The worst idea since having Greedo shoot first?

[lirazel]

"Rebooting" Buffy?

With no Joss?

And no Sarah?

And supposedly there's a huge fan base just waiting to see it get rebooted?

Uh-huh.

I'll believe that when I see it.



I am trying not to think about this too much lest I get really, really, really angry.

Comments

[mollivanders.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry, what? They can't come up with their OWN TV show? FAIL.

[penny-lane-42.livejournal.com]

I KNOW RIGHT?

Honestly, I didn't even read the actual link--is a TV show? I sort of figured movie, since we'd been hearing rumors about that for a while.

But a TV show is actually worse.

FAIL INDEED.

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

I could actually see them coming up with SMG in the end. There's no contractural reason why they couldn't at least. It would be up to her and to them.

On the other hand the folks with the rights for the movie have no rights to any of the show characters except Buffy (because their rights were to the previous movie), and there's no way that Joss would be involved.

It looks like a pretty pointless project to me.

[penny-lane-42.livejournal.com]

I really don't see her doing it. For one thing, every "reboot" I've ever known of uses new actors entirely and she's in her thirties now and a mama, so I doubt either she or the studio would be interested in her being involved. Though I'd hate it a little less if she was, and considering how much I fangirl her (biggest girlcrush!) I'd probably actually watch it just to see her. But I really, really don't see it happening.

It does indeed seem pointless. I bet it won't make much. We should take bets!

[finkpishnets.livejournal.com]

If they actually do this then they're morons.

Seriously.

[penny-lane-42.livejournal.com]

And that is all that needs to be said. Thank you for summing it up so succinctly. And also for your adorable icon.

[snickfic]

This is clearly silly, and no more mental energy need be wasted on it.

[penny-lane-42.livejournal.com]

I like your response. It's my response right now, too.

LOL

[magisterequitum.livejournal.com]

Han shot first!

Re: LOL

[penny-lane-42.livejournal.com]

He so totally did!

[marketchippie.livejournal.com]

[penny-lane-42.livejournal.com]

Exactly.

[gryfndor-godess.livejournal.com]

Let me start by saying I LOVE THE HEADING OF YOUR POST.

And as for the link, ew, ew, ew, ew, ew, ew, ew. Yes there is a huge fan base...that would want Joss and SMG. Screw Warner Bros.

[penny-lane-42.livejournal.com]

Ha! Thanks! It's my go-to comparison for situations such as these.

I KNOW RIGHT? FAIL.

[angearia.livejournal.com]

I'm actually not sure this is bad.

I feel like the stories Joss is interesting in telling about the Buffyverse are stories about his old stories (a story about a story about a story with uber complex narrative structure that loses the emotional resonance). Like Season 8 is largely about Season 2, Buffy/Angel, emotional baggage that's become enormously heavy and the entire journey. That's why it feels so weighted down. It's so damn complex.

This screenwriter actually sounds kinda interesting. It'd be like if I was hired to write a Buffy movie. The writer sounds like me. Someone who grew up loving Buffy and wants her on the big screen.

Personally, I LOVE Nolan's reimagining of Batman. And I like Shipperx's idea about including SMG but I think she'd hesitate without Joss on board. Still, I like the idea of a mature, older Buffy coming back to the big screen and I feel like Joss is stuck in a Buffyverse rut where he keeps telling the same stories over and over again. It kinda does feel like it's time for a new take.

I wish Joss were involved at the very least. I wish SMG were Buffy. But I'm interested in seeing what they do.

However, I'm extremely hesitant because if it bombs, then the Buffy movie capital will have been spent.

[norwie2010.livejournal.com]

Yeah, i was totally thinking of You when i read about the screenwriter. :-)

[norwie2010.livejournal.com]

Oh uh - i think i'm gonna be between a rock and a hard place real fast here... ;-)

When i look at the comics i really cannot say that i want Whedon on another BtVS project any time soon. And this reboot thingie? Well, at least they try to go into the opposite direction with the author (young female, academic, fan, wants to do something new).

And at this point in the (hi)story of the buffyverse that just might be the right thing to do.

Ok, now flame away... :-D

(I will still love You, penny-lane-42!)

