122-462: Andrew Brion Hogan Goddard (born February 26, 1975) is an American screenwriter, director, and producer most closely associated with the horror genre. He began his career writing episodes for the television shows Buffy the Vampire Slayer , Angel , Alias , and Lost . After moving into screenwriting in film, he wrote Cloverfield (2008), World War Z (2013), and The Martian (2015),
244-455: A Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Younger Leading Actress in a Drama Series. In 1996, she originally auditioned for the role of Cordelia. After watching her audition, Whedon asked her to come back in and audition for the lead role of Buffy. A talent agent spotted David Boreanaz on the sidewalk walking his dog. He immediately contacted casting director Marcia Shulman, saying that he had found Angel. Anthony Stewart Head had already led
366-526: A Romani woman who was sent to maintain Angel's curse. Kendra is murdered by Drusilla. To avert an apocalypse, Buffy is forced to banish Angel to a hell dimension just moments after Willow has restored his soul. The ordeal leaves Buffy emotionally shattered, and she leaves Sunnydale. After attempting to start a new life in Los Angeles, Buffy returns to town in season three . Angel has been mysteriously released from
488-591: A put pilot for a half-hour live-action comedy series Damage Control , based on the comics construction company of the same name . The series is being developed by Ben Karlin . Later in the month, FX ordered a pilot for Legion , about David Haller , a young man who may be more than human. The pilot was produced by FX Productions (FXP) and Marvel Television, with FXP handling the physical production. Also in October, Fox Broadcasting Company announced that 20th Century Fox Television and Marvel Television were developing
610-489: A villain-of-the-week conflict revolving around Buffy and her friends as they struggle to balance the fight against supernatural evils with their complicated social lives. A typical episode contains one or more villains , or supernatural phenomena, that are thwarted or defeated by the end of the episode. Though elements and relationships are explored and ongoing subplots are included, the show focuses primarily on Buffy and her role as an archetypal heroine . Gellar described
732-526: A $ 190 million budget. As a result, in June 2013, Paramount announced that it was moving ahead with a sequel, though it was eventually scrapped. In December 2013, Marvel officially announced that Goddard would be the executive producer and showrunner for the Daredevil television series produced by Marvel Television and broadcast on Netflix in 2015. Sony Pictures also announced that Goddard would write and direct
854-476: A $ 25 million budget. Empire named it the fifth best film of 2008, and the film then went on to win the year's Saturn Award for Best Science Fiction Film . Goddard's directorial debut, The Cabin in the Woods , was co-written with Joss Whedon . The Cabin in the Woods was featured on Metacritic 's best films of 2012 list, in addition to earning a 92% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes . The film went on to win
976-450: A Punisher script to Fox , who gave the project a put-pilot commitment. In April 2012, Marvel Television signed with Creative Artists Agency for live-action representation. In May 2012, it was announced that the Hulk project was not ready for the 2012–2013 season, and would possibly be for the 2013–2014 season. It was also announced that ABC had passed on AKA Jessica Jones . In July 2012, it
1098-468: A coma. At the end of the season, after the mayor becomes a huge snake-like demon, Buffy, Angel, the Scooby Gang and the entire graduating class destroy him by blowing up Sunnydale High. At the end of the season, Angel and Cordelia leave the series to star in the spin-off series, Angel . Season four sees Buffy and Willow enroll at UC Sunnydale, while Xander joins the workforce and begins dating Anya ,
1220-575: A fast-food job to support herself and Dawn and develops a secret, mutually abusive sexual relationship with Spike. Dawn suffers from kleptomania and feelings of alienation, Xander leaves Anya at the altar (after which she once again becomes a vengeance demon), and Willow becomes addicted to magic, causing Tara to temporarily leave her. They also begin to deal with the Trio , a group of nerds led by Warren Mears who use their proficiency in technology and magic to attempt to kill Buffy and take over Sunnydale. Warren
1342-512: A film based on the Sinister Six , though the project was eventually cancelled. In May 2014, Goddard withdrew from showrunning duties on the Daredevil TV series. In February 2015, after the deal between Marvel and Sony to share the rights to Spider-Man was announced, it was reported that Goddard was in talks with Sony to helm the new Spider-Man reboot film, Spider-Man: Homecoming , although it
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#17331048405701464-464: A former vengeance demon. Spike returns as a series regular and is abducted by The Initiative, a top-secret military installation based beneath the UC Sunnydale campus. They implant a microchip in his head that prevents him from harming humans. Every time he tries to harm a human, he suffers excruciating pain. Upon learning that he can still harm other demons, he joins in with the Scooby Gang, purely for
1586-565: A military demon-hunting operation. Spike, still implanted with his chip from The Initiative, realizes he is in love with Buffy and increasingly helps the Scoobies in their fight. Buffy's mother Joyce dies of a brain aneurysm , while at the end of the season, Xander proposes to Anya. Glory finally discovers that Dawn is the key and kidnaps her, using Dawn's blood to open a portal to the Hell dimension. To save Dawn, Buffy sacrifices her own life by diving into
1708-464: A mix of original , indie , rock, and pop music. The composers spent around seven days scoring between fourteen and thirty minutes of music for each episode. Christophe Beck revealed that the Buffy composers used computers and synthesizers and were limited to recording one or two "real" samples. Despite this, their goal was to produce "dramatic" orchestration that would stand up to film scores. Alongside
1830-420: A more fleshed-out story. A whiteboard marked their progress by mapping brief descriptions of each scene. Once breaking was complete, the credited author wrote an outline for the episode, which was checked by Whedon or Noxon. The writer then wrote a full script, which went through a series of drafts, and finally a quick rewrite from the showrunner. The final article was used as the shooting script. Buffy features
1952-470: A normal life. He goes on to make amends for his sins and to search for redemption in his own spin-off television series, Angel . He makes several guest appearances in the remaining seasons, and is present in Buffy ' s final episode. At Sunnydale High, Buffy meets several other students besides Willow and Xander willing to join her fight for good, an informal group eventually tagged the "Scooby Gang" or "Scoobies". Cordelia Chase ( Charisma Carpenter ),
