Whedonesque : Comments on 19756 : SMG 'in talks for Buffy movie'?

First of all, why is she referred to as "Michelle?" Second, they don't even care to mention what type of insider the quote is referencing...it could at least say an inside source at a production company or something...jeez.

marvelknight616 | April 05, 00:58 CET

Haha, this one is especially vague.

TOASTERslayer | April 05, 00:59 CET

Maybe the "insider" was getting her mixed up with Michelle Trachtenberg.

And Buffy "possibly a mother": that would be a big retcon from Season 8.

mr_waterproof | April 05, 01:00 CET

The best thing is the photo, which is stunning.

Tonya J | April 05, 01:04 CET

Also, this just in: the roles of Willow and Xander have both been recast for the feature film! They will both be played by me.

Dhoffryn | April 05, 01:13 CET

6 year run, eh?

I doubt this. I don't want this. An Angel movie, yes. Another Firefly movie, yes. Buffy, no thanks. Had a great enough ending.

FaithsTruCalling | April 05, 01:15 CET

I love this. Michelle! Michelle quotes!

Here's a story about how these things happen, courtesy of Simon Pegg.

gossi | April 05, 01:36 CET

I assume this is a late April Fools Day joke.

I would love a Buffy movie or some type of Buffyverse on-screen continuation but as I said in the JM open to playing Spike again thread,I doubt anything will be happening now and the comics are it.

[ edited by Buffyfantic on 2009-04-05 01:39 ]

Buffyfantic | April 05, 01:38 CET

Yeah, if the insider doesn't even know her name, I doubt it's very reliable.

fortunateizzi | April 05, 01:45 CET

Maybe they're calling her Michelle because it's her middle name? Just a thought...

DawnLover90 | April 05, 01:49 CET

The article also says it ran for six sesons instead of seven. I'll believe there's going to be a Buffy movie when Jose officially announces it.

shishkarobb | April 05, 01:54 CET

Jose? Haha.

That's a new one.

TwisTz | April 05, 01:57 CET

I'm sure it's a typo :), but still, I think I like Jose much more than Josh.

Tonya J | April 05, 02:01 CET

I do believe this is not true, but am gonna poke holes in some of the naysayers' ideas here. Cause, well, what else do I have to do? |-)~

Michelle is her middle name, is it that strange that the insider might call her Michelle? I mean, really, THAT strange? People call me Bob and that's not my name at all!

Buffy being a mother is not in and of itself a retcon of Season 8 anymore than it is a retcon of seasons 1-7. This would simply have to take place at least 9 months after the latest events (or maybe less than 9 months for all we know!)

Subtracting 1997 from 2003 gets you 6. From the premier of the first episode to the premier of the last episode is less than 6 and a half years. A 6 year run is a fair statement. 6 season however...

Again, I'm not buying it either, I just think these arguments are unfair. |-)~

bobw1o | April 05, 02:02 CET

A mother? I was in up until that part!

I'm sure Michelle is a businesswoman. At the PaleyFest someone asked her about a movie and she said "We'll se how Sex and the City plays out". Go, Michelle!

danielgm | April 05, 02:05 CET

That would be so sweet hopefully the scooby gang and spike would be along 4 the ride yeah baby

zee | April 05, 02:16 CET

yeah! and also, a mother... michelle... businesswoman

danielgm | April 05, 02:21 CET

When you wish upon a star.....

wilder | April 05, 02:24 CET

That would be so sweet hopefully the scooby gang and spike would be along 4 the ride yeah baby
zee | April 05, 02:16 CET

and Angel.

I would hope any big screen Buffy film would feature all the major players from both shows that are still alive or undead.

The Buffy as a mother thing i could buy in theory.The theory being Joss ignored the comics which he said he would do if need be or what I prefer and would work for the mother idea,have a movie set well after the events of the comics.Which is something I believe Joss even brought up in an interview before he talked about the idea of ignoring the comics.I can't remember what interview but it was basically that the comics wouldn't prevent a film since he would probably set a movie after season 8.

But truthfully,I doubt there is anything to this report and the odds of a Buffy movie or another Buffyverse project other than the comics are slim to none.

Buffyfantic | April 05, 02:29 CET

Must...not...get...hopes...up...

Sly | April 05, 02:29 CET

I think if there really was anything in the works, the news wouldn't come from a "secret" source related to Sarah Michelle Gellar. Sorry. Michelle.

danielgm | April 05, 02:32 CET

Gesundheit.

Jayme | April 05, 02:32 CET

If there was anything offical,it would be in Variety or the Hollywood Reporter.

