Buffy star urges fans to give reboot a chance after Sarah Michelle Gellar confirmation

Speaking exclusively to RadioTimes.com following the announcement, Landau, who played vampire Drusilla in the original show and now has a podcast revisiting the series, said she'd urge fans "to give it a chance and see if it's your cup of tea".

"And if it's not, there's plenty of other stuff to watch. And if it is, roll your sleeves up and come and support!" she added.

Landau, who joined the cast of Buffy in season 2 and remained until the end of the show, as well as appearing in spin-off Angel, also revealed that she's fully on board with the idea of a revival.

"I think it is perfect timing for a reboot," she said.

"Buffy, the original series, is more popular now than even when it was popular on the air. It just continues to grow and grow, and a brilliant team has been assembled [for the revival].

"High school is still hell - that doesn't ever seem to change. And in fact, life can be hell, and I think that's why the show resonates with such a wide range of ages. Everyone has felt like they have the weight of the world on their shoulders at times. Everyone has faced moral dilemmas. Everyone has had to access the warrior in themselves.

"Everyone has come into contact with bad people, evil people, narcissistic people, abusive people. Everyone has had times where they've had to battle their inner demons and come out triumphant.

"And it's been incredible this week in terms of the outpouring from fans."

She added of Zhao's role in hopefully bringing the revival to screens: "I think that there are so many powerful female characters in the original and Chloé is such a brilliant director and has such a unique, special voice that I'm just excited about those possibilities."

Landau's comments come after lead actress Gellar, who played Buffy Summers, confirmed news that a revival could be on the horizon - and assured fans that it will only happen if it's done right.

While she said in a statement on social media that she initially didn't see how the show could exist again, her meeting with Zhao went well and the creative team have landed on an idea for a revival.

Gellar added: "I have always listened to the fans and heard your desire to revisit Buffy and her world, but it was not something I could do unless I was sure we would get it right.

"This has been a long process, and it’s not over yet. I promise you, we will only make this show if we know we can do it right. And I will tell you that we are on the path there."

In the meantime, Landau has been revisiting the series on her podcast Re-Vamped with Juliet Landau.

She told us: "Re-Vamped with Juliet Landau is the first ever Buffy podcast with a cast member as the guide. I have been having the time of my life.

"We already crossed 154,000 downloads in a very short period of time. We won Best Podcast at the Breakout Music and Film Awards."

She added: "We combine everything that the fans love - heartfelt nostalgia, we have so [many] behind-the-scenes stories that nobody's heard before, cast and crew coming on, sharing info that's never been heard before.

"And we also are a continuation of the characters that everybody loves with new content and new entertainment as well. And we're really evolving the podcast format in in a lot of ways.

"You can think of it as hanging out with your best friends but also, I'm producing a show that is akin to a weekly radio show or a weekly TV show, and doing that within the podcast genre."

Re-Vamped with Juliet Landau is available to stream now. Buffy the Vampire Slayer is available to stream on Disney Plus.

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