2074-407: A parent discovering her child is gay, including denial, suggesting that she tries "not being a Slayer", before ultimately kicking Buffy out of the house. Katie Holmes and Selma Blair were in the running for the role of Buffy in 1996. Natasha Lyonne was also offered the role but declined it due to not wanting to commit to a series at the age of 16. Other actresses who originally auditioned for
2196-581: A pilot for The Trenches , a half-hour animated series created by Goddard. In January 2023, it was revealed Goddard had joined a writers' room assembled by James Gunn to map out the overarching story of the DC Universe . In April 2024, it was announced Goddard was set to write and direct a new installment in The Matrix franchise . Executive producer only Buffy the Vampire Slayer Buffy
2318-687: A previous Slayer, Nikki Wood . Nikki's son, Robin Wood ( D. B. Woodside ), joins the group in the final season. Tara Maclay ( Amber Benson ) is a fellow member of Willow's Wicca group during season four, and their friendship evolves into a romantic relationship. Buffy becomes involved personally and professionally with Riley Finn ( Marc Blucas ), a military operative in "the Initiative", which hunts demons using science and technology. The final season sees geeky wannabe-villain Andrew Wells ( Tom Lenk ) side with
2440-605: A prolific acting and singing career but remained best known in the United States for a series of twelve coffee commercials with Sharon Maughan for Taster's Choice instant coffee . He accepted the role of Rupert Giles . Nicholas Brendon , unlike other Buffy regulars, had little acting experience, instead working various jobs—including production assistant , plumber's assistant, veterinary janitor, food delivery, script delivery, day care counselor, and waiter—before breaking into acting and overcoming his stutter . He landed
2562-466: A put pilot order for an untitled series developed by Matt Nix and produced by 20th Century Fox and Marvel, with 20th Century Fox handling physical production. The series focuses on two ordinary parents who discover their children possess mutant powers, forcing them to run from the government and join an underground network of mutants. Nix served as an executive producer along with Bryan Singer , Lauren Shuler Donner , Simon Kinberg , Loeb and Jim Chory. It
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#17331048405702684-496: A series inspired by the Agent Carter Marvel One-Shot , featuring Peggy Carter , with Deadline Hollywood reporting it was one of several series in development at Marvel. By October 2013, Marvel was preparing four drama series and a miniseries, totaling 60 episodes, to present to video on demand services and cable providers, with Netflix , Amazon , and WGN America expressing interest. In November 2013, it
2806-539: A series titled Hellfire Club , based on the secret society from the comics of the same name . In January 2016, Lee stated the Most Wanted pilot would begin production "in the next few months" and announced that a second Marvel comedy series was in development in addition to Damage Control . Also in January, Netflix was in the early stages of developing a Punisher television series starring Jon Bernthal , who appeared in
2928-464: A straight-to-series order as Marvel's first work with ABC Signature . The series, which is set in the MCU, premiered in 2018. At the end of the month, Marvel and Netflix officially picked up the series, The Punisher , with Bernthal attached to reprise his role as the lead character. In May 2016, ABC cancelled Agent Carter and passed on the pilot for Most Wanted . In July 2016, Fox and Marvel announced
3050-506: A third and second season, respectively. Additionally, ABC also passed on the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. spinoff, though ABC Entertainment president Paul Lee did not rule out returning to the spin-off in the future, and Lee also confirmed that Ridley was working on a Marvel property for ABC. Also in May, Iger indicated that Disney saw potential in creating a streaming service dedicated to Marvel content as
3172-489: A way to further "take product... directly to consumer". In August 2015, the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. spin-off series received new life as a reworked series, titled Marvel's Most Wanted , with a pilot order. Bell and Zbyszewski once again developed the series, while also serving as co-writers of the pilot, executive producers, and showrunners, with Loeb also attached as executive producer. The series would still focus on Morse and Hunter, with Palicki and Blood both attached, but
3294-428: Is a former vengeance demon called Anyanka who specialized in avenging scorned women; after losing her powers she became Xander's lover, then joined the Scoobies in season four. In Buffy's senior year at high school, she meets Faith ( Eliza Dushku ), another Slayer called forth when Slayer Kendra Young ( Bianca Lawson ) was killed by vampire Drusilla ( Juliet Landau ) in season two. Although Faith initially fights on
3416-453: Is a vampire cursed with a soul, which prevents him from feeding off living humans. Buffy befriends two schoolmates, Xander Harris and Willow Rosenberg , who help her fight evil throughout the series. Buffy, her Watcher and friends later start to collectively call themselves the "Scooby Gang". Their first major threat is the Master , an ancient and especially threatening vampire, who was trapped in
3538-447: Is a werewolf. The romantic relationship between Buffy and the vampire Angel develops. But after they have sex, Angel experiences a moment of true happiness, breaking the curse that gave him his soul, thus reverting him to a sadistic killer. The evil vampire, famously known as Angelus, joins the other vampires Spike and Drusilla, and he torments Buffy and her friends. He murders multiple innocents and Giles's new girlfriend Jenny Calendar ,
3660-742: Is co-financed by IMAX and saw the first two episodes and select subsequent action sequences filmed with IMAX digital cameras, had versions of the first two episodes be screened in IMAX beginning September 1, 2017, for two weeks, before premiering on ABC on September 29. In May 2017, Fox ordered the Matt Nix TV series, now titled The Gifted , to series, and FXX placed a series order for an adult animated series based on Deadpool , to be co-produced by Marvel Television, FX Productions and ABC Signature Studios. Donald Glover and his brother Stephen Glover would serve as showrunners, executive producers and writers for
3782-573: Is known for, inspired by McIntosh's love for shows like the Gothic soap opera Dark Shadows . During the first year of the series, Whedon described the show as " My So-Called Life with The X-Files ". Alongside these series, Whedon has cited cult film Night of the Comet as a "big influence", and credited the X-Men character Kitty Pryde as a significant influence on the character of Buffy. The authors of
Drew Goddard - Misplaced Pages Continue
