Genre: Horror/Comedy/Action.
Studio:
Unknown.
Production Company:
Mutant Enemy.
Project Phase: Embronic Script Stage.
Who's In It:
The cast of the television series are all expected to star in the theatrical film.
Who's Making It:
Joss Whedon (Screenwriter, Creator).
Premise: Unknown.
Release Date: Unknown.
Comments: Watching the first Buffy, the Vampire Slayer film felt like this: you had just spent a week getting all dolled up, building unbelievable expectations for your big date Friday night...and by the time you've finished ordering dinner you know the two of you have absolutely nothing in common. Such was the case for the 1992 film; our expectations fell very short of what the film promised it could be.
Flash-forward five years. The new Warner Bros. network is looking to attract the very desirable teen market to their newly-launched network -- so they commit to airing a revamped (pun intended) TV spinoff of the forgettable film. It should've bombed...so why are there dozens of BtVS websites on the 'net and plans for not just a new theatrical movie but a spinoff of the WB series??
Two words: Joss Whedon. Whedon's been hit (Speed) or miss (Alien Resurrection, although we still fans of his initial script) but his vision of an episodic Buffy series has been 100% dead-on. It's superior to the film in every single quantifiable area: from the actors who portray the characters, to the episodic stories being told, to the fresh and believable teenage angst-and-aggression dialog to the overall season arcs. Whedon's not just salvaged the core concept of his screenplay and turned it into a hit TV series, he's managed to expand upon the Buffyverse so that its fan base continues to grow with each new show. (Even though friends of ours continued to rave about the series, we weren't sold on it until we watched a full episode for ourselves...and now we're full members of the 'I Want to Be Bitten By Drusilla' fan club.)
Whedon's production company, Mutant Enemy, is reveling in their success and Buffy's creator is up-to-the-neck (pun intended) in vampire-related projects. One of these is a proposed movie featuring the cast of the WB series.
Rumors: Someone called the CA offices late at night, paused for a moment, and then hung up. We have no proof it was Sarah Michelle Gellar...but it's still within the realms of possibility, alright?
Scoop Feedback:
June 23, 1998... Variety reports in mid-June that Joss Whedon is tossing around ideas for a proposed theatrical Buffy, the Vampire Slayer movie. Although it's still far too early to hear about story details, we're pretty sure the movie would pretty much ignore that the 1993 film ever took place. There's a rumor that Whedon might pen a treatment or script while the show's on hiatus this summer but that's just a rumor. [ZENtertainment, 'MrPezHead', 'El President' and anonymous all helped contribute to the info pool.]
But how to approach naming any new Buffy film? Should it be Buffy 2, or should the past be left like the stinking remains of a forgotten crypt? Here's some speculation from one of Buffy's many fans...
"I see the Buffy films following the 'subtitles' trend, instead of numbers. Buffy The Vampire Slayer 2 is just silly, so we'll probably see things like Buffy The Vampire Slayer: This Time The Movie Is Worth Paying For, Because You Won't Be Forced To Watch Luke Perry Try To Act, And Let's Not Even Mention The Fact That The First One Had PeeWee Herman In A Major Role.
And as any dutiful scooper would do, I must now share my skepticism over the project. While it would be really cool, and the film would be positively excellent, I don't think now is the time for this to happen. Give the TV series a few more years to grow (audience wise and other areas). Basically, I don't think that Buffy is that profitable yet. At least not as profitable as it can be in a year or so when its TV audience expands."
['El President' wanted his turn at the microphone.]
July 1, 1998... A long-time scooper reports that a trustworthy friend of theirs in WB said filming of a Buffy film is a definite possibility next summer. The scooper's heard the script finds Buffy fighting a powerful, never-before-seen villain (wow, there's a shocker!) The scooper's contact also heard that so far the only characters mentioned in the film are Buffy and the watcher Giles, but that the contact expects more of the cast to join. The production also is looking at casting a "familiar teen" to play the role of the villain, but so far they've only been speculating on actors for the part. The budget will be "at least 10 million," and a "very cool soundtrack" will become a focus of the movie. [Bitten in your neck by 'GF2020'.]