Sarah Michelle Gellar Quits Buffy

[Christopher]

From

Zap2it (http://tv.zap2it.com/news/tvnewsdaily.html?30318)

Gellar Will Exit 'Buffy' in May
Tue, Feb 25, 2003 05:39 PM PDT



LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) - Concluding months of Internet speculation, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" star Sarah Michelle Gellar will indeed be hanging up her wooden stakes come May at the conclusion of the show's seventh season.

While Gellar has given Entertainment Weekly an exclusive regarding her departure for its March 7 issue, sources close to the UPN series confirm to Zap2it.com that the actress will not be part of the cast should "Buffy" return in the fall.

Much about the fate of the show remains up in the air. Core cast members Alyson Hannigan and Nicholas Brendon have both said they believe it's the final year for the show, but no official word has come down from "Buffy" creator Joss Whedon, UPN or producer 20th Century Fox.

Rumors of a possible spin-off still run rampant, although the most likely candidate -- based on the character of Buffy's fellow slayer Faith -- now seems iffy at best since actress Eliza Dushku (who plays the recurring role on both "Buffy" and "Angel") has signed on for a drama pilot with FOX.

TV Guide Online News (http://www.tvguide.com/newsgossip/insider/030226a.asp)


Scoop: Gellar Quits Buffy!
Wednesday, February 26, 2003

The Chosen One has finally made her decision: Sarah Michelle Gellar will exit Buffy the Vampire Slayer at the end of the season, TV Guide Online has learned. Although UPN and 20th Century Fox declined to comment, sources confirm that the 25-year-old actress — whose Buffy contract expires in May — is leaving the cult-classic series to pursue her film career full time.

Talk of Gellar's probable Buffy departure has been gathering steam for months. Adding fuel to the fire: the recent announcement that the Scooby-Doo star will begin shooting the feature Romantic Comedy in August, around the time she would have been returning to work on a new season of Buffy. As one Gellar confidante puts it, "You do the math."

And if Buffy fans think that bites, there's more bad news. That rumored spinoff starring Eliza Dushku, who plays Buffy's rival slayer Faith, is now occupying a plot at the Sunnydale Cemetery. Dushku, who had apparently been knee-deep in discussions to succeed Gellar in a Buffy offshoot, has instead signed on to headline the Fox pilot Heroine.

Still, not all hope is lost. As Buffy creator Joss Whedon told TV Guide Online in October, a Dushku-led series is "one of many" possibilities he's considering. Among the others: a show revolving around Buffy's kid sister Dawn (Michelle Trachtenberg) or sidekick Willow (Alyson Hannigan).

Incidentally, during an interview with TV Guide Online last year, Gellar said she believes Buffy could — and should — forge ahead, even if that means anointing a new Slayer. "Absolutely," she offered. "I don't know if it would be Buffy the Vampire Slayer per se, because you kind of need Buffy for that. But it doesn't mean that there's not Dawn and [reformed vengeance demon] Anya. There are a lot of characters that could easily go on, and I'd hope that they would."

The silver lining in the clouds for Buffy fans? Gellar's swan song will reunite her with TV soulmate David Boreanaz. As TV Guide Online reported earlier this month, the Angel leading man has agreed to cross over to his old haunt in May, so that the do-gooder vamp can bid farewell to his Chosen One at the same time as we do ours. — Michael Ausiello

[DarleneIllyria]

Well, I do like Sarah and she really made the show great. I can't exactly complain about her leaving because she did pour a lot into 7 seasons. If I were her, I'd probably want to move on too.

I've kind of gotten used to Dawn. No, she is not my favorite character, but I just can't see a show that centers around Dawn to be a long running hit. Idk, could be totally wrong. I like Willow, but according to all the other news about Alyson, it sounds like she's ready to leave too. I swear my front runners for a good spin off would be Faith or Spike. Iffy isn't a yes, but I still have my fingers crossed that Eliza decides to go with the Faith show instead.

Thanks for posting the article, Chris.

[Christopher]

Originally posted by Jenny
but I still have my fingers crossed that Eliza decides to go with the Faith show instead.


I read Eliza has a show coming to FOX in the fall. Zap2it said something about it in a news article about up coming pilots for networks.

[DarleneIllyria]

Originally posted by Jenny


I swear my front runners for a good spin off would be Faith or Spike.

Looks like I'm not the only one thinking about Spike.