3904-498: Is no longer intended to be a true spin-off of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. as previously believed, instead "being described as a new take focusing on the same duo and their continuing adventures." At the end of August 2015, Marvel Entertainment's film subsidiary Marvel Studios was integrated into Walt Disney Studios , leaving Marvel Television and Marvel Animation (formerly part of Marvel Studios) under Marvel Entertainment and CEO Isaac Perlmutter 's control. In October 2015, ABC ordered
4026-608: Is revealed that Buffy's second resurrection caused instability in the slayer line which also allowed the First Evil to begin tipping the balance between good and evil. It begins by hunting down and killing inactive Potential Slayers and soon raises an army of ancient, powerful Turok-Han vampires. After the Watchers' Council is destroyed, a number of Potential Slayers (some brought by Giles) take refuge in Buffy's house. Faith returns to help fight
4148-606: Is shown to be the only competent villain of the group and, after Buffy thwarts his plans multiple times, the Trio breaks apart. Warren becomes unhinged and attacks Buffy with a gun, accidentally killing Tara in the process. This causes Willow to descend into nihilistic darkness and unleash all of her dark magical powers, killing Warren and attempting to kill his friends. Giles returns to face her in battle and infuses her with light magic, tapping into her remaining humanity. This overwhelms Willow with guilt and pain, whereupon she attempts to destroy
4270-425: Is the " Slayer ", one in a long line of young women chosen by fate to battle evil forces. This mystical calling grants her powers that dramatically increase physical strength, endurance, agility, accelerated healing, intuition, and a limited degree of precognition , usually in the form of prophetic dreams. She is known as a reluctant hero who wants to live a normal life. However, she learns to embrace her destiny as
4392-467: The "Once More, with Feeling" Soundtrack , and Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Score . Buffy features a variety of monsters and supernatural creatures. Monster suits were created by John Vulich and his special effects company Optic Nerve, while blending and beauty makeup was created by makeup supervisor Todd McIntosh. McIntosh is credited with creating the iconic vampire face Buffy
4514-599: The Cloverfield franchise. In April 2024, it was announced he would write and direct a new film in The Matrix franchise. Goddard was born in Houston, Texas and was raised in Los Alamos, New Mexico . He attended Los Alamos High School and University of Colorado Boulder . Goddard started his career as a staff writer for Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel , receiving a Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation for
4636-683: The X-Men franchise such as Legion and The Gifted . Marvel Television and Marvel Studios were separated in August 2015, before this division was transferred to Marvel Studios from Marvel Entertainment in October 2019 and was folded into the former two months later. The "Marvel Television" name is currently used as a separate brand and production label by Marvel Studios. Marvel Entertainment Group previously licensed some of their characters for television series, with animated shows often becoming more successful than their live-action counterparts. Marvel's first live-action television licenses were for
4758-931: The Emmys , the series was nominated for the American Film Institute Award for Drama Series of the Year , Gellar was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Drama for her performance in the show and the series was nominated five times for Television Critics Association Awards , winning in 2003 for the Television Critics Association Heritage Award . The success of Buffy has led to hundreds of tie-in products, including novels , comics and video games . The series has received attention in fandom (including fan films ), parody , and academia , and has influenced
4880-574: The Hulk , developed by Guillermo del Toro . In December 2010, it was revealed that Melissa Rosenberg was developing AKA Jessica Jones , based on the comic book series Alias and centered on Jessica Jones , for ABC, intended to air in 2011 of the 2011–2012 television season . At San Diego Comic-Con in 2011, Loeb revealed, in addition to the Hulk project and AKA Jessica Jones , Marvel Television also had Cloak and Dagger and Mockingbird in development at ABC Family . In October 2011, ABC Studios sold
5002-563: The second season of Daredevil . More information was revealed regarding the Legion series, including that in addition to the pilot, FX had ordered several scripts and that it would not take place in the established X-Men film universe but in a parallel universe instead. Should the series be picked up, it would consist of 10 episodes and is expected to air in 2016. In April 2016, the ABC-owned network Freeform greenlit Cloak & Dagger with
Drew Goddard - Misplaced Pages Continue
5124-407: The "Scoobies". The show primarily takes place in the fictional setting of Sunnydale , a small Southern California city located on a "Hellmouth"; a portal "between this reality and the next", and a convergence point of mystical energies. Because of this, supernatural creatures and beings with magical powers, both good and evil, are drawn to Sunnydale or rise from below ground to menace the town and
5246-487: The "high school is hell" concept. Buffy Summers has just moved to Sunnydale after burning down her old school's gym and hopes to escape her Slayer duties. Her plans are complicated by Rupert Giles , her new Watcher , who reminds her of the inescapable presence of evil. Sunnydale High is built atop a Hellmouth, a portal to demon dimensions that attracts supernatural phenomena to the area. A mysterious man, Angel, warns Buffy of upcoming danger. She eventually discovers that he
5368-624: The Body Snatchers , " Out of Mind, Out of Sight " parallels The Invisible Man , and so on. Buffy episodes frequently include a deeper meaning or metaphor . Whedon explained, "We think very carefully about what we're trying to say emotionally, politically, and even philosophically while we're writing it... it really is, apart from being a pop-culture phenomenon, something that is deeply layered textually episode by episode." Academics Wilcox and Lavery provide examples of episodes dealing with real life issues portrayed as supernatural metaphors: In
5490-678: The El Royale , which he sold to 20th Century Fox in March 2017, revealing he would also produce and direct. The film features an ensemble cast including Jeff Bridges , Cynthia Erivo , Dakota Johnson , Jon Hamm , Nick Offerman , and Chris Hemsworth . A film based on the Sinister Six was announced to be in development in December 2013, as part of Sony's plans for their own The Amazing Spider-Man shared universe , with Goddard attached to write and potentially direct. Goddard confirmed his intention to direct
5612-486: The First Evil, and the new Sunnydale High School principal, Robin Wood , also joins the cause. The Turok-Han vampires and a sinister, misogynistic preacher known as Caleb begin causing havoc for the Scoobies. As the Hellmouth becomes more active, nearly all of Sunnydale's population–humans and demons alike–flee. In the series finale, Buffy kills Caleb and Angel returns to Sunnydale with an amulet, which Buffy gives to Spike;
