Buffy star Clare Kramer: ‘Nobody wants a reboot’

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WITH almost every nineties teen TV show getting the reboot treatment, it seems like a new Buffy is almost inevitable.

CHARMED. Roswell. Sabrina the Teenage Witch

With Hollywood remaking, rebooting or reviving what seems to be every nineties teen show, how long will it be before our favourite slayer of vampyrs will be sucked into the corporate machine and spat back out as an inferior version of its original self?

Buffy the Vampire Slayer ran for seven years from the late nineties to the early noughties and developed a passionate fan base with its witty dialogue, emotionally resonant writing and its initial “high school as hell” allegory.

The TV show itself was already a reboot of a then-little-seen 1992 movie that its creator and screenwriter, Joss Whedon, practically disowned after its release. After the series ended, the stories continued on in comic book form but a reboot of the show had been floated eight years ago. The idea was nixed fairly quickly, especially after fans reacted badly when it was said to be going ahead without Whedon.

Asked if Buffy fans want a reboot or sequel now in this current climate of revival maintain, Buffy star Clare Kramer told news.com.au: “No! Nobody wants it.

“I think people are interested in what is happening with it but I don’t think true Buffy fans want it unless it’s with the original cast which I don’t think will happen. I could be wrong, so people should come find me on Twitter and correct me if I’m wrong.”

Kramer, who played the scene-stealing Buffy villain Glory, conceded that a potential reboot has been talked about since the show went off the air in 2003 and it may be inevitable.

“When you have a property that’s as popular as Buffy, something will be done with it. I think it would take something special, I think it would have to be done with Joss and with Sarah [Michelle Gellar]. I don’t know what the story would be. It has to change yet remain true and loyal to the show’s original values, morals and tone.”

Kramer will be in Melbourne in two weeks’ time as the official host of Oz Comic-Con where she’ll be moderating panels with the event’s other celebrity guests, including Joe Manganiello, Keitman Lonsdale, David Ramsey, Julian Dennison and Riverdale star KJ Apa.

While Kramer is also familiar to audiences for playing Courtney in Bring-It-On, she is best known for the acid-tongued, fashion-obsessed god Glory, regarded by many fans as Buffy‘s best “Big Bad” villain. After her character met her demise in season five’s finale, she returned for one cameo in the first episode of season seven in a line-up of all the show’s previous “Big Bads”.

But the seconds-long appearance was supposed to have been more significant. When Kramer was called back for the episode, she was told it could lead to a recurring role for Buffy‘s final season.

“I honestly don’t think the writers knew,” she said. “It was very open-ended. Maybe she’ll be used more and maybe she won’t. I think [the producers] wanted a window in case they called back any of those other [previous villains] which they ended up not doing, so in a way, it was a bit of a tease – ‘Put on the Glory clothes, do the Glory voice, but, just kidding!’.

“I was disappointed that it didn’t pan out to be a more significant part of season seven, but I was still happy to do it.”

Kramer said when she first took on the role of Glory, she didn’t realise how passionate Buffy fans were.

“Buffy fans have very strong opinions, they still do,” she said. “It was something I didn’t understand at the time. I was relatively new in the business at the time and it hadn’t really hit me. The day after my first episode as Glory aired, I was in my pyjamas, pumping gas into my car and someone yelled out, ‘Glory, you’re never going to get Buffy!’.

“That’s when I realised a lot of people watch the show and I’m part of something special. But even at that point, I didn’t know it would be a lifelong gift.”

While Kramer continued to act with small roles on TV shows and in films, she has maintained a steady presence though the growing industry of comic conventions and fan events. She has previously moderated Q&A and panels with Stan Lee, William Shatner and Gal Gadot.

Clare Kramer will appear at Oz Comic-Con Melbourne on June 9 and 10, and will be posting behind-the-scenes photos on her Instagram and live-tweeting on her Twitter.

Original article at news.com.au