While some fans are less than thrilled about the planned reboot of Joss Whedon’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer, it has full support from actor David Boreanaz, who played Buffy’s vampire boyfriend Angel in the original series.
Boreanaz appeared on a panel at New York Comic Con on Thursday and made his opinions clear when the topic of the reboot came up, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The audience booed at the idea of a new Buffy, which is being developed by Monica Owusu-Breen with input from Whedon, but Boreanaz answered their negativity with: “Come on, guys…It’s a good thing. Let’s just embrace [it].”
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Aside from Buffy herself (Sarah Michelle Gellar), Angel was the most influential character in the original WB series, having appeared in its very first episode in 1997 and departing after the third season to star in the spinoff Angel, which ran for five seasons. Since then, Boreanaz spent 12 years in a starring role in Bones, and can now be found on CBS’s SEAL Team. However, some fans will always remember him for his breakout role and don’t wish to see him replaced. Boreanaz acknowledged this in his panel.
“Everybody wants old, they want to go back,” said Boreanaz. “Which I can understand: You want to see us back in these roles. It’s great, it’s cool [but] things move on, stories evolve, times change. I think it’s a great opportunity for a reboot like this to show where we are with society now, what you can do with technology. How you can explore those relationships with the same kinds of metaphors. I’m all for it. I think it’s fantastic. Good for them. I hope that it becomes huge and successful, and does what it does.”
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This perspective is not only supportive but realistic, as the original series had various limitations due to its budget and the special effects possibilities of the time. Vampire characters like Angel had the additional complication that they were meant to be immortal, which is harder to ignore after the actors have aged 20 years. Boreanaz seems to have accepted this: “If someone can step in my shoes and play my character, f–k, go ahead! I think that’s great, because I ain’t putting on that makeup anymore!”
Currently, the new show is in its earliest stages, but Owusu-Breen has clarified that it will be a new version of Buffy’s universe rather than a continuation of the old series. The reboot will have a diverse cast, with a black actress in the titular role, but preserving the spirit of the original show is clearly a priority.
While fans may have their doubts, it appears that the project has the support of the original cast, as well as Whedon himself.