5734-404: The First Evil. Buffy gathers other allies throughout the series: Spike ( James Marsters ), a vampire, is an old companion of Angelus (Angel) and one of Buffy's major enemies in early seasons, although he and Buffy later become allies and lovers. At the end of season six, Spike regains his soul. Spike is known for his Billy Idol -style peroxide blond hair and his black leather coat, stolen from
5856-508: The Hellmouth and " high school as hell " as one of the primary metaphors in creating the series. Most of Buffy was shot on location in Los Angeles , California. The high school used in the first three seasons is actually Torrance High School , in Torrance, California , the same high school used for Beverly Hills, 90210 . The show was initially very dependent on location shooting, because
5978-504: The Hollywood formula of "the little blonde girl who goes into a dark alley and gets killed in every horror movie ". Whedon wanted "to subvert that idea and create someone who was a hero". He explained, "The very first mission statement of the show was the joy of female power: having it, using it, sharing it." The idea was first visited through Whedon's script for the 1992 movie Buffy the Vampire Slayer , which featured Kristy Swanson in
6100-403: The Scoobies after initially being their captive/hostage; they regard him more as a nuisance than an ally. Buffy featured dozens of major and minor recurring characters. For example, the "Big Bad" (villain) characters were featured for at least one season (for example, Glory is a character who appeared in 12 episodes, spanning much of season five). Similarly, characters who allied themselves to
6222-472: The Scoobies then surround the Hellmouth, and the Potential Slayers descend into its cavern while Willow casts a spell that activates their Slayer powers. Anya dies in the fight, as do some of the new Slayers. Spike's amulet channels the power of the sun to destroy the Hellmouth and all the vampires within it, including himself. The collapse of the cavern creates a crater that swallows all of Sunnydale, while
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#17331048405706344-461: The Summers' lives even after she learns of Buffy's role in the supernatural world (" Becoming, Part Two "). Buffy's younger sister Dawn Summers ( Michelle Trachtenberg ) is introduced in season five (" Buffy vs. Dracula "). Angel ( David Boreanaz ), a vampire cursed with a soul, is Buffy's love interest throughout the first three seasons. He leaves Buffy after realizing he will never be able to give her
6466-519: The Vampire Slayer is an American supernatural drama television series created by writer and director Joss Whedon . The concept is based on the 1992 film , also written by Whedon, although they are separate and unrelated productions. Whedon served as executive producer and showrunner of the series under his production tag Mutant Enemy Productions . It premiered on March 10, 1997, on The WB and concluded on May 20, 2003, on UPN . The series follows Buffy Summers (played by Sarah Michelle Gellar ),
6588-430: The archetypal shallow cheerleader, reluctantly becomes involved. Daniel "Oz" Osbourne ( Seth Green ), a fellow student, rock guitarist and werewolf, joins the group through his relationship with Willow. Jenny Calendar ( Robia LaMorte ), Sunnydale's computer science teacher, joins the group after helping destroy a demon trapped in cyberspace during season 1; she later becomes Giles' love interest. Anya ( Emma Caulfield )
6710-455: The beginning of each episode, with the accompanying music performed by Californian rock band Nerf Herder . In the DVD commentary for the first Buffy episode , Whedon said his decision to go with Nerf Herder's theme was influenced by Hannigan, who had urged him to listen to the band's music. Janet Halfyard, in her essay "Music, Gender, and Identity in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel ", describes
6832-496: The broadcast network ABC , streaming services Netflix and Hulu , and cable channel Freeform to release many of their series as a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) media franchise, a shared universe created by the film studio Marvel Studios . Animated series from Marvel Television were produced through Marvel Animation , and the division also collaborated with 20th Century Fox to produce shows based on
6954-424: The cable channel Spike and was canceled after its first season in 2006. On June 28, 2010, Marvel Entertainment announced the start of Marvel Television, together with the appointment of Jeph Loeb to head up the division as executive vice president and the head of television. In October 2010, it was announced that the first live-action television series from Marvel Television for ABC would be centered on
7076-591: The character Spider-Man to appear in the " Spidey Super Stories " segments of The Electric Company (1974–1977), the CBS series The Amazing Spider-Man (1977–1979), and Toei 's tokusatsu –style series Spider-Man (1978–1979). The Amazing Spider-Man pulled in reasonable ratings but was canceled in 1979 by CBS as they did not want to be known as the "comic book" network due to them already broadcasting three other comic book-based series, and chose to instead focus on their series The Incredible Hulk (1978–1982), which
7198-546: The council. Early in the season, she meets Faith , the Slayer activated after Kendra's death. She also encounters the affable Mayor Richard Wilkins III , who secretly has plans to "ascend" (become a "pure" demon) on Sunnydale High's graduation day. Although Faith initially works well with Buffy, she becomes increasingly unstable after accidentally killing a human and forms a relationship with the paternal yet manipulative mayor. The rivalry between Buffy and Faith eventually lands Faith in
7320-449: The demon dimension but is close to insanity due to the torment he suffered there. He recovers, but he and Buffy realize that a relationship between them can never happen and Angel leaves Sunnydale at the end of the season. Giles is fired from the Watchers' Council because he has developed a "father's love" for Buffy and he is replaced by Wesley Wyndam-Pryce . Towards the end of the season, Buffy announces that she will no longer be working for
7442-456: The direction of other television series. Buffy was part of a wave of television series from the late 1990s and early 2000s that featured strong female characters , alongside Charmed , Xena: Warrior Princess , La Femme Nikita , Dark Angel , and Alias . The series, as well as its spin-off series, Angel , and extensions thereof, have been collectively termed the " Buffyverse ". Buffy Summers (played by Sarah Michelle Gellar )
