‘Buffy' Reboot Finds Its New Slayer: Ryan Kiera Armstrong To Star With Sarah Michelle Gellar In Hulu Pilot
Oscar winner Chloé Zhao is directing the pilot, written by Nora and Lilla Zuckerman. No additional information has been provided about the project, referred to as the next chapter in the Buffyverse, which comes from 20th Television and Searchlight TV. The character played by Armstrong is described in casting materials as an introverted high-school student.
More from Deadline
2025 Premiere Dates For New & Returning Series On Broadcast, Cable & Streaming
Glen Powell-Starrer 'Chad Powers' Sets Hulu Premiere Date
Ryan Murphy's Legal Drama 'All's Fair' Drops Teaser Trailer & First-Look Photos
There is some symbolism in Armstong's casting as Geller's spiritual successor — the actresses' names, Ryan Kiera Armstrong and Sarah Michelle Gellar, share the same cadence. But it was Armstong's acting chops that won her the role, Gellar said.
'From the moment I saw Ryan's audition, I knew there was only one girl that I wanted by my side,' she said. 'To have that kind of emotional intelligence, and talent, at such a young age is truly a gift. The bonus is that her smile lights up even the darkest room'
Gellar also recorded a video of her breaking the news to 15-year-old Armstrong that she got the part. (You can watch it below.)
'I'm so honored, thank you for trusting me,' elated Armstrong said through tears when Gellar welcomed her to new Sunnydale. She was then joined by her father, Canadian actor-producer Dean Armstrong.
Lilla and Nora Zuckerman used some Buffy terminology to praise Armstrong.
'We are so overjoyed to have found this generation's slayer in Ryan Kiera Armstrong, she absolutely blew us away — there is no question in our mind that she is the chosen one,' they said.
Nora and Lilla Zuckerman executive produce the pilot alongside Gellar, Zhao via her Book of Shadows banner as well as the original series' executive producers Gail Berman of the Jackal Group and Fran Kuzui & Kaz Kuzui via Suite B. Also executive producing the pilot is Dolly Parton whose company Sandollar was producer on the original. Buffy the Vampire Slayer studio 20th Television produces with Disney sibling Searchlight TV, where Zhao is under a first-look deal.
Canadian-born Armstrong has been busy since her breakout role at age 8 in the feature The Art of Racing In the Rain opposite Amanda Seyfried. Following parts in IT: Part Two, The Tomorrow War, The Glorias and Black Widow, she played the lead in the 2022 Firestarter, the co-lead opposite Nicolas Cage in The Wold Way and a main role in WIldflower.
On TV, she started off with a major recurring role on Netflix's Anne with an E. Armstrong first got on 20th TV radar when the studio cast her as part of the main ensemble of FX's American Horror Story: Red Tide. She has worked for Disney ever since with a starring role opposite Jude Law on Disney+'s Star Wars: Skeleton Crew and recurring opposite Ethan Hawke on FX's upcoming The Lowdown. Armstrong is repped by Linden Entertainment and Innovative Artists.
Best of Deadline
Where To Watch All The 'Mission: Impossible' Movies: Streamers With Multiple Films In The Franchise
Everything We Know About 'My Life With The Walter Boys' Season 2 So Far
'Bridgerton' Season 4: Everything We Know So Far
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Fox News
2 minutes ago
- Fox News
Kristy Swanson Celebrates ‘What If'
What if your life had taken a different path? Actress Kristy Swanson sits down with Shannon to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the faith-based film What If… . Kristy describes the filming process and working with great individuals, such as Director Dallas Jenkins and shares her experience reuniting with the cast. Later, Kristy highlights how growing up in faith helped her to choose fantastic faith-based projects, such as 'What If.' What If will be in select theatres August 5th and 7th. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit
Forbes
2 minutes ago
- Forbes
Adam Silverman: LACMA's Seeds and Weeds are Ceramic Art
LACMA Seeds and Weeds, Installation view, Los Angeles, 2025, Ceramics has long oscillated between the functional and the artistic. California has a long tradition of makers who span the chasm between the two, from Beatrice Wood to Jonathan Adler. Among the LA ceramic artists who began making functional pottery and who, in the last decades, migrated to increasingly conceptual artworks is Adam Silverman, who has a show of new work, LACMA Seeds and Weeds, at BLUM in LA on view until August 16, 2025. (BLUM recently announced they will be closing the gallery, so see this while you can). Silverman's early background was in architecture, and he takes special care in how his work is displayed. In the Blum galleries, Silverman has grouped certain pieces that take on additional totemic power together, as well as individual