Hulu's Lost Buffy Reboot Feels Even More Heartbreaking After Anthony Head's Passing
Fans of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" are mourning more than the loss of the show's reboot. On June 5, news broke that actor Anthony Head, best-known for portraying Giles in the original series, died at 72 years old. His daughters released a statement with some details about his death. "He passed away peacefully of complications due to pneumonia, surrounded by his family," they wrote, per BBC. They added that Head would be missed by fans and that the actor, who also appeared in "Ted Lasso," was grateful for his career. Head's death comes only a couple of months after Sarah Michelle Gellar broke the news on Instagram that Hulu decided to pull the plug on the reboot.
Part of what made Head's death so heartbreaking for fans was that he never got a chance to reprise his role as Giles. As far back as July 2018, there were reports of "Buffy" returning for a reboot. While that project was in development, Head was asked if he would be open to Sunnydale. "Yes. I wouldn't know what as, because Giles has aged a little bit," he told the New York Post in February 2020. He also tossed out a couple of ideas on how Giles could be incorporated into the new series. "Maybe I'm the head of the Watcher's council now," Head said. Losing the actor who played Giles may have hit some fans particularly hard, as Head explained his connection to the fanbase. "People [tell me] how much it meant to them at the time they were growing up," he explained to the Post. "They quite often say Giles was the father figure that was missing in their lives," he added.
In addition to Head's death, the real-life struggles of the original "Buffy" cast have started to add up.
Other Buffy castmates have died recently
After informing fans that the Hulu reboot of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" was dead in the water, Sarah Michelle Gellar shed some light on why the streamer decided to pass after shooting the reboot pilot. According to Gellar, one of the executives had openly admitted to her that they were not a fan of the original series. "We were doing it because everybody loves it. So how do you do a show that's beloved with someone that doesn't love it?" she told People in March. Fans were not the only ones who expected to see new episodes of the show. "Let me tell you, nobody saw this coming," Gellar said.
Sadly, the cancellation of the reboot was not the only news fans didn't see coming. Not only had Anthony Head died before reprising his role as Giles, but before she could return as Dawn, Michelle Trachtenberg died from diabetes complications in February 2025. Prior to her death, the "Buffy" reboot was very much alive at Hulu, and reportedly, there was mutual interest in Trachtenberg coming back as Buffy's sister. "Michelle Trachtenberg was in talks to return to Buffy the reboot, and she was incredibly hopeful about it," a source told the Daily Mail in February 2025, after the actor died. Apparently, Gellar went to bat for her friend and former co-star. "Sarah Michelle obviously felt that the reboot would need her as much as it needed Sarah," the insider said.
A year after Trachtenberg died, fellow castmate Nicholas Brendon, who played Xander, died in March 2026. Unlike Trachtenberg, he was not set to return for the reboot, as Brendon had a sad life post-"Buffy" that left him unable to return.