Whedon-less BUFFY movie in the works

Buffy fans, I have good news, and I have bad news so bad that it kind of cancels out the goodness of the good news. First, the good news: a Buffy movie is finally coming! And now, the very bad, bad news: that movie will be based on the sub-par early '90s Kristy Swanson/Luke Perry movie, and not the ass-kicking TV series that followed. (Click the image at left to buy the series on DVD.) Oh, and it looks like Buffy's creator Joss Whedon has nothing to do with this thing.

From The Hollywood Reporter:

Buffy creator Joss Whedon isn't involved and it's not set up at a studio, but Roy Lee and Doug Davison of Vertigo Entertainment are working with original movie director Fran Rubel Kuzui and her husband, Kaz Kuzui, on what is being labeled a remake or relaunch, but not a sequel or prequel.

While Whedon is the person most associated with Buffy, Kuzui and her Kuzui Enterprises have held onto the rights since the beginning, when she discovered the Buffy script from then-unknown Whedon. She developed the script while her husband put together the financing to make the 1992 movie, which was released by Fox.

The new Buffy film (...) would have no connection to the TV series, nor would it use popular supporting characters like Angel, Willow, Xander or Spike. Vertigo and Kuzui are looking to restart the story line without trampling on the beloved existing universe created by Whedon (...) One of the underlying ideas of Buffy allows Vertigo and Kuzui to do just that: that each generation has its own vampire slayer to protect it. The goal would be to make a darker, event-sized movie that would, of course, have franchise potential.

The parties are meeting with writers and hearing takes, and later will look for a home for the project. The producers do not rule out Whedon's involvement but have not yet reached out to him.

Whedon has been openly critical of the 1992 film, and he's often spoken of his clashes with Kazui over the storyline. A Buffy movie without Whedon's involvement isn't just a bad idea. It's an idea that makes S. Darko sound brilliant by comparison.


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