News of plans to reboot Buffy the Vampire Slayer, minus Joss Whedon, haven't gone down particularly well with Buffy fans. And it sounds like the people behind the idea have been listening, if a little too late.

Turns out that they have offered the job to Joss Whedon, but he doesn't sound what you would call receptive. Are we really surprised?

Instead of the rumoured Buffy the Vampire Slayer film from Joss Whedon, the people behind the original film (including the director) have decided to reboot it themselves. That would be Fran Rubel Kuzui and her husband Kaz Kuzui, who own the rights to Buffy.

A new slayer which would start a new series of films was the idea, but without the writer of the first film and brains behind the TV series, Joss Whedon. Fans, myself included, were perhaps generally underwhelmed by the prospect. As was Anthony Head who played Giles in the TV series, who wasn't enamoured with what the Kuzuis did with Whedon's script in the original film.

I wouldn’t want to see it, no. The Kuzuis didn’t do a great job on the movie the first time around. It was Joss’ script at the age of 19, but they changed a lot of it. They said, ‘Look, we know best and we know how to make this movie,’ and it became quite schlocky and high camp....The bottom line is if a movie was ever to be made, it should be made with Joss Whedon, whether it’s a retrospective or not. But it would be madness to do it without him. [The Kazuis] have the rights to because they have the rights to the original movie, but it should be interesting to see. It may be a bit like watching a car wreck.

Now Joss Whedon says that they did approach him about the project after news had already broken. And his response went something like this, when he talked to Entertainment Weekly though Jo Blo.

I think that's something better left untouched by me.

Perhaps a polite way of saying he'd rather chew his own arm off. And maybe he just is flat out not interested in doing a Buffy film. From what Anthony Head says, they really did a number on Whedon's original script during the first film. So it's unsurprising that he isn't interested in going back down that road. You have to wonder how much involvement the Kuzuis had during the TV show, if Whedon was given more freedom then. How else did they co-exist for that many seasons?

Either way, it looks like Joss Whedon won't have any involvement in the planned reboot. I'm rather pleased about it all. With a brand new slayer it wouldn't feel like the world Whedon created in the TV show. Let's hope this film doesn't put the kibosh on any film with the original characters. Although getting that bunch back together might prove impossible. And will the Kuzuis ever give Whedon permission after they have made their own film? Perhaps in the name of money they will.

Would you rather Whedon was involved in this film? Would you rather he made a Buffy film with the TV series gang? Should there even be a Buffy film?