[penny-lane-42.livejournal.com]

Honestly, I'm way more upset about it being A) too soon and B) not involving SMG than I am about Joss not being on board. I'm not entirely opposed to the idea of a reboot on principal, but why now? And I am way, way too attached to Sarah-as-Buffy to want to see anyone else take on that mantle, at least at this point, when the show hasn't even been off the air for 10 years.

The main point of my post is that I think most hardcore fans won't want to see it if Joss isn't involved. His stans are pretty intense and I think they'll boycott it. It's gonna be people who are just kind of fond of Buffy but not really fans going to see this movie. That's my thought, at least.

So no flames from me! Just frustration with why and why now?

[elisi]

I'm somewhere between



and



Plus, whatever happens, it can't be worse than the comics...

[angearia.livejournal.com]

your icon makes me happy

:D

[jeymien.livejournal.com]

I am horrified that they want to do this... No Joss is just..

[penny-lane-42.livejournal.com]

Personally I'm freaking out way more over the lack of SMG since she is my girl forever, but your reaction is exactly how I see fandom at large reacting.

[gillo]

Personally I think there's a huge fan base planning to run, not walk, away from it as fast as possible. Who cares about it without Joss or the actors and characters we love.

[penny-lane-42.livejournal.com]

Exactly. I'm not entirely opposed to the idea of doing a reboot at some point down the line, just on principal. But the problem here is that this built-in fanbase they're talking about? Won't be interested at this point. Weird.

[gabrielleabelle.livejournal.com]

This quote makes me angry:

"Details of the film are being kept under wraps, but I can say while this is not your high school Buffy, she'll be just as witty, tough, and sexy as we all remember her to be."

"Sexy". "Sexy". They really don't get what Buffy was about, do they?

[angearia.livejournal.com]

But she was sexy. I dunno. I think it's too soon to say this writer doesn't get what Buffy is about. She sounds like a fan and anyone who loves Buffy enough to write about her--well, this means she loved Buffy even during Season 6 when the majority of fandom hates her ever-loving guts.

This writer seems like a Buffy fan to me, as in Buffy the character. I'm more inclined to feel a connection the way I do with fans who also love her character (and don't bash her to hell and back).

Part of what I loved about Buffy was that she was sexy. "Witty, strong and sexy" reads like a fairly accurate description to me considering it's a press release.

[madcap-shiny.livejournal.com]

The only reason I'm not writing a massive comment about this is because Finals Hell demands I keep studying Death of a Salesman for the moment.

However? WATCH THIS SPACE, BECAUSE OH, MY THOUGHTS ON THIS SUBJECT.

[penny-lane-42.livejournal.com]

I WILL ANXIOUSLY AWAIT YOUR THOUGHTS, GIRLFRIEND.

[angearia.livejournal.com]

Check out what the screenwriter, Whit Anderson, has to say about Buffy:

“The thing that was so wonderful about ‘Buffy’ is what made it special was so timeless,” Anderson said. “The deep struggle she had with duty and destiny, that tug between what you’re supposed to be doing and what you want to be doing. The fate of the world is on her shoulders, but some days she wakes up, and she just doesn’t want to do it. And are we doomed and destined to love someone? That conflict was very interesting to me. Those are the things I loved about her and her world. She also represents — like all the heroes — something empowering for us. She reminds us of what we could be if we were in our top form, the best of us if we were at our very best, and even then we still see the vulnerability and doubts she has inside. That’s where we all connect.”

The way she talks about Buffy--it feels like Buffy to me.

[worldwasasong.livejournal.com]

Phew. This makes me feel a lot better. Still wary, but slightly hopeful. Thanks for sharing that!

[quinara]

I dunno, I think it could be a laugh. I don't see Buffy as a zero-sum game - there's always room for another rubbishy tie-in novel or some crappy merchandise without it taking anything away from the series (I get irritated with those things on their own merits - and generally their Bangelliness - rather than the simple fact they exist). The comics upset me because Joss seems to be trying to rewrite the verse as some nightmare-bizarro-world, but if someone wants to take the concept and make a film about a valley girl slaying vampires? Well, I liked the concept back in the day and I like the concept now, so why not? (And if she happens to have a bad-boy-done-good partner vampire called Spork, then all the better...)

[angearia.livejournal.com]

That puts a whole new spin on, "Put a spork in it."

