There are really only three cultural things I worship: certain albums that came out between 1965 and 1985 (generally but not exclusively referred to as "classic rock"), Doctor Who, and the output of Joss Whedon. So naturally I'm somewhat distressed that the Buffy the Vampire Slayer franchise is completely out of his hands.
(Imagine for a moment a super-writer with Joss Whedon's writing talent and George Lucas's business sense. No, this isn't going anywhere, but it would be awesome.)
Look, fanboys are perfectly capable of writing for the franchise they worship - Doctor Who is proof of that. On the other hand, fanboys are crazed rabid people who should never ever be allowed to write for the franchise they worship - Doctor Who is also proof of that.
I'm not saying that the new Buffy reboot is going to (no pun intended) suck. I'm also not saying that if it doesn't suck, that Joss Whedon is somehow overrated. Without him, there would be no Buffy, and by extension, Nu Who would look just a tad different.
What I'm most afraid of is the new movie turning out like the Hitchhiker's Guide film, or even the TV miniseries. That is to say, something that hits all the right notes and plot points and still comes off as limp and uninspired, as if we're just killing time until the crowd-pleasing moments show up, jumping from one set-piece to the next without a real understanding of how they connect. I just saw Doctor Who and the Daleks, and it was just like that. I stopped watching the Harry Potter movies because that's what they were turning into. The magic was gone.
...and, frankly, the magic was running awfully thin on Buffy nearly 10 years ago, during its last two seasons (again, pun not intended, since by that point Willow was a hyperpowerful witch...) But my point is this. That story's been told. It was told extremely well. It even outstayed its welcome a little, so bringing it back doesn't make a lot of sense and seems to be just a cheap cash-in.
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