When Will Hollywood Learn that You Can't Do Buffy Without Joss Whedon?

When I heard the news that a Buffy the Vampire Slayer movie was in the works, I was tentatively excited. Excited, because I hoped beyond hope that the original characters and actors would reunite. Tentative, because that was only a hope. Unfortunately, the situation was worse than I feared:

Buffy is being used as a piece of trendy bait to tempt the Twilight obsessed.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, Fran Rebel Kuzui, director of the original Buffy film that bombed at the box office, and husband Kaz are working with Vertigo Entertainment to "relaunch" the franchise. In this case, "relaunch" means that the film will have nothing to do with Joss Whedon's classic television show.

And the Joss Whedon fans are not happy.

The idea of a Buffy the Vampire Slayer movie has been thrown around a lot in the past several years. Even the stars of the show were talking about it only last year at a Buffy reunion. However, all the stars agreed on one thing: they'd only return for a movie if Joss Whedon was at the helm. The fans have the same devotion and for good reason.

Though the Kuzuis have maintained the rights to the Buffy franchise all these years, it was Whedon who truly made Buffy the iconic character everyone knows and loves. While Whedon initially wrote the script for Kuzui's Buffy bomb, the script was virtually dismantled, with Kuzui taking liberties with the interpretation and making the film more of a comedy. The result was an amusing, but admittedly corny film - nothing near what Whedon accomplished with the television series.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, the Kuzuis haven't even reached out to Whedon. Instead, they've partnered with Roy Lee and Doug Davison of Vertigo Entertainment, creators of such films as The Grudge (1, 2 & 3), The Eye, and The Uninvited - none exactly possessing the same caliber as the witty, dark and often heartbreaking world that Whedon created.

Kuzui intends to revamp the series, if you will, eliminating such characters as Angel, Willow and Xander for a completely new slayer and a new set of friends. Kuzui intends to follow the plot line of a new slayer for every generation. According to the Hollywood Reporter, Kuzui and Vertigo want to "restart the story line without trampling on the beloved existing universe created by Whedon." They want to take Buffy to "a new place."

That's all well and good, but I believe that Buffy lovers were happy with Buffy exactly where she was in the first place. The move is almost a slap in the face to so many fans of the show and not just because the universe they know and love will be replaced.

They know that the only reason that the Buffy movie they've been waiting for is being created is because vampires are "in." Buffy could become the latest cash cow in a long line of vampire movies and television shows that are being created simply because of Twilight. It's insulting to the fans to know that their favorite characters and plot lines are being replaced with new, revamped versions.

Who knows? The film might be alright. When Entertainment Weekly asked Whedon for his opinion, he had only this to say,

"I hope it's cool."

All in all, you can do one of two things: go see the movie or ignore it completely. I'm still unsure of which road to take. Just keep in mind: the new Buffy film might be okay - as long as you pretend the television show never existed.

Borys Kit, 'Buffy' In for Feature Relaunch, Hollywood Reporter.com

Michael Ausiello, A 'Buffy' Movie Without Its Maker? Joss Whedon Speaks Out!, EW.com