Buffy the Vampire Slayer actor James Marsters has said there's been "interest" in him reprising his iconic role as Spike in the upcoming Hulu continuation series Buffy: New Sunnydale.
Speaking on Charisma Carpenter's The Bitch is Back podcast, Marsters revealed he had recently rewatched the classic Buffy series to try and "get back" into the headspace of playing beloved British vampire Spike — though cautioned that any on-screen return as the character would likely still not be for some time.
Buffy: New Sunnydale — the franchise's upcoming continuation series that's being worked on by Buffy herself, Sarah Michelle Gellar — is still finalizing plans for its first season having shot its pilot episode last summer. Now, Marsters has said that while he expects to return, he would be "surprised" if it was before the show's first season finale.
"I didn't rewatch for a long time. And I recently did, just because of this whole reboot issue," Marsters said. "I had to go back and watch it just to ask myself, 'Can you play that character again?' Never mind the externals, can you internally get back to that psychology?"
At this point, Carpenter asks Marsters exactly what he is implying with returning to the character of Spike, and whether he was confirming that Spike would indeed appear in New Sunnydale.
"I am not, I have no idea... let's see, what can I say..." Marsters replied. "There is interest in having me back."
Previously, Gellar has said she'd like to eventually include other classic Buffy characters in New Sunnydale beyond Buffy herself (who fans believe will have a relatively minor role in the pilot, and then simply act as a recurring character afterward, while the show's main focus is on its new Slayer and her friends).
But this is the first time any other actor from the classic Buffy era has indicated that they may be involved — even if Marsters himself believes he won't appear for some time.
"If I was producing the reboot, I wouldn't call me yet," he continued. "I would have to do the origin story of the new slayer, I would have to introduce all of her friends, I would have to set up the new world, and I would have to get them into at least one new adventure together before I dropped in any other characters — whether it's other new characters that I imagine, or whether it's characters from the original show. So I wouldn't imagine I would be called until, at the earliest, the end of season one, possibly into season two. That's when I'd do it.
"I guess I would be surprised if I was not called," he concluded, "and I'd be surprised if I was called now."
James Marsters' character originally began his life (or death) in the classic Buffy series as a villain, with initial plans simply for Spike to appear briefly within the show's second season. But the character's popularity led to Spike later becoming a series regular and a core part of the show — even transferring over to Buffy spin-off Angel when the former series finished.
Spike's later relationship with Buffy herself remains one of the series' hotly-debated storylines, while his fate in Angel — alongside the rest of that show's cast — was left on a cliffhanger due to that series' untimely cancelation. If Spike does indeed return in New Sunnydale, fans will no doubt be fascinated to see where the past 20 years has taken him.
For now, though, there's no clearer word on when New Sunnydale will continue production on its first season — or when it will be released. "I know we live in a society where we want binging, we want it now," Gellar said earlier this month, discussing the fact that work was still continuing behind the scenes. "I know this seems like it's taking a long time, and that's because unless we're sure it's exactly what we set out to do and that it makes sense to do it, we don't want to sully the legacy. When I know it's perfect, then it will be out there. But I won't do it unless I know it can be that."
IGN previously spoke with Carpenter herself as she launched her new podcast, who told us that she was "hopeful" for a New Sunnydale return after an "unjust" end to her character Cordelia.
Image credit: Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for ReedPop.
Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
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