Eliza Dushku: Part slayer, part fox and part actress, Dushku is not going to let her solid work with James Franco and Robert De Niro in the feature film City by the Sea get in the way of a good tube series. She just signed with Fox to star in an untitled entry about a young woman who can alter events in order to benefit folks in jeopardy. Her fans from Angel and Buffy the Vampire Slayer who think that the actress would be a good replacement for that Gellar gal will have to find someone else to carry "Buffy". Do I hear a vote for Spike (James Marsters) out there?

http://www.tv-now.com/daily/news.htm



I wonder if James would be interested in doing a spin off? Since Buffy is ending, it'd be a great opportunity for him to have his own show.... It really looks like he gets a kick out of playing Spike and didn't he say something before about doing all the storylines that they haven't done already?

[Christopher]

No! No Spike show, they already did a spin off on a vampire they should do one on Willow the witch. It would be interesting because they can take her character into many turns and bring back Amber as Taras cousin or sister make it difficult for Willow to be with Kennedy. I am hoping for a Willow spin off.

[Christopher]

'Buffy' Series to End After Seven Season (http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20030226/ap_on_en_tv/buffy_vampire_3)



'Buffy' Series to End After Seven Season
Wed Feb 26, 3:04 PM ET

NEW YORK - Stick a stake in it: "Buffy the Vampire Slayer (news - Y! TV)" is done.


After seven years, the series will be over at the end of this season, said its star, Sarah Michelle Gellar (news).


"'Buffy,' in this incarnation, is over," Gellar told Entertainment Weekly magazine for its March 7 issue, her eyes welling with tears.


The series will wrap up with a five-part story, which will include the return of Faith, the bad-girl slayer, and Buffy's first love, Angel.


"We're gearing up to tell a fabulous, huge, great arc," Gellar said. "It's going to be pretty spectacular."


But the show may come back to life in some form: Its creator, Joss Whedon, is planning a spin-off that may include some "Buffy" cast members. It will be pitched first to UPN, "Buffy's" home for the past two seasons; for five seasons before that, it was on the WB.


Gellar, 25, gained fame on the cult hit as Buffy Summers, a perky high school student burdened with the responsibility of killing vampires in the seemingly idyllic town of Sunnydale, Calif.


Last summer, she co-starred with Freddie Prinze (news) Jr., who's now her real-life husband, in a live-action movie version of "Scooby-Doo." A sequel is scheduled for release in March 2004.

[DarleneIllyria]

Originally posted by Barnabas
No! No Spike show, they already did a spin off on a vampire they should do one on Willow the witch. It would be interesting because they can take her character into many turns and bring back Amber as Taras cousin or sister make it difficult for Willow to be with Kennedy. I am hoping for a Willow spin off.

That's a pretty good idea too.


Originally posted by Barnabas



"'Buffy,' in this incarnation, is over," Gellar told Entertainment Weekly magazine for its March 7 issue, her eyes welling with tears.

[/I]


I have a question about the above piece. Is Sarah gonna be on the cover of the EW magazine for that week? It'd be nice to have her on the cover, if not the whole cast. I'm just wondering. I would really like to buy a copy if she is. I'll prob. buy one anyway, if I can find one. My town isn't the best place to find stuff. I can still try and find it though.

Thank you again for keeping us updated, Chris.

[Christopher]

UPN Polishes Off 'Buffy'
Thu, Feb 27, 2003 04:09 PM PDT

by Rick Porter
Zap2it, TV News


LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) - She saved the world ... a lot. And now she's done.

Making official what has been pretty much a foregone conclusion, UPN announced Thursday (Feb. 27) that "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" will end its seven-season run on Tuesday, May 20. Creator Joss Whedon will write and direct the final episode.

Earlier this week, Zap2it.com and other news outlets reported that star Sarah Michelle Gellar would leave the show at the end of the season. And while UPN, Whedon and 20th Century Fox, which produces the show, are talking about a spin-off, "Buffy" as we know it will end with Gellar's departure.

"I'm just glad I can say we did our best on every single episode. We didn't always succeed, but we never slacked, and I'm immensely proud of my writers, actors and crew for that," Whedon says.

Of course, the voluble and sometimes goofy Whedon has more. He jokingly adds, "I'm proud of what this show means (except for that whole weird 'Feminist' thing people attached to it. What was that all about? Girls are stupid.) I truly believe that in years to come, people will look back and say 'That was a show that was on TV.' Yessir. I truly do."

"Buffy" premiered in March 1997 on The WB, re-inventing and greatly deepening the character Whedon first wrote for a 1992 feature film. It moved to UPN last season.

