Raising The Stakes: 'Buffy The Vampire Slayer' Returns In Season 8 - Just Not How We Hoped

Dust the vampire entrails off your crossbow and pack light for a trip to the Hellmouth, because #BuffytheVampireSlayer is returning to continue after its Season 7 finale. Don't get your hopes up too much though, it just isn't to TV!

It is a case of Scooby Dooby don't as the Scooby Gang will reunite, but not in the Whedonverse, or with the original cast, or even live-action *sob*. However, we will get a whole new host of Gellar-inspired stories thanks to Simon & Schuster's Young Adult novel series, aptly titled #Slayer. Confirmed to be a direct continuation after Season 7's gripping finale "Chosen," we are still without a show reunion, and (for now) we will have to stick to reading books.

Slay another day.

Buffy buffs will remember that "Chosen" saw an empowered Willow awakening slayers from around the world to battle evil and give Buffy a well-deserved break from her duties. Slayer will continue a Wicca good time and follow the plot thread, telling the story years later after "one true slayer" has emerged. Details are currently under wraps, and it is reported that even said slayer's name could be spoilerific. Is anyone else thinking Dawn Summers?

Although the show officially continued as Season 8–11 in Dark Horse's comic books, fans have long held out for a live-action revival. Slayer will presumably take its own tangent, ignoring Season 8 onward and bizarre stories that included Buffy flying and Dawn morphing into a centaur, as well as Giles dying, only to resurrected as a teenager. It is safe to say that the comic books went a lot more comic booky than we could've imagined, while Slayer could return to the show's darker roots.

Fangdom will be happy.

Who knows how Slayer will pan out, but The Darken Trilogy's Kiersten White will tell the first story, which is scheduled for release in autumn 2018. It is safe to say she is currently fangirling over the project. Speaking about her vision, White seems determined to do justice to the Buffyverse rebooted by #JossWhedon, which recently celebrated its 20th anniversary:

"'Buffy the Vampire Slayer's' influence on my own writing can't be underestimated. When my agent asked if I was interested, I basically said, 'Every book I've ever written was an audition for this.'"

As well as continuing the legacy of what #SarahMichelleGellar created as the titular Buffy, White is more than ready to accept the challenge of creating a "new" Slayer:

"It's still stunning to me that I get to contribute to a world that has been part of my imagination for more than half my life. Dreaming up my own slayer is one of the most surreal experiences of my career so far. I'm so excited to share her with diehard Scoobies and new fans alike."

Closing The Coffin

While the news isn't what true Bufflievers were hoping for, it could be a lot worse. At least we aren't getting some meta-reboot of the series with Shailene Woodley as Buffy, or some Stephenie Meyer reimagining for angsty teens. While some still hold a crucifix close to their hearts that Buffy as we knew it could rise again, the prospects are ever decreasing.

David Boreanaz recently staked the heart of Angel ever returning, and even the likes of Sarah Michelle Gellar and Eliza Dushku are pretty adamant Buffy is dust. However, the biggest stumbling block is Whedon himself. As the master of the "cancelled-too-soon" television show, he is rightly pessimistic that his vampires will have aged so well 14 years after we left Sunnydale:

"You bring something back, and even if it's exactly as good as it was, the experience can't be. You've already experienced it, and part of what was great was going through it for the first time. You have to meet expectations and adjust it for the climate, which is not easy."

While we wait for the Hellmouth to eventually reopen, at least we can curl up by the flaming corpse of a vampire in sunlight and read the Slayer spin-offs. Who knows, it could be just the garlic breath that Whedon needs to reignite his spark for the Buffyverse.