Relax, That Buffy the Vampire Slayer Reboot Isn't What You Think It Is

Like you, I felt the pain of a thousand wooden stakes being plunged through my heart when I found out that Buffy the Vampire Slayer was getting rebooted. Even with all of its missteps (#JusticeforTara, #KendraDeservedBetter), that show defined my formative years and for that very reason it holds a very special place in my heart. I know I'm not alone in this regard, which is why it's not surprising that the reboot announcement was met with immediate backlash.

However, it's time to put down the pitchforks and take a breather because -- dare I say it -- this reboot might actually be... not that bad? Addressing the outrage on Thursday, new BtVS showrunner Monica Owusu-Breen revealed that no, this won't be just some rehash of what came before with a black female insert becoming the third iteration of Buffy Summers. Actually, this reboot isn't what you think it is at all.

"There is only one Buffy. One Xander, one Willow, Giles, Cordelia, Oz, Tara, Kendra, Faith, Spike, Angel. They can't be replaced. Joss Whedon's brilliant and beautiful series can't be replicated. I wouldn't try to. But here we are, 20 years later, and the world seems a lot scarier. So maybe, it could be time to meet a new Slayer," she wrote.

So no, there's not going to be a "black Buffy." By the sounds of it, we're getting a whole new slayer with a completely different background and a new crop of friends. It's an extension of the Buffyverse, not an outright replacement, which comes as a huge relief because honestly, can there ever be another Buffy Summers? (The correct answer is hell no).

The project is still early in the process of development so this Buffy reboot probably won't even be called Buffy at all. Plus, it already has a great team behind it. Joss Whedon, who created the series and knows Buffy inside and out, will serve as an executive producer with Owusu-Breen running the show. Fans should know the reboot is in good hands since Owusu-Breen wrote for some of your other favorite shows, including Charmed, Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Fringe and Alias. She also created and served as showrunner for Midnight, Texas (but left after Season 1). And just like you, she's a huge fan of the OG series.

"For some genre writers, it's Star Wars. Buffy the Vampire Slayer is my Star Wars. Before I became a writer, I was a fan. For seven seasons, I watched Buffy Summers grow up, find love, kill that love. I watched her fight, and struggle and slay," she explained.

I don't know about you, but having someone who really gets this series and why it means so much to so many of us is a pretty good sign. So maybe give it a chance?