayers, or even the new Slayers. I really think that was a wasted opportunity for Joss and the producers.

 

[Ethan Reigns]

Actors getting too old? Give me a break. The "high school students" on Beverly Hills 90210 started out only a few years older than the students they were playing but ended up looking like pensioners. And it didn't affect the ratings one bit.

The same old gang reprising their roles would only fly if you could get a convincing story line with enough money to pry them away from shows like How I Met Your Mother, The Crazy Ones, Bones. It would be better to have a new cast with a new story line. The market seems saturated with vampire / supernatural shows right now. I think Joss had the right idea to generate new non-spinoff shows like Firefly and Dollhouse rather than to soldier on with the existing shows. They didn't pan out, but there should be an idea somewhere that would.

 

[SnoopDoug]

Yeah, I didn't mean to suggest that my idea for a spinoff would be about one activated slayer alone. It's just that we would have to have a lead actress of the series. My suggestion was Taissa Farmiga, from American Horror Story, but there are some other potential lead actresses for a spinoff that would include some of the other activated slayers. I don't think Anthony Stewart Head or Alyson Hannigan would have a problem with their aging. Personally, I think they both look great for their "age" anyway, and it wouldn't require a suspension of belief (both characters are mortal). Of course, I'd be happy to see Angel and Spike make some appearances. I have no problem suspending my belief. Besides, they'd only have to hit the gym for awhile and CGI would take care of the rest. Amy Acker still looks great, as do most of the members of the casts from Buffy and Angel.

 

[white avenger]

I dont mean to speak for all of us, but I'd like to think we wouldn't use that as a reason for not wanting Spike back - if we did that would have to apply to Angel (though James does look older then David) and Dru too.

I've never heard a fan say the actors would be to old, it's just actors that seem to have that problem, and I'd say it's more of an excuse.

Most likely James and the others would reprise their roles if they don't have other obligations, and I think that the vast majority of the fans wouldn't have any objections about the fact that Spike's washboard abs are a thing of the past. Who's going to know, as long as he keeps his shirt on, anyhow? Facial wrinkles can be hidden in ant number of ways, and stunt doubles can handle all of the athletic stuff.

As I said before, no one objected to Leonard Nimoy's obviously advanced age in the movies when his character should have been virtually unchanged. We were all too happy to have him and the others back to really care. Spike's fans would be just as happy to see him back, and I'm sure that he knows that. I think that he's just a professional, and wants to be sure that none of his fans feel cheated by any "inferior" portrayal that he might give.

But by far the simplest solution to the whole issue would be an animated feature or series. There's no reason that something like that wouldn't work, and if the quality was only as good as what we saw in "The Incredibles," the technology of which is years outdated (therefore supposedly less expensive now) I seriously doubt that the fans would object, and the actors could deliver their lines from wheelchairs without it affecting what we see.

Ultimately, the deciding factor is going to be whether or not Joss is able to devote the time to work his magic on his own characters rather than someone else's.

 

[TotallySpiked]

I would love to see a series - or even mini-series based on the Slayer that came previous to Buffy. Something like that would be awesome. I've never read any of the books in relation to previous Slayers, but I've always been intrigued by what their lives were like, what made Buffy so different from them and what finally got them in the end. I feel like there are so many aspects of the Buffyverse that could be explored. I mean, Slayers have been around for such a long time, surely there is something about them that makes them equally as interesting as Buffy.
The only downside it would have for me though is that you know they are going to die.

 

[fitz1980]

Most likely James and the others would reprise their roles if they don't have other obligations, and I think that the vast majority of the fans wouldn't have any objections about the fact that Spike's washboard abs are a thing of the past. Who's going to know, as long as he keeps his shirt on, anyhow? Facial wrinkles can be hidden in ant number of ways, and stunt doubles can handle all of the athletic stuff.

As I said before, no one objected to Leonard Nimoy's obviously advanced age in the movies when his character should have been virtually unchanged. We were all too happy to have him and the others back to really care. Spike's fans would be just as happy to see him back, and I'm sure that he knows that. I think that he's just a professional, and wants to be sure that none of his fans feel cheated by any "inferior" portrayal that he might give.

Heck they could use that digital de-aging tech, like they used on Patrick Stewart & Ian McKellen for flashbacks in the X-men films. Used to be that kind of CGI required million dollar computer setups. These days you can do it on consumer PCs/MACs.

 

[Tome]

I doubt any spin-off will happen, it's been way too long now. However, a reboot or something of the sort will surely happen in the future, I'd bet my left hand on it. 😉 As much as I'd love a new show set in the Buffyverse, our best chance at one was passed up by Eliza Dushku when she chose Tru Calling over the Faith spin-off. *shakes head*

 

[Wesley Pryce]

Id love a spin off of buffy or angel