The Flash actress, Jessica Parker Kennedy, is hoping to become the next Chosen One and portray Buffy Summers in the upcoming reboot of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. She has played Nora West-Allen, the time-traveling daughter of Barry and Iris, since season 4. Kennedy is already the superhero known as XS in the CW series, but it appears that she’d like to add "Slayer" to her resume as well.
Last summer, it was announced that Buffy the Vampire Slayer would be getting the reboot treatment with a black actress in the titular role. Joss Whedon will be an executive producer, while Monica Owusu-Breen is to act as showrunner. The fan response was quite divided, with many excited for a new iteration of the Buffyverse, while others felt that it was best to leave the series intact as it was. Owusu-Breen was quick to clarify that the intention is not to replace the original. The planned reboot is to feature an entirely new cast of characters, including a different slayer. However, since then, there have been no real updates on the highly anticipated project.
During an interview with The Tomorrow Show, Jessica Parker Kennedy announced that she would like to throw her hat in the ring to play the new slayer. The actress stated, "I can't even speak on it because all I want in my life is just Buffy to be a big, big part of my life, so I'm very excited it's coming back. Obviously I think I should be Buffy. I hope I get to audition for it as many times as possible, even if I need to crawl my way into that audition room.” Kennedy went on to say that the call stating her interest in the role had already been made, because she “would love that so, so, so much.” The actress revealed herself to be a Buffy the Vampire Slayer superfan, adding, “I have a night shirt that I sleep in that's a Buffy shirt, and it says 'I Slay,' and in the morning I wake up and I stretch and I go, 'Ughhh, Buffy!' and then I start my day.” Kennedy also excitedly admitted that when her character on The Flash does something cool, she quietly mutters “Buffy!” under her breath. She also referred to Buffy as her “spirit animal."
Despite the mixed fan reactions to the reboot news, the reception from the former cast of Buffy the Vampire Slayer has been largely positive. Alyson Hannigan feels confident about the project and David Boreanaz voiced his support of both the show and the potential recasting of his character. Sarah Michelle Gellar also had encouraging words for the series, although she did reveal that she will not be reprising her role. James Marsters even expressed interest in returning, although he did acknowledge the inherent difficulties of playing a character who doesn't age so many years after originating the part.
If viewers learned anything from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, it’s that just because you can resurrect something, doesn’t necessarily mean that you should. That being said, choosing to create another cast of characters is the best approach. This new slayer deserves to be measured by her own merits, and while comparisons are inevitable, the show will have an easier time standing on its own without desperately clinging to what it once was. Many fans would love to revisit the Buffyverse, but not at the price of seeing all of these now iconic characters reimagined. The world has changed a lot since Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s groundbreaking pilot aired over twenty years ago, so it’s definitely time for some new stories to be told.
Source: The Tomorrow Show