Over the course of what will be 144 episodes, the show became the definition of a cult hit, developing an intensely loyal audience and having an impact on pop culture larger than its usually small viewership. Although it was usually overlooked by awards voters, it did earn a handful of Emmy nominations, winning twice in 1998 for makeup and music composition. Whedon was nominated for writing the 1999 episode "Hush."

The show is scheduled to be in repeats for the next several weeks. The final original episodes will show Buffy and Co. battling the ultimate evil known as The First.

Beyond that, no one is saying anything definite. "We're still in discussions [with Whedon], and they've ranged in many different places, many different directions," UPN Entertainment President Dawn Ostroff says of spin-off discussions. "But we're not prepared to announce anything yet."

The most prevalent rumor has concerned a new show built around rogue slayer Faith (Eliza Dushku), who will appear in the final "Buffy" episodes. Dushku, however, has signed to star in the drama pilot "Heroine" for FOX that could quash the idea.

[Max Whittaker]

Originally posted by Barnabas
No! No Spike show, they already did a spin off on a vampire they should do one on Willow the witch. It would be interesting because they can take her character into many turns and bring back Amber as Taras cousin or sister make it difficult for Willow to be with Kennedy. I am hoping for a Willow spin off.

For the looking I'm game. But honestly, does televison really need another Witch series? I'm thinking no.

[DarleneIllyria]

Yeah, I realize this post will probably make me look like dork of the year. I'll say it anyway. I'm sure most of the people that post on the Buffy board have been watching Buffy since day 1. I'm not in that category. I really just started watching it and I just immediately connected to the show and the characters. The storylines appeal to me and the show is just excellent.

It's really gonna be hard to say goodbye to this show and the actors/characters. I know I'll prob. be crying during the last episode because it really is kind of like saying goodbye to one of your closest friends.

[Christopher]

Originally posted by Jenny

Is Sarah gonna be on the cover of the EW magazine for that week?


I went to TV Tome and they posted this in the news section


Be sure to look out for the March 7th issue of Entertainment Weekly, which not only features Sarah Michelle Gellar solely on the cover, but also an exclusive interview with her including her exit from the series. The issue also features a full-page article on the future of Angel including quotes from David Boreanaz, Eliza Dushku, Charisma Carpenter, and Joss Whedon.

[DarleneIllyria]

Originally posted by Barnabas



I went to TV Tome and they posted this in the news section


Be sure to look out for the March 7th issue of Entertainment Weekly, which not only features Sarah Michelle Gellar solely on the cover, but also an exclusive interview with her including her exit from the series. The issue also features a full-page article on the future of Angel including quotes from David Boreanaz, Eliza Dushku, Charisma Carpenter, and Joss Whedon.

Cool. I hope I can find it. If this town doesn't have EW in the stores, I swear I will lose all hope in this town.

Thanks, Chris. :wave:

[Classic FOL Fanatic]

:(

[*Melissa*]

Well, disappointments all around, I guess. I was really hoping for that Faith spinoff, but her new show sounds interesting to me. So I'd give that a shot. A Willow spinoff may not be bad, but I definitley do not want to see a Dawn spinoff. In my opinion, she was one of the worst additions to the cast. I don't even think I would give that show a chance.


Originally posted by Jenny
Yeah, I realize this post will probably make me look like dork of the year. I'll say it anyway. I'm sure most of the people that post on the Buffy board have been watching Buffy since day 1. I'm not in that category. I really just started watching it and I just immediately connected to the show and the characters. The storylines appeal to me and the show is just excellent.

Actually, I haven't been watching it since day one. I only started watching it in the middle of season 3 (which is probably why I like Faith so much). Even then, I didn't watch it on a regular basis. I caught some of the reruns of 3 during the summer, and started watching season 4 regularly (what a bad season to start, huh?). I was interested in the show then, but with Buffy moving to FX, I got the chance to catch up with all the episodes I missed.

If I actually had money, there would be a Faith and Spike action figure standing in my room right now. Just thought I would mention that for some reason.

[Christopher]

Originally posted by Slayer Faith
and started watching season 4 regularly (what a bad season to start, huh?)


:rotflmao: that is very true. :lol:


I'll try and look for Angel screen caps for you. I already have but they turn up as dirty websites. I know where to find Buffy screen caps but they haven't been updating their site lately.

[*Melissa*]

Originally posted by Barnabas



:rotflmao: that is very true. :lol:


I'll try and look for Angel screen caps for you. I already have but they turn up as dirty websites.

Thanks!:)