Reboots are one of the easiest ways to (re)create a show or movie in this day and age. It seems like every plot and story line has been done over and over again.
The simplest way to repeat plots without making it seem too over done is to reboot a show or movie from at least ten years ago with new characters, similar plots and the same writers.
As seen from the last two years alone, there have been what feels like hundreds of reboots. “Veronica Mars,” “Charmed,” “Roswell” and even “Little Women” have all been redone and have been getting stellar reviews, for the most part.
We can all agree that “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” is one of the most revolutionarily feminist tv shows of the late 90s.
In 2017, the talk of a new slayer coming to the screen really picked up. Joss Whedon, who created Buffy, even mentioned the he would be a part of the reboot should it happen.
The same year Monica Owusu-Breen, known best for her writing and producing for FOX’s “Fringe,” has officially begun the writing process for the show.
“Buffy the Vampire Slayer” was not only an interesting sci-fy show with a cool female lead and fun action scenes but was culturally really responsible for expanding the type of characters available for women in the late 90s.
Buffy was not an overly masculine female warrior, yet was the slayer. Willow, her best friend and powerful witch, was a shy girl who later comes out as gay in the show and is seen in television in one of the first openly gay relationships that wasn’t hypersexualized or over used for episode views.
This was a big deal, as most shows didn’t offer women powerful, openly gay or even many roles in shows and movies.
BTVS actually had more female characters than male and they weren’t dull and brainless background women but strong and influential women.
One of the ideas surrounding the reboot are having a slayer of color, which would rock. The original Buffy was a petite, blonde who came from a very middle class (yet divorced) family background, so to have someone more diverse than that would really set the show apart from its original.
The character of Buffy is one of the most intricate and significant female characters of all time to most sci-fy nerds.
She was a huge step away from the idea of hypermasculinity being a necessary attribute to female leads such as Ellen Ripley from “Alien” and Arya Stark from “Game of Thrones.”
While the character of Arya Stark is much more recent and is definitely more expanded on and shows more female attributes, she is created as a masculine figure nonetheless.
Ellen Ripley is shown as severely masculine in her actions and yet the men in the movie do not care for her opinion until it’s too late.
The idea of a female savior who not only works alongside men who are comfortable with their masculinity, Xander and Giles, but she also takes care of these men to a degree.
In a fight these men are less than able to truly battle the monsters she fights and are never holding her femininity against her for being able to be the victor.
Buffy also works within a group of people who benefit each other. While Buffy is the slayer, she is only made stronger from the help of her friends.
There has been backlash on reboots having characters of different races take lead. The new little mermaid movie that is in the works has received tons of negative feedback for casting an African-American actress even though she is more than qualified for the role.
While the sci-fy community is much more open to inclusivity, I am still afraid there may be backlash for Buffy no longer being this image that she has represented for so long.
To make this a more inclusive and modern version by making the slayer a person of color can only benefit the show even more. The original was already a hit, but the inclusion of a powerful female who is also a person of color is going to open so many more doors to relatability for young viewers.
Young girls of color do not have the same type of representation in television, especially not as a TV lead, or as the savior figure.
A new and improved Buffy could truly change the game in current television shows. I can’t wait for it to start filming and come to the small screen.