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#17331048405707564-721: The division and ABC Studios were developing a half-hour comedy series based on the New Warriors featuring Squirrel Girl , with the series being offered to cable networks and streaming outlets. In April 2017, Freeform announced a straight-to-series order for the half-hour live-action series, Marvel's New Warriors , with the first season, consisting of 10 episodes, set to air in 2018. In May 2017, Hulu ordered Runaways to series with 10 episodes, to premiere on November 21, 2017. In November 2016, Marvel Television and IMAX Corporation announced Inhumans , to be produced in conjunction with ABC Studios, and to air on ABC. The series, which
7686-434: The early 1990s. In 1996, the role of Willow Rosenberg was originally played by Riff Regan for the unaired Buffy pilot, but Hannigan auditioned when the role was being recast for the series proper. Hannigan described her approach to the character through Willow's reaction to a particular moment: Willow sadly tells Buffy that her Barbie doll was taken from her as a child. Buffy asks her if she ever got it back. Willow's line
7808-549: The film in April 2014. The film was believed to have been canceled by November 2015 when Sony was focusing on its new Spider-Man reboot with Marvel Studios , but producer Amy Pascal stated that the film was "alive" again in December 2018 following the success of Venom , and that she was waiting for Goddard to be ready to direct it before moving forward with the project, now to be set in the Sony's Spider-Man Universe . In May 2016, Goddard
7930-602: The first few seasons, the most prominent monsters in the Buffy bestiary are vampires based on traditional myths, lore, and literary conventions. As the series continues, Buffy and her companions fight an increasing variety of demons , as well as ghosts , werewolves , zombies , and unscrupulous humans . They frequently save the world from annihilation by a combination of physical combat, magic , and detective-style investigation, and are guided by an extensive collection of ancient and mystical reference books. Season one exemplifies
8052-577: The former. In 2005, he joined J. J. Abrams ' Bad Robot team, where he wrote for both Alias and Lost , winning—along with the Lost writing staff—the Writers Guild of America (WGA) Award for Best Dramatic Series. In 2006, during its third season, Goddard became the co-executive producer of Lost . By February 2007, Goddard wrote his first feature, Cloverfield , directed by Matt Reeves and produced by J. J. Abrams . Cloverfield made $ 168 million on
8174-403: The friends she meets at Sunnydale High School: Willow Rosenberg ( Alyson Hannigan ) and Xander Harris ( Nicholas Brendon ). Willow is originally a wallflower who excels at academics, providing a contrast to Buffy's outgoing personality and less-than-stellar educational record. They share the social isolation that comes with being different, and especially from being exceptional young women. As
8296-456: The group and characters who attended the same institutions were sometimes featured in multiple episodes. The show is set in the fictional California town of Sunnydale, whose suburban Sunnydale High School sits on top of a " Hellmouth ", a gateway to demon realms. The Hellmouth, located beneath the school library, is a source of mystical energies as well as a nexus for a wide variety of evil creatures and supernatural phenomena. Joss Whedon cited
8418-575: The hellmouth underground. When he escapes, Buffy defeats him and saves Sunnydale. The emotional stakes are raised in season two . Vampire couple Spike and Drusilla come to town. A new slayer, Kendra , who is activated as a result of Buffy's brief death in season one, also arrives in Sunnydale. Popular schoolmate, Cordelia Chase , who resented Buffy and her friends, joins the Scooby Gang and becomes involved with Xander. Willow learns witchcraft and becomes involved with schoolmate Daniel "Oz" Osbourne , who
8540-476: The high school set (the addition of a dining hall and commons area). A driveway area near the gated entrance to Fox Studios was transformed into a graveyard. In the third season the Sunnydale "Main Street" was constructed on the backlot, which would be a staple location for the rest of the series. When the show transitioned to college in the fourth season, the hallway sets from Sunnydale High were remodeled to appear as
8662-460: The interior hallways of UC Sunnydale. Some of the exterior shots of the college Buffy attends, UC Sunnydale, were filmed at UCLA . Several episodes include shots from the Oviatt Library at CSUN . The exterior of the mansion where Angelus, Spike, and Drusilla lived was Frank Lloyd Wright 's Ennis House . Buffy is told in a serialized format, mixing complex, season-long storylines with
8784-479: The joy of fighting. Oz leaves town after realizing that he is too dangerous as a werewolf, and Willow falls in love with Tara Maclay , another witch. Buffy begins dating Riley Finn , a graduate student and US Army Ranger seconded to The Initiative. Although appearing to be a well-meaning anti-demon operation, The Initiative's sinister plans are revealed when Adam , a monster secretly built from parts of humans, demons and machinery, escapes and begins to wreak havoc on
8906-492: The late 1990s and early 2000s with Night Man and Mutant X , which respectively lasted for two and three seasons. The latter show spawned a lawsuit from 20th Century Fox , which held the film rights for the X-Men . The last series licensed by Marvel was Blade: The Series , a spin-off from and follow-up to the Blade film series . That series was produced by New Line Television for
9028-434: The latest in a succession of young women known as "Vampire Slayers ". Slayers are chosen by fate to battle against vampires, demons and other forces of darkness. Buffy wants to live a normal life, but learns to embrace her destiny as the series progresses. Like previous Slayers, she is aided by a Watcher , who guides, teaches and trains her. Unlike her predecessors, Buffy surrounds herself with loyal friends who become known as
9150-526: The latter earning him a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay . In 2011, he made his directorial debut with The Cabin in the Woods . In 2015, Goddard created the Netflix series Daredevil . Soon after, he directed several episodes of The Good Place and served as an executive producer for 10 Cloverfield Lane (2016) and The Cloverfield Paradox (2018), the next installments in
9272-567: The live-action television film The Incredible Hulk Returns (1988) was designed as a backdoor pilot for Thor , while The Trial of the Incredible Hulk (1989) acted as a backdoor pilot for Daredevil , and was followed by The Death of the Incredible Hulk in 1990. Three direct pilots were produced in the 1990s, Power Pack , Generation X , and Nick Fury: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. , although none of these were picked up for series. Marvel had better luck in syndicating their properties in
9394-466: The opening: Firstly ... we have the sound of an organ , accompanied by a wolf ’s howl, with a visual image of a flickering night sky overlaid with unintelligible archaic script: the associations with both the silent era and films such as Nosferatu and with the conventions of the Hammer House of Horror and horror in general are unmistakable. But the theme quickly changes: "It removes itself from
