Buffy The Vampire Slayer reboot announced, Joss Whedon returning as executive producer

Buffy the Vampire Slayer is getting rebooted.

Series creator Joss Whedon will executive produce the upcoming show with writer Monica Owusu-Breen, best known for Alias and Lost, acting as showrunner. The pair have both been working on a pilot episode since late last year, the aim being to have a black actress take on the titular role made famous by Sarah Michelle Gellar.

Fox Television, who are once again producing the series, are currently shopping the reboot around networks, the hope being that a streaming service such as Amazon or Netflix purchase the show.

Earlier this year, the chairman of the entertainment group Gary Newman spoke about Buffy being “ripe” to bring back, adding: “When Joss decides it’s time, we’ll do it. And until Joss decides it’s time, it won’t happen.”

The Hollywood Reporter notes that no casting announcements have been made although there will be an emphasis on diversity. The series will also continue the mythology of the original show, which ended in 2003 but continued in comic-book form.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer has often been heralded as one of the greatest TV shows of all time, kick-starting the careers of many writers and making Whedon a highly celebrated writer and director.

Whether Whedon additional roles to executive producer remains unknown. HBO has recently commissioned a new series from him, titled The Nevers.