Buffyfantic | April 05, 02:35 CET

Just to point it out, Buffy ran for 6 and a half years - the first season was only a half season. That is why the series is often mistaken for a 6 year series...

jgsugden | April 05, 02:51 CET

This is either a re-report of an April fools thing or just plain gossip nonsense.

Though...in a way, Buffy is a mother of sorts to all the slayers in the world. Much like how the show used metaphors a lot, Buffy's being in the sitch she is now, could open up for some great metaphorical motherhood stuff. So a Buffy movie could hypothetically deal with the motherhood thing on more than the obvious level.
That said, this article is still bullplop.

GreatMuppetyOdin | April 05, 02:56 CET

I'm firmly in the I'm Not Even Sure I'll Believe It When I See It camp on this one.

Vague That Up | April 05, 03:07 CET

I certainly hope so...SMG needs a Buffy movie to save her dying career, AND it would please the fans. So do it!!

Riker | April 05, 03:29 CET

We always salivate when these rumors start floating around every so often. However now that I think about it, I'm not sure that's even the best case scenario. My perfect scenario brings the entire gang back to the small screen for an 8th television season. Honestly, how much are they going to cover in a 2 hour movie? I like my Buffy arc-y.

alexreager | April 05, 03:37 CET

Sarah Michelle Gellar is something of a mistery to me. One would assume that most of her fans are the Buffy fans. But if you ask Buffy fans who their favorite actor is, she is hardly mentioned. I personally would go with Alyson Hannigan and Eliza Dushku before I even thought of her.

danielgm | April 05, 03:42 CET

I'll believe it when I see it. But that picture of her is stunning.

vampmogs | April 05, 03:44 CET

There is an idea for a script and to pick the story up with Buffy older and maybe even a mother.

Didn't we already do this in Season 5 with the whole "the monks made her out of me" motherhood vibe Buffy had for Dawn?

Emmie | April 05, 03:46 CET

Good thinking, Emmie! Buffy was already a mother, metaphorically anyway. Metaphor is what made the show so different and good. Oh, I miss my weekly Scooby Gang.

danielgm | April 05, 03:49 CET

If it was legit, there is no need for it to retcon out Season 8 -- if Buffy, played by Sarah, was a mother, it could very easily be well AFTER Season 8.

Metaphorically a mom and actually a mom are two very different stories. Especially since Dawn's nominal mother was around for a great deal of the time in her first season and was a presence in her life emotionally even after.

Of course, such a story brings with it a truckload of separate problems -- for instance, who's the father? Unless she was an A) adoptive mother, B) an in vitro or mystical mother, or C) pregnant from an ex, I guarantee that the pitchforks would be being sharpened and torches made in readiness to find out if her fella was the "right" one or not. Buffy in a relationship and a parent with that guy would slam the door shut on the canonical hopes of various 'ships. Although it would be funny to see people talk about how the movie doesn't count because it's not the show if they didn't like the answer :)

Vampmogs, there is no picture of her that isn't stunning. Climbing out of the guts of the mother Bezoar? Stunning.

KingofCretins | April 05, 04:07 CET

"Climbing out of the guts of the mother Bezoar? Stunning."

She did have a way of looking gorgeous in gross situations.

danielgm | April 05, 04:12 CET

Sarah Michelle Gellar is something of a mistery to me. One would assume that most of her fans are the Buffy fans. But if you ask Buffy fans who their favorite actor is, she is hardly mentioned.

Is this true? If so, I imagine it's because SMG goes without saying. She's Buffy. Buffy fans obviously love Buffy.

As far as the "save her dying career" stuff goes ... who here wouldn't watch her in something in 2020 even if she did nothing between now and then?

caeli | April 05, 04:34 CET

I personally LOVE this rumor. Not only would I see a Buffy movie every single day it was in theaters, even if Sarah Michelle Gellar was the only original cast member in it-- I wouldn't care at all. But one of my very favorite ideas of what happened to Buffy after the end of Buffy (which is a favorite topic in my brain when I'm falling to sleep at night) is that she tries to go live that "normal life" she was always told she should have-- marries some decent Joe, settles down and has a little one or two. Or as I've decided, two daughters (doomed to live her mother's life and all). But normal life proves completely untenable, and through a series of events she comes back to the superhero fold, and all her friends, with littles in tow. To me it seemed the inevitable outcome of her storyline of a completely abnormal girl seeking the normal life-- that she would find it, and be unable to maintain it. Fish gotta swim, birds gotta fly, and so slayers have to slay until the day they die.

