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"Buffy" Slaying Goodbye?
by Mark Armstrong
Aug 7, 2002, 3:15 PM PT
Is it time for a new era to Dawn at Buffy the Vampire Slayer?
Could happen. With Sarah Michelle Gellar's contract up next May and the UPN star's sights set on the big screen, Buffy producers are weighing their options on whether to wrap the series next season--or, possibly, continue on without its bloodsucker-battling heroine.
E! Online's TV maven Wanda reports that the premiere of Buffy's seventh season this fall will feature not only the reopening of Buffy's old school, Sunnydale High, but also an increased focus on Dawn (Michelle Trachtenberg), prompting speculation that series creator Joss Whedon may be preparing to hand the stake over to Buffy's little sis.
"Yes, that has been given thought," says Whedon, whose contract also is up next season. "Every variation of everything has been given thought. What's going to happen is so unknown to me it's kind of exciting. Anything could happen."
Currently, odds are against the return of Gellar for season eight, as she's reportedly ready to bury Buffy and focus on a film career. So far, her big-screen résumé has included only a few projects, most notably this year's Scooby-Doo (playing Daphne) and Harvard Man, 1999's Cruel Intentions and 1997's I Know What You Did Last Summer and Scream 2. But her film slate is filling up, with a Scooby sequel in the works and the comedy A Semester Abroad being developed for her to begin shooting next year, presumably once her Buffy commitment is done.
CBS and UPN president Les Moonves told USA Today he's hopeful that the show will return for another season, but negotiations haven't begun. Buffy's move from the WB to UPN had "a price tag," Moonves said, but losing it would be like "NBC losing Friends."
As for the upcoming season, Whedon promises more humor and a lighter tone when it returns, not to mention possible appearances by Faith (Eliza Dushku), Big Bads Warren and Glory (Adam Busch and Clare Kramer) and Willow's slain ex-gal-pal Tara (Amber Benson).
"We've talked about Eliza Dushku coming back," Whedon tells Wanda. "And I have my fingers crossed we'll see more of her this year, because I love her."
And, in one more sign that Dawn may get her chance to fill Buffy's shoes: Whedon tells USA Today that he's hoping to make Trachtenberg's character less whiny.
Meantime, those searching for an early Buffy fix can check out Electronic Arts and Fox Interactive's new Xbox game, set to hit store shelves August 19.
by Mark Armstrong
Aug 7, 2002, 3:15 PM PT
Is it time for a new era to Dawn at Buffy the Vampire Slayer?
Could happen. With Sarah Michelle Gellar's contract up next May and the UPN star's sights set on the big screen, Buffy producers are weighing their options on whether to wrap the series next season--or, possibly, continue on without its bloodsucker-battling heroine.
E! Online's TV maven Wanda reports that the premiere of Buffy's seventh season this fall will feature not only the reopening of Buffy's old school, Sunnydale High, but also an increased focus on Dawn (Michelle Trachtenberg), prompting speculation that series creator Joss Whedon may be preparing to hand the stake over to Buffy's little sis.
"Yes, that has been given thought," says Whedon, whose contract also is up next season. "Every variation of everything has been given thought. What's going to happen is so unknown to me it's kind of exciting. Anything could happen."
Currently, odds are against the return of Gellar for season eight, as she's reportedly ready to bury Buffy and focus on a film career. So far, her big-screen résumé has included only a few projects, most notably this year's Scooby-Doo (playing Daphne) and Harvard Man, 1999's Cruel Intentions and 1997's I Know What You Did Last Summer and Scream 2. But her film slate is filling up, with a Scooby sequel in the works and the comedy A Semester Abroad being developed for her to begin shooting next year, presumably once her Buffy commitment is done.
CBS and UPN president Les Moonves told USA Today he's hopeful that the show will return for another season, but negotiations haven't begun. Buffy's move from the WB to UPN had "a price tag," Moonves said, but losing it would be like "NBC losing Friends."
As for the upcoming season, Whedon promises more humor and a lighter tone when it returns, not to mention possible appearances by Faith (Eliza Dushku), Big Bads Warren and Glory (Adam Busch and Clare Kramer) and Willow's slain ex-gal-pal Tara (Amber Benson).
"We've talked about Eliza Dushku coming back," Whedon tells Wanda. "And I have my fingers crossed we'll see more of her this year, because I love her."
And, in one more sign that Dawn may get her chance to fill Buffy's shoes: Whedon tells USA Today that he's hoping to make Trachtenberg's character less whiny.
Meantime, those searching for an early Buffy fix can check out Electronic Arts and Fox Interactive's new Xbox game, set to hit store shelves August 19.