With San Diego Comic-Con ending for the year, plenty of exciting and unexpected announcements have been made by studios, delighting fans in the process. One of the most shocking announcements to arrive over the weekend was the upcoming Buffy The Vampire Slayer reboot. Creator Joss Whedon will help craft the new narrative, but a new actress will be playing the title role, taking on the mantle from Sarah Michelle Gellar. Since there's a new Buffy in town, does that mean we should see new version of other characters like Xander, Giles, or Willow? While it's currently unclear what to expect, Stranger Things actress Shannon Purser (aka Barb) has a Buffy role she'd like to play. And she's making her feelings known.
Does anyone else have chills? While Shannon Purser has been keeping busy in the time since Barb was brutally killed by the Demogorgon in Stranger Things Season 1, playing the new version of Willow Rosenberg in such an iconic property has the potential to be a significant career move for the actress. We'll just have to wait and see if Joss Whedon and new showrunner Monica Owusu-Breen plan on having a brand new cast, or somehow combining both in order to recast Buffy and continue with the show's previous continuity.
Shannon Purser's Tweet is actually kind of brilliant, because she seems tailor made to play a modern Willow in the still developing Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Barb in Stranger Things is still what audiences most closely associate with the actress, and that character has quite a few similarities to Buffy's BFF. Both are socially awkward red heads with a penchant for good grades and rule following. And although Barb ended up being Demogorgon food, Willow was able to mature into a powerful witch and lesbian woman throughout Buffy's seven season run.
The newly announced Buffy the Vampire Slayer revival shocked the show's original fans when it dropped. While whispers of a return to Sunnydale have never truly stopped, it seemed an impossibility due to Joss Whedon's busy schedule and the complete lack of interest from Sarah Michelle Gellar. Buffy without its title character didn't make sense, but now the property will be able to continue without SMG being forced back into long days, night shoots, and tons of fight sequences. The new Buffy will recast the role with a black actress, although no names have been announced.
Meanwhile, Shannon Purser has been keeping busy over the past few years. She's got a recurring role in The CW's Riverdale, playing tertiary character Ethel Muggs for a handful of episodes in the first two seasons, as well as the freshly cancelled musical series Rise. She's also starring in an upcoming Netflix original movie, Sierra Burgess Is a Loser.
You can catch Shannon Purser in Sierra Burgess when it is released September 7, 2018 on Netflix, and CinemaBlend will update you on all new Buffy news. In the meantime, check out our summer premiere list to plan your next binge watch. Plus our Amazon premiere list and superhero premiere list to ensure you don't miss a single episode of your favorite show.
