Finding a Way to Ressurrection (a tiny rant with an idea)

[Reinx]

If we center our selves around what made Buffy great, without looking at the impact it had on television, social interaction, and the way we currently view our media (fiction or otherwise) we're left with...what? Concepts? Themes? The love of a thing that distracts us, gives us hope, and occasionally sheds light on what we tend to come across in our every day lives? (Even if that "thing" tends to go bump in the night sometimes, we forgive it, because Buffy herself subverts that bump, gives it symbolism, and in turn substance, and makes us unafraid to explore why it bumped in the first place).

I'm sure this idea has come across in some form or another before. Sometimes we shape a thing, give it life and discuss it, without ever prying the stake away from the cold dead hands of syndication, long enough to really examine its possibility. We hear rumors of reboots and continuations, gatherings and sundry, to sate what may already be long in the grave.

But like our favorite Slayer, the Buffy-verse resides in a place that is nearly un...er..slayable. It continues to hang, on the fringes of our social paradigm and regard, as this enigmatic call to action. "you don't know, what you are, what's to come"... (and actively adds a "y" to the end of everything it says in actual conversation)

So if this seems familiar, if you've had this same thought for years or have seen it posted here or elsewhere...point it out! Shine a light on what I've been missing and where I can read more! I'm always looking for that next great insight (the Restless Exegesis is one of the finest pieces of literature on the net and should be read in time with that excellent season 4 closer at least once in your life)

As we all know, BtVS's charm is it's ability to do anything at all. So, I offer my solution to bringing everything together-and-back to a prime time network/the big screen/or a combination of both:


Actually. Kill. Buffy. And then bring her back. (again)

But in a different body.

The body of a younger Slayer, near death and counting breaths as Willow hovers over SMG's own "almost" corpse and her newly appointed replacement vessel.

Gruesome is not a thing this crowd shies away from. We've all seen death before. And transference. I'm entirely transfery right now, and would love to see cast and crew and story, old and new, find it's way back to it's rightful place in the social consciousness.

 

[DeadlyDuo]

As we all know, BtVS's charm is it's ability to do anything at all. So, I offer my solution to bringing everything together-and-back to a prime time network/the big screen/or a combination of both:


Actually. Kill. Buffy. And then bring her back. (again)

But in a different body.

The body of a younger Slayer, near death and counting breaths as Willow hovers over SMG's own "almost" corpse and her newly appointed replacement vessel.

Gruesome is not a thing this crowd shies away from. We've all seen death before. And transference. I'm entirely transfery right now, and would love to see cast and crew and story, old and new, find it's way back to it's rightful place in the social consciousness.

Is not going to work and would annoy everybody. Also unfortunately James Marsters and David Boreanaz have aged so wouldn't be able to reprise their roles as Spike and Angel respectively because vampires aren't supposed to age.

Either they could do an animated/CGI series (with characters that look like the actors that portrayed them in the tv series) and get the original cast to voice the characters (so you get the original cast without having to worry about aging).

Or

You bring back either Alyson Hannigan or Nicholas Brendon to play an adult Willow or Xander who have had a daughter that they have named after Buffy who also turns out to be a slayer hence the show can get away with keeping the same title whilst respecting and continuing the story of the original series without needing an entire cast as it will focus on the new Buffy and her friends who are maybe unaware of her parent's role with the original slayer. Sarah Michelle Gellar could cameo maybe in the season or series finale as the two Buffies meet.

 

[white avenger]

James Marsters and David Boreanaz have aged so wouldn't be able to reprise their roles as Spike and Angel respectively because vampires aren't supposed to age.

While I agree with you in principal, as a fan of "Star Trek," I have to point out that Vulcans, although they are not immortal, have life spans far longer than humans, and no one that I have ever met has complained about Leonard Nimoy aging in a very un-Vulcan-like manner in the movies. We loved the character, we loved the actor, and loved seeing both again after so long. I think that the vast majority of Buffy fans would be just as happy to welcome back the original stars, regardless of how old they appear, and that includes the immortal vampires.

May Buffy, Spike, Willow, Giles, Xander, and even Angel "Live Long And Prosper" always.

 

[DeadlyDuo]

While I agree with you in principal, as a fan of "Star Trek," I have to point out that Vulcans, although they are not immortal, have life spans far longer than humans, and no one that I have ever met has complained about Leonard Nimoy aging in a very un-Vulcan-like manner in the movies. We loved the character, we loved the actor, and loved seeing both again after so long. I think that the vast majority of Buffy fans would be just as happy to welcome back the original stars, regardless of how old they appear, and that includes the immortal vampires.

May Buffy, Spike, Willow, Giles, Xander, and even Angel "Live Long And Prosper" always.

