Since leaving behind the stakes and school sweaters of Buffy the Vampire Slayer in 2003, Sarah Michelle Gellar has only starred in two other TV series, despite constant offers being sent her way. Now, it looks like another big and interesting project has caught Gellar's eye, as she is set to be the star and executive producer of the upcoming novel adaptation Sometimes I Lie. Ellen DeGeneres' A Very Good Production will be developing.
An actress known to rock just as many physical skills as emotional ones, Sarah Michelle Gellar will have her work cut out for her with Sometimes I Lie. Written by former BBC journalist Alice Feeney and published in 2017, Sometimes I Lie centers on Amber Reynolds, who wakes up in a hospital under the worst circumstances.
Amber can't move or open her eyes, and she's unable to speak, which obviously doesn't give her a leg up on the situation. She can hear everyone else who's around her, even though they aren't aware of that detail. Perhaps the worst part of it for her is that she can't remember what happened, though she does have a sneaking suspicion that her husband was involved somehow.
No worries that Sarah Michelle Gellar will need to spend the entirety of the series as a woman in a semi-coma, though. Written for TV by Benjamin Button screenwriter Robin Swicord, Sometimes I Lie will take place across three time periods. The first is the present, complete with Amber's paralysis, with the second taking place in the week before her accident. The show will dip deeper into the past for the third timeline, which will focus on a series of childhood diary entires from when she was young.
This all sounds pretty interesting to me, as it seemingly mixes various elements from other engaging thrillers for a top-notch combination that will hopefully be aces when it all comes together. Depending on how dark and menacing Amber's past is, this project could end up anywhere from HBO to NBC to FX. Considering the former Scooby-Doo star tends to choose non-cable series, I'd expect a broadcast entry.
Ellen DeGeneres will be executive producing alongside Sarah Michelle Gellar, according to Deadline, as well as Very Good's Jeff Kleeman. This will be the production company's first entry into dramatic limited-series storytelling, having already gotten comfortable in the sitcom and unscripted areas. The company is partly responsible for Splitting Up Together, Little Big Shots and Ellen's Game of Games, with Netflix's Green Eggs and Ham series is coming later.
This new project marks five years since the last time Sarah Michelle Gellar had a regular role on TV, with that project being CBS' The Crazy Ones, which also starred Robin Williams. Before that, she co-starred in The CW's crime drama Ringer, though that only lasted for a single season before getting the cut.
Notably, we almost got to see Sarah Michelle Gellar returning to TV for the Cruel Intentions television series that was being discussed in previous years. She was all set to reprise her role, but the project eventually fell through. Here's hoping the same doesn't happen to Sometimes I Lie.
Though fans should probably never expect for a Buffy the Vampire Slayer reunion or revival to happen at any point in the near future, at least Sarah Michelle Gellar is getting back into a more genre-based show for her next project. Stay tuned to find out if any networks are interested in bringing this project to life. And while waiting, head to our midseason premiere schedule to see all the new and returning shows hitting soon.
