Sarah Michelle Gellar, star of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, has shared a behind-the-scenes video that gives fans a first glimpse of her alongside Ryan Kiera Armstrong, the new lead of the franchise's Hulu reboot.
The two actors represent different eras of Buffy, with Gellar set to pass the Slayer's mantle to Armstrong—last seen in Star Wars: Skeleton Crew—during the pilot episode of the upcoming revival.
Posted by Gellar on Instagram, the video shows the pair training together before filming begins for the pilot. Gellar previously shared a screen recording of the call where she told Armstrong about the casting, but this marks the first time the two have been seen together in person.
Armstrong is reported to play a new Slayer named Nova, while Gellar will appear as Buffy in the series' pilot and is expected to return in a recurring role if the full season gets the green light from Hulu.
The project appears to be moving forward steadily, with the cast gathering last month for a table read of the pilot script, a writers' room established for future episodes, and additional casting details emerging for other key roles.
Other actors set to appear include Sarah Bock from Severance as Gracie, Nova's best friend, and young performer Faly Rakotohavana as Hugo, a friend who has feelings for Nova. Jack Cutmore-Scott of Frasier will play Mr. Burke, the new school librarian—a nod to the original series' Giles.
If the pilot is picked up, the series is expected to enter full production next spring.
While no other returning characters besides Buffy have been confirmed, Gellar—who also serves as an executive producer—has expressed hope that other classic characters will make appearances. Buffy alum Charisma Carpenter has already told IGN she would be interested in returning, reflecting on what she felt was an "unjust" conclusion for her character on the spin-off Angel.