As far as I'm concerned, if Buffy did have a child, the father couldn't be anyone that we know. The right guy, whichever one that may be, would have to be someone we DO know, though.

This may be the most unlikely rumor of a BtVS movie I have ever heard. And yet hope springs eternal. Oh please, Joss, please! I don't care if it's about Buffy running away to join the circus. I want my Buffy movie.

ailiel | April 05, 04:36 CET

I declare Shenanigans.

mouse | April 05, 04:47 CET

bobw1o - subtracting 1997 from 2003 may give you 6, but that is not how it works when you are counting. You have to count 1997; 97, 98, 99, 00, 01, 02, 03.

And yeah, I don't buy this for a second. Not at all.

5X5B | April 05, 04:49 CET

Oooooh, I want to believe.....

whedon is GOD | April 05, 04:52 CET

An insider (i.e. someone who stays inside most of the time and rarely sees sunlight) reports that Jose Weldon, the clerk at his local video store, would like to talk to Michelle Forbes about his idea for making a Buffy movie. That is, Buffy, the little girl from the 1960s show "Family Affair," now grown up and a mother.

deanna b | April 05, 05:06 CET

This would be an incredible great turn of events. Running outside right now to wish on the stars.
Agree about the picture. SMG is beautiful, always. :)

cheryl | April 05, 05:23 CET

WOOHOO!

Also, please meet my nephew the monkey.

catalyst2 | April 05, 05:34 CET

My guess is that this story was told to this Adam three days before it was posted, and he didn't get it then...

poltergeist | April 05, 06:12 CET

Oh boy. So i believe that this movie could actually happen, though not the one described in this piece o' crap article. Buffy as a mom? no thanks.

The success of Twilight and sudden popularity of vampires could lead to studio interest in a Buffy movie. Whether i believe Joss would be interested in said movie is debatable.

If Joss wanted to do it I would support it, though in the past when I supported a similar situation, it lead to the death of a certain charismatic and plucky pilot that i mourn to this day. RIP Wash...

Boy#5 Kawada | April 05, 06:26 CET

That article has no credibility whatsoever. It would seem the best chance a Buffy movie has is if the rest of the Twilight series movies all do hundreds of millions of dollars and Fox offers Joss a ton of money to do a Buffy movie.

mossoholic | April 05, 06:43 CET

Boy#5 Kawada: Yes, I have to pretend 'Serenity' never happened, or else I'd have to accept that Wash is dead. ;(

mouse | April 05, 06:45 CET

I thought we were beyond this type of gossip. Apparently not.

Madhatter | April 05, 06:53 CET

We're never beyond this type of gossip. That's why we post on a blog/forum/place of awesomesauce about Jose Sweldenon. We discuss rumors and innuendo and news about the man.

Also, pie.

crazygolfa | April 05, 06:58 CET

Did I fall asleep?

Krusher | April 05, 07:01 CET

Jose Whedon- he's gotta be the sombrero wearing, mustached dude from the Bad Horse chorus.

And this is certainly a day to remember- we finally have an absurd, inane and pointless 'Buffy' movie rumor that we didn't actually start ourselves...

missb | April 05, 07:01 CET

As a latecomer to Whedonesque (joining just after Firefly) I can at last say I've been on Whedonesque long enough to see a Buffy movie rumour! I am pleased.

I'd be MORE pleased if the rumour were true, of course.

will.bueche | April 05, 07:03 CET

im not going to bother getting my hopes up for this one

Sarah always says I will need to see the script first for everyhing she does!

if joss had a script up and ready and the "inside" source called her sarah i would totally have my kumbayyahs going on here :)

[ edited by RheatVS on 2009-04-05 07:21 ]

RheaM | April 05, 07:12 CET

missb, you forgot the Cuban cigar.

Madhatter | April 05, 07:31 CET

I saw this yesterday, it's bollocks of course. Anyone who refers to Sarah as 'Michelle' has zero credibility. This made-up story originated at UGO.com spinoff site called AbsoluteNow.com from what I can tell, a site previously unknown for its showbiz news scoops.

Simon | April 05, 08:37 CET

Oh how I would love this to be true, Its more then likely just a rumour.

Gota luv that Buffy | April 05, 10:45 CET

Did I fall asleep?
Krusher | April 05, 07:01 CET

For a little while. (I couldn't resist). ;)

Shey | April 05, 11:17 CET

Look, I shouldn't say this, guys, but... Well, I've got the script. You'll be surprised. Buffy's a mother. Page three, Buffy dies. The kid gets raised by Xander, Spike, and Andrew, and then, on the kid's 16th birthday, Sweet gets summoned, and there's a big mix-up about who's really the father. It's like Three Men and a Baby meets Mamma Mia! Probably Joss's hackiest work, but, you know, he's busy, and he told me that he expects Fox to cancel the shoot halfway through anyway, and screen the film out of order, so it should be fine. We'll all buy tickets anyway.