pieces that stand out, positioned around the room, on the floor, on a platform, or on a shelf. Silverman's placement of his work is akin to how a Zen gardener places his rocks, contextualizing the work as worthy of contemplation. Silverman was the 2024 artist in residence at the Skirball Cultural Center, where he showcased his installation Common Ground, a conceptual work for which Silverman collected clay, water, and wood ash from all fifty American states, as well as from Washington DC, and the US Territories of Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands to make the glazes. The final exhibition includes a tableware set of fifty-six plates, fifty-six bowls, fifty-six cups, as well as fifty-six ceremonial pots. For his exhibition at Blum, Silverman has spent the last five and a half years collecting materials from the LACMA demolition, which he refers to as the 'oozing, living history of the city.' Silverman used the materials to make the glazes; he also would blow matter into the kiln while it's superhot in a manner that affects the surfaces of the pottery. Finally, actual demolition debris was incorporated into the pieces. The total effect does not say LACMA, but rather speaks to the primordial location, sitting as it does near the Tar Pits. LACMA Seeds and Weeds, Installation view, Los Angeles, 2025. FEATURED | Frase ByForbes™ Unscramble The Anagram To Reveal The Phrase Pinpoint By Linkedin Guess The Category Queens By Linkedin Crown Each Region Crossclimb By Linkedin Unlock A Trivia Ladder Some of the works grouped together, which Silverman calls 'seeds,' look like fossilized dinosaur eggs that have bubbled up from the tar pits. Silverman calls other works on display, 'weeds,' as if they sprung from the seeds. Some of the works recall ancient amphora, others are objects that emanate a certain ancient power as if used once for ritual or commemorative reasons. The borders between ceramics, sculpture and painting are increasingly porous. At one end of the spectrum are participants in the 'Maker' culture a DYI aesthetic powered by the lowering of barriers to entry for object making. At the other end are artists engaging with ancient mediums whose possibilities have been enhanced by technology. Silverman's works speak to place, time, history, and our emotional connection to the objects derived from specific sites. The source of Silverman's site-specific additives is not apparent when you look at the works. Yet they do add a conceptual and metaphorical dimension that enhances our connection to the work. Silverman's ceramics both delight us and haunt us because we know they are man-made and yet contain primordial history.
Fox News
2 minutes ago
- Fox News
Sofía Vergara undergoes second knee surgery, posts recovery photos on social media
Sofía Vergara shared a health update with fans. The 53-year-old "Modern Family" actress posted photos of herself in the hospital in a July 25 Instagram post, sharing that she had undergone a second knee surgery, although she didn't share the reason behind the operations. "Its done! Round 2 🙏🏼❤️❤️#knee," she captioned the post. One of the photos featured a makeup-free selfie of Vergara on a hospital bed, resting her cheek on her hand as she smiled for the camera while dressed in a hospital gown. The second photo showed Vergara's right leg, which showed a bandage taped on the side of her knee and a brace wrapped around her shin. Many of Vergara's famous friends wished her well in the comments section, including her "America's Got Talent" co-star, Terry Crews, who wrote, "❤️❤️❤️ proud of you!" Lauren Sánchez Bezos also commented, writing "Sending you ❤️" while Patrick Schwarzenegger wrote, "Wishing you speedy recovery !!!!" This is not the first time the "Griselda" star has needed an operation on her knee. She previously shared with her followers on Instagram stories in April 2024 that she had gone through surgery, assuring fans she was in safe hands. "If u ever get a [major] knee surgery make sure u Get a handsome doctor who will sleep with u that night... !" she wrote at the time, adding "Luv u." Vergara was referring to her boyfriend at the time, orthopedic surgeon Justin Saliman, whom she dated for over a year before announcing they had split in January 2025. Following her breakup from Saliman, Vergara sparked romance rumors with retired football player, Tom Brady. The two were photographed together while on the Ritz-Carlton yacht during a star-studded European voyage. In the photo, Vergara can be seen posing with her eyes closed as singer J Balvin kisses the top of her head, while Brady smiled at the camera as he sat next to the actress. The pair have reportedly been spending time together in Ibiza, Spain, as a source described the situation as a "summer romance," according to Page Six. "He asked to switch seats to sit next to her at dinner," a source told the media outlet.
