Buffy the Vampire Slayer

The Force is strong with Dark Horse Comics editor in chief Scott Allie. The Oregon-based company recently announced plans to publish George Lucas’ original screenplay for “Star Wars” as an eight-issue comic series launching in September, adapted by Lucasfilm executive editor and writer J. W. Rinzler and Mike Mayhew. As first drafted in 1974, “The Star Wars!” told the story of Jedi Annikin Starkiller and General Luke Skywalker, an alien named Han Solo and evil Sith Knights. Many had long speculated that the complete original version would never see the light of day, conflicting as it does with the saga’s mythic canon. But Allie said they found a powerful ally in Rinzler. “We ran some samples by him in order to show proof of concept, and now here we are,” Allie said. “We’ve had a great relationship with Lucasfilm for […]

The “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” Season 9 comic book panel at WonderCon did not yield any hints as to what will be the theme or arc of Season 10, but the assembled panelists gave accounts of working with Joss Whedon in constructing the story lines, what the experience and the world of “Buffy” have meant to them, and what the end of Season 9 will bring. The panelists in Anaheim on Saturday included Andrew Chambliss (onetime “Dollhouse” TV writer and “Buffy” comic writer), Georges Jeanty (artist on the “Buffy” comic), Jane Espenson (writer on the “Buffy” comic and TV show), and Christos Gage (writer on the “Angel & Faith” comic book). The panel was moderated by Dark Horse’s Jeremy Atkins. One of the first things addressed was that there continue to be so many fervent fans of the Buffyverse, even […]

James Marsters — the actor behind the peroxide-haired punk rock vampire Spike in Joss Whedon’s long-running series “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” — found inspiration for his character from an unusual source: Mr. Spock. Marsters said he looked to his favorite character from “Star Trek” — Leonard Nimoy’s starship Enterprise science officer Spock — when he was first cast on “Buffy” for what was initially supposed to be a brief role. Marsters ended up acting in 97 episodes of the series, not to mention another 24 episodes in the spinoff “Angel.” “Spock was that side character that nobody thought would be that much, and he ended up kind of turning the theme on its head,” Marsters told Entertainment Tonight, in the video above. “‘Cause ‘Star Trek’ really was about human beings perfecting a worldview and then sharing it with the galaxy, […]

This story contains spoilers about “The Avengers.” “The Avengers” passed the $1-billion mark in worldwide ticket sales this weekend, and a sequel is already in the works. Does that mean writer-director Joss Whedon will be back at the helm of the franchise that unites Marvel’s box-office heavyweights, including Iron Man, Captain America, Thor and the Hulk? “You know, I’m very torn,” Whedon said in a sit-down interview in Beverly Hills before the film’s U.S. opening. “It’s an enormous amount of work telling what is ultimately somebody else’s story, even though I feel like I did get to put myself into it. But at the same time, I have a bunch of ideas, and they all seem really cool.” Whether he gets his hands on the sequel, Whedon’s fingerprints are all over “The Avengers,” which echoes some tropes found in his […]

Amber Benson is best known for Joss Whedon’s “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and her role as Tara Maclay, the shy witch who made up half of a lesbian couple considered pioneering in its portrayal. But now, the actress, director and comics writer is making a name for herself in the world of young adult fiction. Benson’s latest novel, “How to Be Death,” is the fourth installment in her Calliope Reaper-Jones series, which follows a young woman forced to take over the family business: Death, Inc. Hero Complex caught up with Benson, who talked about her writing career and project on the horizon. She was also pleased, as you’ll see below, to hear that the reporter was named Noelene Clark. HC: How did you make the transition from acting to writing? Have you always wanted to write novels? AB: I got into […]

That big-screen revamp of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” has been dealt a setback — it looks as though the movie’s first-time screenwriter bit off more than she could chew. Two sources close to the project say that the script submitted this past summer by writer Whit Anderson fell far short of expectations and, in the end, was rejected completely. That’s news that will spark celebration from some longtime “Buffy” fans who were less than thrilled by the prospects of a “Buffy” revival that didn’t involve Joss Whedon. Whedon, now directing “The Avengers” for Marvel,  himself took a few shots at the reboot project — although he did so with a sly wink. “This is a sad, sad reflection on our times,” Whedon said last November when that deal was announced, “when people must feed off the carcasses of beloved stories from their youths […]

When Joss Whedon brought “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” to TV in 1997, no one had very high expectations for the show. But beyond the cult reputation and the scores of academic books it spawned, it was also a talent discovery engine. “Buffy” and its spinoff, “Angel,” launched the careers of countless actors and writers who are all over the fall TV season — not least of which is Sarah Michelle Gellar, who returns to prime time in “Ringer” after a long absence from television. Meanwhile, David Boreanaz is solving homicides on “Bones,” Alyson Hannigan is bringing on the laughs in “How I Met Your Mother,” Felicia Day is tearing up the Internet with “The Guild,” and “Buffy” mastermind Whedon is directing a new set of superheroes in “The Avengers.” “Buffy” fans and newcomers can catch up on the slayer set […]

Sarah Michelle Gellar may have moved on from the Hellmouth, playing twins in the new CW show “Ringer,” but Buffy is still doing what she’s always done — staking (and breaking) hearts. “Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Nine” hits comic book stores this week, and new “Buffy” writer, “The Vampire Diaries” alum Andrew Chambliss, said it’s back to the basics for Buffy and her Scooby gang. After the destruction of the Seed at the end of Season Eight, the characters are now learning to operate in a world without magic. Chambliss said it’s an opportunity to explore Buffy’s character. “Buffy is so much fun to write because she’s so relatable,” Chambliss said via email. “Sure, she may be the Chosen One, and she can stake a vampire in her sleep, but at the end of the day she’s just like […]

The ensemble of A-list actors starring in his upcoming “Avengers” movies makes a better team than the actual Avengers in the Marvel comic book that inspired the film, director Joss Whedon told fans at his Comic-Con International panel Saturday afternoon. “What I find is that these characters mesh through these differences really well,” he told the capacity crowd at the Hilton Bayfront’s Indigo Ballroom. “And what I also find is these actors have a great time playing against each other, and they are, as a troupe, actually a much better team than the Avengers are.” He said working on “Avengers” has been easier than he expected. “In fact, the only problem I’ve had with ‘The Avengers’ is: Where is the 14-year-old girl with superpowers?” he joked. The creator of the wildly popular television series “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and its […]

She’s baaaack! Sarah Michelle Gellar, of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” fame, was welcomed with thunderous applause Thursday during the “Ringer” panel at Comic-Con International in San Diego.  You’d hardly think she ever took a break from acting. “It’s really hard when you have a show like ‘Buffy,’ ” she said. “You’re not looking for a show to top it … I wanted to come back and do a show fans would love.” That show seems to have presented itself. Gellar makes her return to TV in the new CW series “Ringer” this fall. In it, she plays Bridget Cafferty, a recovering alcoholic with a sordid past who,  after witnessing a murder, flees to New York in an effort to escape the killers who want her dead.  It’s there that she’s briefly reunited with her estranged twin sister, Siobhan. What results […]