Totally true, folks. Either that, or the sleep deprivation is getting to me. But it's probably not that.

(Spoiler alert: The father? Is Clem. Scandalous!)

[ edited by kishi on 2009-04-05 13:12 ]

kishi | April 05, 13:09 CET

Joss has said that *if* they ever did a movie, then the comic book continuities, despite being offical, are something he'd be willing to ignore in order to make a good movie.

jgsugden | April 05, 14:45 CET

Now *that* would be an interetssing use of the Dollhouse...

For $10,000,000 you could get 9 activies and a $1,000,000 set to do a live action sequel to Buffy, Serenity or Angel.

jgsugden | April 05, 14:48 CET

Heh, haven't seen one of these in a while.

Ameer | April 05, 14:56 CET

Essentially, for this to happen, the studio has to come up to Joss and say "make it!", whereupon he'd have to write it and show it to Gellar who'd then have to go "awesome, let's make it!", then he'd have to show it to the studio again and they would have to approve of it as well. Somehow I think it's unlikely it'll ever happen. Only way I could see anything Buffyverse ever happening on film or television again is animation or "next generation"-type series (which would most likely be run by non-Joss).

GreatMuppetyOdin | April 05, 15:19 CET

I've said this here before, I think, but a Buffy movie is just as likely to happen as Highlander 5 was, or X-Files 2, Farscape: Peacekeeper Wars, the Babylon 5 DVD episodes or any other example of a believed-dead franchise getting an unexpected shot in the arm.

Yeah, this story is total crap and there is almost certainly nothing happening right now but all it really takes is for Joss to write a script and get Sarah and the studio onboard at the same time. Difficult but far from impossible. Obviously it would be nice to get as many of the old gang back together as possible (Alyson, Nick, Anthony and James would be the only ones I would see as really important though) but for a Buffy movie to happen the only essentials would be Joss Whedon, Sarah Michelle Gellar and a little cash from the studio.

Trust a Highlander fan when I say that there is no such thing as no chance of another movie! ;)

The Highlander | April 05, 15:45 CET

Yay, Highlander! I agree with you. TV to movie adaptations are always somewhat unlikely, but I would argue that a Buffy movie isn't as far-fetched as everyone seems to think. Vampires are hotter than hot right now. Twilight is bringing in the coin in books and the big screen, True Blood is becoming a huge phenomenon for HBO despite a weak start. Buffy has the advantage of having a built in following that only gets stronger as the years pass and Netflix sends out those DVDs. I have so many friends who are not (or would not qualify themselves as) Joss Whedon fans, who look back on the years they spent watching Buffy and the WB programming with fond memories. These people have never seen Firefly and have never hit up Whedonesque, but maybe back in the 90s they found their spoilers at the Buffy Cross & Stake. They would head to the theaters to see it. Plus, if done right, a Buffy movie would not need someone to be familiar with the series to enjoy it. The series wrapped itself up, so there's no loose ends that need to be tied in a movie continuation (like there was when Serenity was made). A new Buffy movie should be its own self-contained story.

Basically, who wants to make a big pile 'o money? Send Buffy to theaters.

ailiel | April 05, 16:03 CET

Still, SMG has said no script no deal, and Joss says he won't write it unless the money-havers ask him to, so the ball is currently in the same hands as the money is.

GreatMuppetyOdin | April 05, 16:30 CET

danielgm86 said:

But if you ask Buffy fans who their favorite actor is, she is hardly mentioned. I personally would go with Alyson Hannigan and Eliza Dushku before I even thought of her.

I completely disagree. She's far and away my favorite actor on the show. That woman can do anything.

jgsugden said:

Now *that* would be an interetssing use of the Dollhouse...

I would love to see that kind of inside joke on DH. Yeah, it would be cheesy, but can't you imagine some geek (I use the term affectionately) coming in and saying, "That doll who looks kind of like the girl who played Faith on Buffy? I want her to be Faith." I would enjoy that a lot. Or even just a throwaway line as Echo walked in to be wiped one day about how fighting with stakes gives you splinters. Or something.