[bloodypoetry.livejournal.com]

I wish I had a declarative what macro, cause that would sum up my feelings nicely.

[penny-lane-42.livejournal.com]

That would be pretty perfect.

[worldwasasong.livejournal.com]

I KNOW RIGHT.

I literally just found out a minute ago. And was horrified. It's just... oh, it's going to be SO BAD there are no words. Ugh.

[penny-lane-42.livejournal.com]

I do suspect it will be bad. There's a chance it could be a good movie, but it will never be Buffy to me.

[xc-runner50.livejournal.com]

I for one am looking forward to the Movie.

Would a Movie based on the TV show with Joss and all the other characters portrayed by the actors be great too? Of course it would, but also impractical since it has been years since the TV show.

You know if it starts to form a pattern, after the new Movie, a TV show would be next...... :P

[penny-lane-42.livejournal.com]

I just...don't need any more. I felt the same way about the comics. It's like, I like where the shows ended. Why kill it the way, say, The X-Files got killed?

That said, there are dozens of ways to make the 'verse into a movie--Fray! Nikki Wood! A brand-new Slayer! Those I would see. But Buffy Anne Summers? For me, her story ended perfectly, and I don't need to see it again.

But to each their own.

[fenchurche.livejournal.com]

This is going to suck SO BAD.

[penny-lane-42.livejournal.com]

It might be a good film (possibly), but I just don't think it'll work as an extension of our 'verse. *worries*

[hollydb]

This makes me want to smash things.

[penny-lane-42.livejournal.com]

I think that's quite a common reaction.

[angearia.livejournal.com]

Joss Whedon sez:

"Kristin, I'm glad you asked for my thoughts on the announcement of Buffy the cinema film. This is a sad, sad reflection on our times, when people must feed off the carcasses of beloved stories from their youths—just because they can't think of an original idea of their own, like I did with my Avengers idea that I made up myself.

Obviously I have strong, mixed emotions about something like this. My first reaction upon hearing who was writing it was, "Whit Stillman AND Wes Anderson? This is gonna be the most sardonically adorable movie EVER." Apparently I was misinformed. Then I thought, "I'll make a mint! This is worth more than all my Toy Story residuals combined!" Apparently I am seldom informed of anything. And possibly a little slow. But seriously, are vampires even popular any more?

I always hoped that Buffy would live on even after my death. But, you know, AFTER. I don't love the idea of my creation in other hands, but I'm also well aware that many more hands than mine went into making that show what it was. And there is no legal grounds for doing anything other than sighing audibly. I can't wish people who are passionate about my little myth ill. I can, however, take this time to announce that I'm making a Batman movie. Because there's a franchise that truly needs updating. So look for The Dark Knight Rises Way Earlier Than That Other One And Also More Cheaply And In Toronto, rebooting into a theater near you.

Leave me to my pain! Sincerely, Joss Whedon."

[penny-lane-42.livejournal.com]

That's actually about what I was expecting for him. Clearly it hurts to see it in someone else's hands, but he's got his Joss-y humor and recognition of the legal side of things.

I hope at some point the filmmakers reach out to him and let him come on set or read the script or something so that he can return to us and be like, "Actually, it's gonna be good!" But maybe I want too much.

[silverusagi]

FAIL.

[penny-lane-42.livejournal.com]

That seems to be the common consensus. I don't think it necessarily has to suck as a movie, but I still don't understand why it needs to be done in the first place. Of course, I felt that way about the comics, too.

[unbridled-b.livejournal.com]

Wow.

Just ... wow.

I'm not sure how I feel about this. I was all set to be torch-and-pitchforky, but after reading the writer interviews, I find myself strangely hopeful.

I don't like being hopeful. Hope is a wimpy kid that constantly gets her ass beat on the playground.

[penny-lane-42.livejournal.com]

That's exactly where I'm at. The writer seems to be someone who could pull off a good movie if given the chance. I'm just going to try not to think about it until the trailers start coming out. I've got too many other things to worry about until then!

[ever-neutral.livejournal.com]

Meh.

We'll see.

[penny-lane-42.livejournal.com]

That's the place I've landed, too.

No point in getting worked up at this point.

*goes back to watching cheesy kdramas*