Ryan Kiera Armstrong cast as new slayer in Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot with Sarah Michelle Gellar reprising

The Buffyverse is getting a new chapter and a new slayer. Ryan Kiera Armstrong has been cast in the lead role in Hulu’s reboot of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, joining forces with original star Sarah Michelle Gellar, who returns to executive produce and reprise her iconic role as Buffy Summers.

Oscar winner Chloé Zhao (Nomadland) is on board to direct the pilot, which is written by Nora and Lilla Zuckerman (Poker Face). The untitled project is described as the next evolution in the Buffy legacy and is being produced by 20th Television and Searchlight TV. Armstrong, best known for Firestarter and Disney+'s Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, will play an introverted high schooler who becomes the newest chosen one.

Joining Gellar, Zhao, and the Zuckerman sisters as executive producers is a team with deep Buffy roots, including original executive producers Gail Berman, Fran Kuzui, and Kaz Kuzui, as well as Dolly Parton, whose Sandollar Productions was part of the original series.

Armstrong’s star has been steadily rising since her breakout in The Art of Racing in the Rain. Her film credits include It: Chapter Two, The Tomorrow War, Black Widow, and The Old Way with Nicolas Cage. On the television front, she made an early impression on Anne with an E and later appeared in American Horror Story: Red Tide. She continues her collaboration with Disney, having roles in Skeleton Crew and FX’s upcoming The Lowdown opposite Ethan Hawke.