Lirazel | April 05, 17:32 CET

What does Joss think of this? Has he been notified on the "talks" for the Buffy movie?
I think this information is bogus just to hype up the fans for nothing like the other million times this rumour has been told.

gingyfromshrek | April 05, 18:38 CET

gonna have to say Im with danielgm86 on this one.

Sarah Michelle Gellar isn't my favourite actress out of the cast I would probably go with Alyson or Eliza too. Both have also been able to hold pretty steady careers out of the franchise. Sure SMG did a few movies here or there but, my friends who have never heard of Buffy know who Alyson and Eliza are and when I say Sarah Michelle Gellar they go Who? What?
sad to respond I go the scooby doo girl and they go oh, yea, ummm i like eliza more.

RheaM | April 05, 19:02 CET

Actually, that's funny, because I doubt any of my friends have any idea who Eliza is. But all of them have seen Cruel Intentions. They all know SMG.

Lirazel | April 05, 19:25 CET

Highlander, you say it's as likely as an X-Files 2??? Well maybe it will happen then since there is an X-Files 2! >)

FaithsTruCalling | April 05, 19:47 CET

Lirazel, well we're like in the 8th grade we grew up with the Bring it On Movies and Wrong Turn, and Tru Calling on TV. I think Im like the only one out of my buds whose actually seen Cruel Intentions. so we grew up Eliza kids :) thats actually how i heard about Buffy.

RheaM | April 05, 20:28 CET

"Buffy" would definately have to be front and center for any future movie in my neck of the woods. Is there someone out there who doesn't just love the girl? Seriously. Or SMG in general, for that matter. This is Buffy's Universe, so she would need to be there, imo. Can't really see the big wigs going ahead without landing her, David and Joss anyway.

My must have list for a Buffy movie as follows:

Buffy-Giles-Xander-Willow-Angel even just a surprise appearance-Joss writing it.

My wish list for a movie would look more like:
Buffy-Angel-Giles-Xander-Willow-Oz or Tara, don't care which- Dru in some capacity and Wes/Cordelia who are both dead.

cheryl | April 05, 20:42 CET

Yeah, there are some shenanigans involved in this. It'd be really great if there was a Buffy movie in the works. And now is an excellent time! Vampires are very "in" right now. We need some slayers to mediate this situation.

My wish list characters would be Buffy, Dawn, Xander, Willow, and Giles. From Angel, I would want Illyria and either Spike or Angel or possibly both.

xMadxScientistx | April 05, 22:23 CET

missb, you forgot the Cuban cigar.

Cue the Theme to some famous Spaghetti Western. A lone rider appears on the horizon. As he draws closer, you see a bearded stranger, wearing a serape, with a cigar clamped in his jaw. Cuban, because that's just how he rolls. He pulls his bay stallion up to the saloon's (very oddly named, The Bronze) hitchin' post and dismounts. Checks the ammunition in his six shooters and pushes his way through the double swinging door. Cue murmur of excited townsfolk and then ... silence. Silence, because it is no other than Jose Wheldon (not his real name), Saviour of New Media, Defender of the Defenseless and out-of-work actors and tech crews, Creator of Fun and Exciting ... Stuff.

"That's right. I'm back" he grits through his teeth. "I hear a rumor has been spread again, one that makes me roll my eyes and stiffen my jaw til it nearly cracks ... and ow, does that hurt." He draws one of his pistols slowly out of its holster and holds it by his side. "Just one more rumour and you're gonna get it, no matter how much I love you guys," he rasps, narrowing his eyes for effect. "Please, don't make my day, guys, 'cause I hate the sight of blood. I really really do."

Tonya J | April 05, 23:36 CET

Highlander, you say it's as likely as an X-Files 2??? Well maybe it will happen then since there is an X-Files 2! >)

Well, yeah, which was kinda my whole point. Think you might want to have another read of what I was saying, FaithsTruCalling. ;)

The Highlander | April 06, 00:53 CET

I think this is a bogus story, MIchelle?
But still, if they made it, I would come.

Must have Spike. Would prefer Willow, Xander, Giles and Dawn in addition.

Xane | April 06, 01:56 CET

If there's a Buffy movie, I hope it turns out better than Highlander 5. Much as I adore Adrian Paul, that movie disappointed on many levels.

Jobo | April 06, 02:14 CET

Is Kristy Swanson available?

zz9 | April 06, 02:48 CET

Joss hasn't said anything. Until I see some purple remarks here in affirmation, I'm in wait and see mode.

quantumac | April 06, 03:15 CET

The Spoof picked up on this with a knock at Demons, Britain's Got Talent and Amy Winehouse in the process.

Leaf | April 22, 13:55 CET

April 05 2009