9516-489: The portal, thus closing it with her death. At the beginning of season six , Buffy has been dead for 147 days, but Buffy's friends resurrect her through a powerful spell, believing they have rescued her from a Hell dimension. Buffy returns in a deep depression, explaining (several episodes later) that she had been in heaven and is devastated to be pulled back to earth. Giles returns to England because he has concluded that Buffy has become too reliant on him, while Buffy takes up
9638-496: The process blur the lines between dimensions and unleash Hell on Earth. It is later discovered that the Key's protectors have used Buffy's blood to turn the Key into human form–Dawn–concurrently implanting everybody with lifelong memories of her. The Watchers' Council aids in Buffy's research on Glory, and she and Giles are both reinstated on their own terms. Riley leaves early in the season after realizing that Buffy does not love him and joins
9760-453: The production budget allowed for few permanent sets to be built. In the first season this was limited to the interior of Sunnydale High (the library, hallways, and classrooms), Buffy's bedroom, and the Master's underground lair. Starting in the second season, more permanent sets were built, including the full interior of Buffy's house, Angel's mansion, and Giles's apartment, as well as extensions to
9882-571: The production company Sandollar Television, who owned the TV rights to the movie) approached Whedon to develop his Buffy concept into a television series. Whedon explained that "They said, 'Do you want to do a show?' And I thought, 'High school as a horror movie.' And so the metaphor became the central concept behind Buffy , and that's how I sold it." The supernatural elements in the series stood as metaphors for personal anxieties associated with adolescence and young adulthood. Early in its development,
10004-416: The project when offered a chance to direct Sinister Six , a now-canceled comic book adaptation based on a team of supervillains . The Martian was instead directed by Ridley Scott , and received wide critical acclaim. Goddard himself received an Academy Award nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay . In November 2016, Goddard began writing a spec script for the neo-noir thriller film Bad Times at
10126-488: The role of Xander Harris following four days of auditioning. Ryan Reynolds and Danny Strong also auditioned for the part. Strong later played the role of Jonathan Levinson , a recurring character for much of the series run. Alyson Hannigan was the last of the original six to be cast. Following her role in My Stepmother Is an Alien , she appeared in commercials and supporting roles on television shows throughout
10248-591: The role of Buffy and got other roles in the show include Julie Benz (Darla), Elizabeth Anne Allen (Amy Madison), Julia Lee (Chantarelle/Lily Houston), Charisma Carpenter (Cordelia Chase) and Mercedes McNab (Harmony Kendall). Bianca Lawson , who played slayer Kendra Young in season 2 of the show, originally auditioned for the role of Cordelia before Carpenter was cast in the role. The title role went to Sarah Michelle Gellar , who had appeared as Sydney Rutledge on Swans Crossing and Kendall Hart on All My Children . At age 18 in 1995, Gellar had already won
10370-450: The score, most episodes featured indie rock music, usually at the characters' venue of choice, The Bronze. Buffy music supervisor John King explained that "we like to use unsigned bands" that "you would believe would play in this place". For example, the fictional group Dingoes Ate My Baby were portrayed on screen by front group Four Star Mary . Pop songs by famous artists were rarely featured prominently, but several episodes spotlighted
10492-672: The series "while there is strength in these bones", stating that it "sucks on ass". Dolly Parton was an uncredited producer of the series. Joss Whedon was credited as executive producer throughout the run of the series, and for the first five seasons (1997–2001) he was also the showrunner , supervising the writing and all aspects of production. Marti Noxon took on the role for seasons six and seven (2001–2003), but Whedon continued to be involved with writing and directing Buffy alongside projects such as Angel , Fray , and Firefly . Fran Rubel Kuzui and her husband, Kaz Kuzui , were credited as executive producers but were not involved in
10614-522: The series progresses, Willow becomes a more assertive character and a powerful witch, and realizes she is a lesbian . In contrast, Xander, with no supernatural abilities, provides comic relief and a grounded perspective. Buffy and Willow are the only characters who appear in all 144 episodes, with Xander appearing in 143. The cast of characters grew over the course of the series. Buffy first arrives in Sunnydale with her mother, Joyce Summers ( Kristine Sutherland ), who functions as an anchor of normality in
10736-474: The series was going to be simply titled Slayer . Whedon went on to write and partly fund a 25-minute non-broadcast pilot that was shown to networks and eventually sold to the WB Network . The latter promoted the premiere with a series of History of the Slayer clips, and the first episode aired on March 10, 1997. Whedon has declared in June 2003 that the non-broadcast pilot would not be included with DVDs of
10858-418: The series with her calling as Slayer and the loss of freedom this entails, frequently sacrificing teenage experiences for her Slayer duties. Her difficulties and eventual empowering realizations are reflections of several dichotomies faced by modern women and echo feminist issues within society. In the episode " Becoming (Part 2) ", when Joyce learns that Buffy is the Slayer, her reaction has strong echoes of
10980-452: The series. In August 2017, senior vice president of original programming Karim Zreik indicated that Marvel Television was working with ABC on a " Jessica Jones -esque" female-focused show. By November 2017, Disney was developing a Marvel series specifically for release on its new Disney+ streaming service, which it planned to launch before the end of 2019. By March 2018, the Deadpool series
11102-559: The show as "the ultimate metaphor: horrors of adolescence manifesting through these actual monsters. It's the hardest time of life." Each season's storyline is broken down into season-long narratives marked by the rise and defeat of a powerful antagonist , commonly referred to as the " Big Bad ". While the show is mainly a drama with frequent comic relief , most episodes blend different genres , including horror , martial arts , romance , melodrama , farce , fantasy , supernatural , comedy , and, in one episode , musical comedy . In
11224-854: The show. Their credit, rights, and royalties over the franchise relate to their funding, producing, and directing of the original movie version of Buffy . Script-writing was done by Mutant Enemy , a production company created by Whedon in 1997. The writers with the most writing credits are Joss Whedon , Steven S. DeKnight , Jane Espenson , David Fury , Drew Goddard , Drew Greenberg , David Greenwalt , Rebecca Rand Kirshner , Marti Noxon and Doug Petrie . Other authors with writing credits include Dean Batali, Carl Ellsworth , Tracey Forbes , Ashley Gable , Howard Gordon , Diego Gutierrez, Elin Hampton, Rob Des Hotel, Matt Kiene, Ty King, Thomas A. Swyden, Joe Reinkemeyer, Dana Reston and Dan Vebber . Jane Espenson has explained how scripts came together. First,
