Hold onto your stakes, Buffyverse devotees — Queen C has spoken, and she’s not mincing words about those pesky reboot rumors. Charisma Carpenter, whose portrayal of Cordelia Chase defined an era of perfectly timed eye-rolls, took to TikTok yesterday to shut down speculation faster than a vampire turns to dust at sunrise.
“I am not in the reboot. I am not in the pilot.” Simple, direct, and delivered with that signature Cordelia-esque finality we’ve come to expect from the actress. (Some things never change, right?)
The clarification arrives just as Hulu’s ambitious reimagining of the supernatural phenomenon gains momentum. With Oscar-winner Chloé Zhao stepping into the director’s chair — fresh off her upcoming Mars colonization epic — this reboot’s artistic aspirations are clearly aimed somewhere between the stars and the cemetery.
Sarah Michelle Gellar’s return as a mentor figure feels like a masterclass in torch-passing, while newcomer Ryan Kiera Armstrong (whose performance in last year’s “The Tomorrow Room” turned quite a few heads) prepares to patrol Sunnydale’s perpetually demon-infested streets. The ensemble keeps growing more impressive by the day, with Faly Rakotohavana and Chase Sui Wonders joining the ranks — though let’s be honest, filling the shoes of the original Scoobies is no small feat.
But here’s where things get… complicated.
Carpenter’s relationship with the franchise has weathered its share of storms. Her character arc — transforming from acid-tongued mean girl to vision-having warrior — met an ending that left many fans feeling stakes-through-the-heart levels of disappointment. Just last month, she described herself as “so hopeful” about potential involvement in the new series, pointing to what she termed an “unjust” conclusion to Cordelia’s story.
Adding salt to the wound? The recent cancellation of “Slayers: A Buffyverse Story” on Audible, which had reunited several original cast members (Carpenter included) before Disney pulled the plug without explanation. Talk about your cosmic timing.
The pilot hasn’t secured a series order yet, but with powerhouse creators like Zhao and the Zuckerman sisters (riding high after “Poker Face” swept the streaming awards this winter), Hulu seems determined to resurrect this beloved franchise. The question remains: Can they capture lightning in a bottle twice?
Perhaps the most bittersweet truth in all this? Whether she appears on screen or not, Cordelia Chase’s influence on the Buffyverse remains eternal — much like her perfectly cutting comebacks. After all, you can stake a vampire, but you can’t stake an icon.
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