OG Buffy The Vampire Slayer Actor Confirms They’re Not In The Reboot Pilot (And I’m So Disappointed)

Cordelia speaking to Buffy at the library
(Image credit: Mutant Enemy)

Joss Whedon's Buffy the Vampire Slayer is my favorite TV show ever, and is arguably one of the best teen dramas ever. The original series (which is streaming with a Hulu subscription) ran for seven season across two networks, and fans like me were hyped when it was revealed that Sarah Michelle Gellar was returning for a reboot pilot. Unfortunately another OG recently confirmed they weren't getting in on the fun.

The cast of Buffy have been staying busy in the years since the show ended, but remain synonymous their Sunnydale alter egos. That includes Cordelia actress Charisma Carpenter, who expressed interest in returning for the possible reboot. In a recent TikTok she was asked if we should expect her in the pilot that's shooting, and she said:

I am not in the reboot. I am not in the pilot. I don’t even know if the show has been picked up to go to series. I assume it will be.

What a bummer. While Carpenter expressed interest in returning as Cordelia, that seemingly hasn't happened just yet. But who knows? If the Buffy reboot gets a full season order from Hulu maybe we'll get news about more of the OGs returning to join Sarah Michelle Gellar. I'm keeping my fingers (and stakes) crossed.

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Cordelia as a main character for the first three season of Buffy, until the Scooby Gang graduated Sunnydale High School. After that Carpenter pivoted over to the spinoff Angel, where she was a series regular for the first four seasons. What's more, Cordelia recently returned to the franchise in Audible's Slayers: A Buffyverse Story, specifically one that's come from an alternate universe and is The Slayer.

Later in her same TikTok, Carpenter shared more information about where she stands with the Buffy reboot pilot that's being filmed. In her words:

I have not had a conversation with any of the powers that be to include Cordelia at this point.

Well, that was pretty cut and dry. So far SMG is the only Buffy legacy character confirmed for the reboot pilot, which may or may not end up resulting in a series order. Giles was always dispensing knowledge in the beloved series, so that's another OG that I'm desperately hoping gets to join the fun sometime in the future.

You can watch Charisma Carpenter's TikTok about the situation below:

Indeed, there are a ton of Buffy legacy characters that fans are hoping to catch up with if a new series is ordered by Hulu. In addition to Giles and Cordelia, Alyson Hannigan's Willow seems like an obvious to return at some point. Unfortunately Michelle Trachtenberg's death has put the kibosh on seeing Dawn again.

The original Buffy the Vampire Slayer series is streaming on Hulu. We'll just have to wait and see if the streamer actually moves forward with a reboot, but the fact that it's getting so much press would seemingly be a good sign.

Corey Chichizola
Movies Editor

Corey was born and raised in New Jersey. Graduated with degrees theater and literature from Ramapo College of New Jersey. After working in administrative theater for a year in New York, he started as the Weekend Editor at CinemaBlend. He's since been able to work himself up to reviews, phoners, and press junkets-- and is now able to appear on camera with some of his favorite actors... just not as he would have predicted as a kid. He's particularly proud of covering horror franchises like Scream and Halloween, as well as movie musicals like West Side Story. Favorite interviews include Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee, Jamie Lee Curtis, and more. 

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