11346-541: The shows could be revived on Disney+. In February 2019, it was announced that Legion would end after its third season. It was also revealed that Heinberg's series would not move forward at ABC. In addition, Hulu ordered four adult animated Marvel series leading up to a crossover special titled The Offenders , all to be executive produced by Loeb. Hulu also expressed interest in reviving the cancelled Netflix series. Netflix then cancelled both Jessica Jones and The Punisher . In August 2019, Loeb revealed Marvel Television
11468-420: The side of good with Buffy and the rest of the group, she later joins forces with Mayor Richard Wilkins ( Harry Groener ) after accidentally killing a human. She reappears briefly in the fourth season, looking for vengeance, and moves to Angel where she voluntarily goes to jail for her crimes. Faith reappears in season seven of Buffy , after having helped Angel and his crew, and fights alongside Buffy against
11590-500: The sounds of more famous artists such as Sarah McLachlan , The Brian Jonestown Massacre , Blink-182 , Third Eye Blind , Aimee Mann (who also had a line of dialogue), The Dandy Warhols , Cibo Matto , Coldplay , Lisa Loeb , K's Choice , and Michelle Branch . The popularity of music used in Buffy has led to the release of four soundtrack albums: Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Album , Radio Sunnydale ,
11712-430: The sphere of 1960s and 70s horror by replaying the same motif, the organ now supplanted by an aggressively strummed electric guitar, relocating itself in modern youth culture ..." Halfyard describes sequences, in which the action and turbulence of adolescence are depicted, as the visual content of the opening credits, and which provide a postmodern twist on the horror genre. Marvel Television Marvel Television
11834-642: The survivors of the battle escape in a school bus . In the final scene, as the survivors survey the crater, Dawn asks, "What are we going to do now?" Buffy slowly begins to enigmatically smile as she contemplates the future ahead of her, ending the series on a hopeful note. Writer Joss Whedon says that "Rhonda the Immortal Waitress" was really the first incarnation of the Buffy concept, "the idea of some woman who seems to be completely insignificant who turns out to be extraordinary". This early, unproduced idea evolved into Buffy , which Whedon developed to invert
11956-428: The title role. The director, Fran Rubel Kuzui , saw it as a "pop culture comedy about what people think about vampires ". Whedon disagreed: "I had written this scary film about an empowered woman, and they turned it into a broad comedy. It was crushing." The script was praised within the industry, but the movie was not. Several years later, Gail Berman (later a Fox executive, but at that time President and CEO of
12078-432: The town. Adam is destroyed by a magical composite of Buffy and her three friends, and The Initiative is shut down. During season five , a younger sister, Dawn , suddenly appears in Buffy's life; although she is new to the series, to the characters it is as if she has always been there. Buffy is confronted by Glory , an exiled Hell God who is searching for a "Key" that will allow her to return to her Hell dimension and in
12200-524: The unofficial guidebook Dusted point out that the series was often a pastiche , borrowing elements from previous horror novels, movies, and short stories and from such common literary stock as folklore and mythology. Nevitt and Smith describe Buffy' s use of pastiche as "postmodern Gothic ". For example, the Adam character parallels the Frankenstein monster , the episode " Bad Eggs " parallels Invasion of
12322-466: The vampire Angel and Buffy was fraught with metaphors. For example, their night of passion cost the vampire his soul . Sarah Michelle Gellar said: "That's the ultimate metaphor. You sleep with a guy and he turns bad on you". Marsters said that his character was part of an audience-and network-forced change for the show; themes about overcoming adolescent problems gave way to "problems that are kind of sexy", frustrating Whedon. Buffy struggles throughout
12444-627: The vampire slayer. Buffy receives guidance from her Watcher , Rupert Giles ( Anthony Stewart Head ). Giles, rarely referred to by his first name (it is later revealed that in his rebellious younger days he went by "Ripper"), is a member of the Watchers' Council , whose job is to train and guide the Slayers. Giles researches the supernatural creatures that Buffy must face, offers insights into their origins, advice on how to defeat them, and helps her train to stay in fighting form. Buffy also receives help from
12566-429: The world of Buffy the problems that teenagers face become literal monsters. A mother can take over her daughter's life (" Witch "); a strict stepfather-to-be really is a heartless machine (" Ted "); a young lesbian fears that her nature is demonic (" Goodbye Iowa " and " Family "); a girl who has sex with even the nicest-seeming guy may discover that he afterward becomes a monster (" Innocence "). The love affair between
12688-439: The world to end everyone's suffering, although it eventually allows Xander to reach through her pain and end her rampage. Late in the season, after losing control and trying to rape Buffy, Spike leaves Sunnydale and travels to see a demon and asks him to "return him to what he used to be" so that he can "give Buffy what she deserves". After Spike passes a series of brutal tests, the demon restores his soul. During season seven , it
12810-443: The world. The series received critical and popular acclaim, and is often listed among the greatest television series of all time. Original airings often reached four to six million viewers. Although lower than successful shows on the "big four" networks ( ABC , CBS , NBC and Fox ), these ratings were a success for the relatively new and smaller WB Television Network. Despite being mostly ignored in above-the-line categories by
12932-419: The writers talked about the emotional issues facing Buffy Summers and how she would confront them through her battle against evil supernatural forces. Then the episode's story was broken into acts and scenes. Act breaks were designed as key moments to intrigue viewers so that they would stay with the episode following the commercial break . The writers collectively filled in scenes surrounding these act breaks for
13054-424: The year's Saturn Award for Best Horror or Thriller Film , as well as garnering Goddard Saturn's "Filmmaker Showcase Award". In 2012, Goddard—in addition to J. Michael Straczynski , Matthew Michael Carnahan and Lost showrunner Damon Lindelof —rewrote the third act of the screenplay ahead of reshoots for the film World War Z starring Brad Pitt and directed by Marc Forster . The film grossed $ 540 million on
