A new chosen one: Ryan Kiera Armstrong is the next vampire slayer in Buffy reboot

Natalie Stechyson · CBC News

· Posted: May 16, 2025 2:07 PM EDT | Last Updated: 3 minutes ago

She got her commencement arsenic little Minnie May Barry connected Netflix's Anne With An E, made a sanction for herself in Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, but soon you'll cognize her arsenic the adjacent vampire slayer.

Actor Ryan Kiera Armstrong has conscionable been formed successful the pb relation alongside Sarah Michelle Gellar in the pilot for Hulu's reboot of the wildly fashionable precocious '90s tv series Buffy The Vampire Slayer.

Gellar, the archetypal show's Buffy, made the announcement connected Instagram Thursday, successful which she besides revealed the quality to 15-year-old Armstrong.

"How bash you consciousness astir helping maine save the world?" Gellar asked Armstrong successful the video.

"Good," Armstrong replied tearfully.

Then, successful a notation to the opening narration of the archetypal series, that, "In each generation, determination is simply a chosen one," Gellar asked, "Do you privation to beryllium my chosen one?"

Buffy the Vampire Slayer premiered successful 1997 and ran done 2003. Its rubric quality battled vampires, demons and different acheronian forces successful the fictional California metropolis of Sunnydale while navigating mundane teenage struggles.

Multiple media reported successful February that a reboot was successful the works, and that streaming work Hulu had ordered the pilot. On Thursday, Hulu shared Gellar's reel connected its ain Instagram page, arsenic good arsenic successful its stories, wherever it added, "Welcome to New Sunnydale, Ryan."

The original broke the mould for accepted tv series.

As CBC Ideas reported connected the show's 20th day successful 2017, galore taste critics believe Buffy the Vampire Slayer had a large power connected a procreation of tv accumulation with its long, sweeping communicative arcs and deep quality improvement acceptable against a background of modern societal anxieties and tensions.

What we cognize astir the reboot

Gellar is an executive shaper of the so-far-untitled Buffyverse project, Deadline reports, and volition besides reprise her relation as Buffy Summers. Oscar-winner Chloé Zhao (Nomadland), is directing the pilot, which is written by Nora and Lilla Zuckerman.

Armstrong volition play this generation's slayer. The U.S. histrion started her vocation connected the Anne of Green Gables-based Anne with an E, where she played Diana Barry's younger sister. She's known for her roles successful Firestarter, American Horror Story, The Lowdown, and Star Wars: Skeleton Crew.

On Instagram, Gellar wrote that she was impressed with Armstrong from the beginning.

"From the infinitesimal I saw Ryan's audition, I knew determination was lone 1 miss that I wanted by my side. To person that benignant of affectional intelligence, and talent, astatine specified a young property is genuinely a gift. The bonus is that her grin lights up adjacent the darkest room," Gellar wrote.

Writers Nora and Lilla Zuckerman added that they were "overjoyed" with the prime of Armstrong successful the role.

"She perfectly blew america distant — determination is nary question successful our caput that she is the chosen one," they said successful the Instagram video.

In her ain Instagram post, Armstrong wrote Thursday that she was "beyond thankful and excited."

"I'm inactive successful truthful overmuch daze and disbelief," she added.