They're Remaking Buffy

I'll start this off by saying that I'm not exactly a huge fan of the TV series or the original movie. But I am sick and tired of the glut of so-called "reboots", so this news really takes the cake.

How soon should one wait before remaking a "dead" property? Twenty years? Ten? Well, the critically-acclaimed TV series wrapped up in 2003, but if you wanna talk canon, it's still going (in comic book form).

"Oh, cool," you might've thought. "They're gonna do a movie version of the TV series!" Bzzt. Wrong. Not only won't it feature Sarah Michelle Gellar or anyone else from the Scooby Gang, but the franchise's creator, Joss Whedon, has no involvement in the project. Here's what he had to say:

I always hoped that Buffy would live on even after my death. But, you know, AFTER. I don't love the idea of my creation in other hands, but I'm also well aware that many more hands than mine went into making that show what it was. And there is no legal grounds for doing anything other than sighing audibly. I can't wish people who are passionate about my little myth ill. I can, however, take this time to announce that I'm making a Batman movie. Because there's a franchise that truly needs updating. So look for The Dark Knight Rises Way Earlier Than That Other One And Also More Cheaply And In Toronto, rebooting into a theater near you.

No legal grounds indeed. You see, Whedon doesn't own the rights to his own Buffyverse. They're in the hands of Fran Rubel Kuzui (the original movie's director) and her husband, Kaz Kuzui. Which is wonderful when you learn of Whedon's plight during the first movie's creative direction: "The original script Whedon wrote was completely rewritten to make the film more 'light.' Whedon reportedly stormed off the set during production and never returned because of how what he had planned was being put together". To add insult to injury, one of Whedon's proposed Buffy spin-offs was also nixed.


Ok, so who's writing the script for this one? Heard of Whit Anderson? I IMDBed the name, to check their "credentials". What experience does she have to tackle a franchise like Buffy? Anything of note?

For starters, she hasn't written a film before. At least, one that's been released. However, she did star as Liz Meyers in Through Walls (2004), Jill in Saw Rebirth (2005), "Yes Patron" in Yes Man (2008) and...that's it. Now, contrast her résumé with Whedon's. Notice the difference?

However, it'd be remiss of me not to mention another one of her glorious contributions to cinema. Did you know the remake was her idea?

Apparently a huge Buffy fan who pitched Roven the idea, and the deal was made: Warner Bros. Pictures optioned the rights from directors Fran and Kaz Kuzui, and from Sandollar Productions (Sandy Gallin and Dolly Parton), who did the original movie version (pre-TV's Buffy).

Way to go, Whit.

Sorting Out Buffy Bugs

As mentioned, I had a word to greener_books_london about the unholy price they were asking for that Buffy book.

Here's what they wrote back (Tuesday, 9 March 2010 8:20:22 PM):

Dear Hogg,

Thank you for your email; this is a software error and we are working to get
it fixed

Kind regards,
The Greener Books team

As of this writing, they still seem to be working on it:

No, This Isn't a Joke

I've covered some pretty damn expensive vampire books on here. But nothing, nothing dear reader, could prepare me for this one.

I was doing one of my periodic searches for vampire books on Amazon, when I accidentally shuffled the list from high to low in price (I usually go for "Publication date", so I can what new stuff's out).

But before I reveal what the item is, let's take a few guesses at what it might be, eh? A first edition Calmet? Davanzati? Summers?

Nope. It's this:


That's right: US $44,294.46 (plus $3.99 p+h) for a used copy of Keith Topping's Tueuse de vampires : Le guide non officiel de Buffy (Hors Collection, 2000).

There are several things that make this asking price both abominable, and ludicrous.

Firstly, did I mention that it's used?

Second, the book is a French translation (thanks Wikipedia) of Topping's Slayer: The Totally Cool Unofficial Guide to Buffy (Virgin Books, 2000).

You can actually buy a copy of the English-language original, in mass market paperback form for the princely sum of...US $2.23 (some copies are actually going for $0.01).

Lastly, when the book was published, the series hadn't even finished yet (it wrapped up in 2003). So, even as a guide to the series, it's not even complete.

This is an almost incomprehensible mystery I have to delve into further, so, I've e-mailed the book's seller, greener_books_london. Here's what I wrote:

Hello,

I am interested to know what criteria you used for pricing Keith Toppings' "Tueuse de vampires : Le guide non officiel de Buffy" (2000).

Your listing says you are selling it for $44,294.46. Is this accurate? If so, how did it warrant this asking price?

On the off chance that they actually bother to respond, I'm hoping they come up with a damn good explanation!

That said, if anyone actually ends up buying the damn thing, then I they can rest assured that their stature as Buffy's No. 1 Fan will be cemented for all eternity.

Buffy Disciplines

Even though I taped most of its episode on VHS (remember video cassettes, kids?), I was never really a huge Buffy fan. I just used it for my vampire fix.

Nonetheless, it's impressive to see what an incredible body of academia it's generated.

David Lavery's " 'I Wrote My Thesis on You!': Buffy Studies as an Academic Cult" for Slayage: The Online International Journal of Buffy Studies 13-14 (October 2004), managed to isolate fifty "disciplines, methods, and/or approaches" in the field.

Imagine how this could be applied to vampirology itself. The mind boggles.

Anyway, if you're interested, check out the rest of the journal's articles via its archive.