The Interwebs were all ablaze with fury last Thursday at news that Warner Bros., Vertigo Entertainment, and Atlas Entertainment are planning a new ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ film without Joss Whedon, head honcho of the 1992 film (which I hated) and 1997-2003 TV series (which I loved).
Even Whedon stirred things up by advising fans to “leave me to my pain,” which, of course, made fans even less inclined to leave him to his pain.
But here’s the thing. As I suspected, Whedon was offered a chance to be involved with the new ‘Buffy’ movie — and passed. Yes, that’s right, he passed.
According to studio insiders, Whedon was approached last year after ‘Buffy’ rights-holders Fran Rubel Kuzui and husband Kaz Kuzui began developing a reboot with Vertigo. After presenting Whedon with the project, he decided he’d rather work on other projects, including Marvel Studios’ ‘The Avengers,’ hitting theaters May 4, 2012.
Producers then began searching for a ‘Buffy’ writer and ended up hiring actress-turned-scribe Whit Anderson late last year. And what a coup for her! She’s basically had only bit film appearances, but developed a take on the Buffy mythology that was strong enough to lure Atlas, which partnered with Vertigo to set it up at a studio.
Fox, distributor of the 1992 movie, had first crack at the project but passed, at which time Warner Bros. jumped on it, figuring that with or without Whedon, a Buffy remake will slay at the box office. Think they’re right?
Image: 20th Century Fox
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