I would love for James to reprise the role of Spike (It's what he'll be best known for) but he even said himself at some convention that he's too old now to reprise the role (though he also joked about how they lighted him made him look older in the show than he actually was so if they lighted him differently it could still work).

 

[Reinx]

I hate to use the word...but the situation of "aging" vampires in this series seems entirely focused around...semantics. The Master was definitely well aged. And yes, we are talking about centuries...possibly aeons, for him to become what he was, but, where physical presence ends, we find our selves left with the story of a thing. And ultimately the conection with the characters and how we relate to them. Worry lines, laugh lines, wrinkles and all, I'll take'em.

 

[thetopher]

So, Doctor Who basically? Same character/soul is a different body?

Yeah, you could do that in a couple of ways- magic ways. I mean Sid the Dummy had his soul put in a doll's body using powerful magics. Similar thing could happen to Buffy.
Not a doll though, unless its an idea for comic issue:

'Buffy finds herself trapped in the body of her beloved stuffed piggie Mr. Gordo, and in one desperate night, must find a way to reverse the spell, meanwhile her friends think that this is the cutest thing EVER!'
I might buy that.

 

[Guy]

Never gonna happen, sadly. The only ways the Buffyverse could ever come back (other than in comics) are:

1) Live action, but with new characters in the buffyverse.

2) In an animated series, or animated films.

3) In video games, with the original cast as voice actors. I think this would be the ideal situation, actually.

 

[Athena]

I think it's very difficult to do a brand new series. Maybe a one-off for the 20th anniversary, that'd be great and I think all fans would really appreciate it and love to see these beloved characters again. But to take 'Buffy' and make it a brand new show with a brand new cast, I think that'd be asking too much of existing fans. Most of these reboots fail because they don't contain existing cast, they're usually only made for financial gain and they just can't encapsulate what made the original show so good.

Of course, sometimes they do work - see Battlestar Galactica. But even that show had its critics.

Sometimes you need to let sleeping dogs lie. I'd love to see SMG reprise the role of Buffy in a one-off anniversary special somehow, with Nicholas, Alyson & Anthony. But if it's not already happening now, it'll never happen.

 

[Reinx]

It's interesting to me, that the comics have, at points, been able to give me the same kind of actual physical chill that the show has caused me over the years. Wolves at the Gate in particular had it's poignant moments. I'm ever cautious of pigeon holing an idea into "it can't work because of this, or people will hate it because of that" syndrome. Mostly because I'm an optimist...to a fault. But curiosity killed this kitty, and I had to see if anyone had thought of a body transference theory before. It seemed, as an idea, as they so often do, to go off like a gun shot in my brain when it came around. "Why hasn't this been done yet? How could it possibly fail? What exactly are we WAITING FOR!?" I doubt recapturing the original is possible. It's not exactly what any of us should go for anyway. But new material that elevates the old (without usurpation or replacement) shouldn't be seen as a bad thing. -see Battlestar Galactica, yes?




Also...you guys are awesome. #prooftheinternetisntalwaystrollish

 

[cryptwarmer]

I would love for James to reprise the role of Spike (It's what he'll be best known for) but he even said himself at some convention that he's too old now to reprise the role (though he also joked about how they lighted him made him look older in the show than he actually was so if they lighted him differently it could still work).

It's kind of funny that he says this because he so entirely knows how crazy we are about him and how sexy we think he is and how none of his fans give a rat's pattootie how old he is because he has still "got it". Not just talking sex appeal, though you could literally drown in it, the whole package. We adore him and he knows it.

He says he'll only do it if CGI can make him look young again. Fair enough...it's is career, but seriously James...I mean SERIOUSLY????!!! He still has teen aged girls fawning over him at conventions.

 

[AnthonyCordova]

I don't believe that in 2016 we live in a time that would do BtVS justice in a thematic and substantive way. All other reboots demonstrate that. some reboots are entertaining or good and some are not, but Buffy especially would suffer if due respect wasn't paid to the essential, thoughtful and all-important artistic aspects and ambitions of the original show. I have no confidence whatsoever that hollywood would get it right at this point in history: everything is made for the bottom-line purpose of revenue now, and that means...wait for it...pandering to the baser natures and appetites of fan boys and other types who lack discriminating tastes. Entertaining they could do, but thoughtful and artistic they could not. Observe the most recent Star Wars movie and compare it not only to the original 3 but other movies of that period: it resembles that period of cinema only in surface features; that is to say, only superficially. Truthfully, the original show and vision of Whedon is the antithesis of 2016 Hollywood. There are good tv shows and movies, but most of these are good for reasons different than those required for a true to form Buffy reboot. I say be patient and wait.