13176-428: Was a better solution". Additionally, Del Toro wanted to create a more violent take on the character than what ABC was hoping to achieve with the series. On May 8, 2014, ABC officially renewed Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. for a second season and ordered Marvel's Agent Carter straight to series, which later aired in January 2015. In early April 2015, two unspecified shows were said to be in development to air on ABC: one
13298-446: Was a spin-off series of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. centered on Bobbi Morse ( Adrianne Palicki ) and Lance Hunter ( Nick Blood ), which was being developed by Bell and writer Paul Zbyszewski based on storylines occurring at the end of the second season, and would receive its own pilot rather than a backdoor pilot; and another with writer-producer John Ridley . On May 7, 2015, ABC renewed Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Agent Carter for
13420-402: Was also revealed that Hellfire Club was no longer in development. The following month, it was announced that Runaways had received a pilot order, along with additional scripts, from the streaming service Hulu , based on the team of the same name . The pilot is written by Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage , who also serve as executive producers and showrunners. By the end of the month,
13542-461: Was an American television production company responsible for live-action and animated television shows and direct-to-DVD series based on characters from Marvel Comics . Marvel Television was formed as a division of Marvel Entertainment in June 2010, with producer Jeph Loeb serving as its executive vice president and head of television to produce shows for Marvel. The division was based at affiliate ABC Studios ' location, and collaborated with
13664-509: Was announced that Disney would provide Netflix with live-action series starting in 2015, based on Daredevil , Jessica Jones , Iron Fist , and Luke Cage , leading up to a miniseries based on the Defenders . Responding to the Netflix announcement, Disney CEO Bob Iger said that Daredevil, Luke Cage, Iron Fist and Jessica Jones may appear on film if their shows are successful and that another outlet
13786-600: Was chosen as ABC and Disney XD could not handle all Marvel shows. Disney was set to spend approximately $ 200 million in financing for the series. The four Netflix shows are set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It was also revealed in November 2013 that the Hulk project first announced in 2012 had been shelved, with Loeb saying, when "we saw what Joss Whedon and Mark Ruffalo were creating in The Avengers , that
13908-471: Was due to Netflix looking to fund their own properties. Kevin A. Mayer , chairman of Walt Disney Direct-to-Consumer and International , indicated that he would consider the show for Disney+, but the Netflix-Marvel Television pact restricts the appearance of the four original characters from any non-Netflix series for two years after being canceled. This meant that 2020 would be the earliest that
14030-564: Was folded into Marvel Studios, which inherited all of Marvel Television's shows that were in development at the time, and no new series were being considered from Marvel Television. In January 2022, Hulu's head of content, Craig Erwich, stated that additional seasons of M.O.D.O.K. and Hit Monkey , the two remaining series from Marvel Television, would be determined solely by the Marvel Studios team. In May 2024, Marvel Studios revealed that its live-action Disney+ series would be released under
14152-504: Was later announced that Jon Watts would be the director. Goddard also executive produced and co-wrote an episode of the miniseries The Defenders . The series featured a team-up of the Marvel Television superheroes, including Daredevil. It was released on Netflix in August 2017. Goddard wrote the film adaptation of Andy Weir 's debut novel The Martian , initially planning to direct it himself for 20th Century Fox. He later left
14274-440: Was no longer in development. In May 2018, ABC cancelled Inhumans after one season. By September, Allan Heinberg began developing a Marvel series for ABC about female superheroes. In October 2018, Netflix cancelled both Iron Fist and Luke Cage , each after two seasons, followed by the cancellation of Daredevil in November after three seasons. Luke Cage was cancelled due to third season financial terms, while Daredevil
14396-776: Was produced with Universal Television , as it had better ratings and was Marvel's only successful live-action series, running for five seasons. The 1978 television film Dr. Strange was intended to serve as a television pilot for the Doctor Strange character, similar to what had been done for Spider-Man and the Hulk . Two pilots were also released for Captain America in 1979, Captain America and Captain America II: Death Too Soon . None of these pilots were picked up. After The Incredible Hulk ended in 1982, live-action shows did not come into fruition often. Instead,
14518-404: Was reported that Marvel had again entered into discussions with ABC to create a show set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe , and in August 2012, ABC ordered a pilot to be written by Joss Whedon , Jed Whedon , and Maurissa Tancharoen and directed by Joss Whedon, which became Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. It was officially ordered to series on May 10, 2013. By September 2013, Marvel was developing
14640-668: Was reported to be writing the screenplay for a film adaptation of the novel Wraiths Of The Broken Land , with Ridley Scott set to direct. By October 2017 he was also attached to write and produce Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow , a film adaptation of the novel of the same name. In June 2020 he was also announced to be attached to Project Hail Mary , based on the novel of the same name, with Phil Lord and Christopher Miller set to direct. From 2019 to now, his company, Goddard Textiles struck an overall deal with Disney Television Studios via 20th Century Fox Television (now 20th Television) and ABC Signature . In December 2022, FX ordered
14762-443: Was to reply "most of it". Hannigan decided on an upbeat and happy delivery of the line "most of it", as opposed to a sad, depressed delivery. Hannigan figured Willow would be happy and proud that she got "most of it" back. That indicated how she was going to play the rest of the scene, and the role, for that matter, and defined the character. Her approach subsequently got her the role. The Buffy opening sequence provides credits at
14884-511: Was working on series for the streaming service Disney+ . In October 2019, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige was given the title of chief creative officer , Marvel, and would oversee Marvel Television and Marvel Family Entertainment (animation), with both being placed under the Marvel Studios banner. With the promotion of Feige, Loeb was expected to leave his post as the head of Marvel Television by Thanksgiving. On December 10, Marvel Television
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