Buffy The Vampire Slayer

AS BELOVED BUFFY FADES TO BLACK A&E’ NETWORK’S PREMIERE FOR THE UNDERWORLD BIOGRAPHY: BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER

CONSIDER THIS ’THE PHANTOM EPISODE OF BUFFY’!! OR ’BUFFY’S FINAL SLAY-RIDE’

HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:

*Never before seen footage from the set of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" *

Exclusive interviews with Sarah Michelle Gellar and Joss Whedon

New York, NY, April 22, 2003 - As Buffy heads into the darkness of the deepest night, A&E Network brings out a treasure for Buffy fans and rabid viewers, BIOGRAPHY: BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER, premiering Wednesday, May 14, 8-9PT ET/PT.

"Buffy the Vampire Slayer" rose to primetime prominence, quickly establishing itself as a cult phenomenon. In BIOGRAPHY: BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER, film and television clips, interviews with the show’s cast and creator, and rare behind-the-scenes footage shed light on TV’s darkest success story.

Interviews include: Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy); Nicholas Bredon (Xander); Alyson Hannigan (Willow); James Marsters (Spike); Anthony Stewart (Rupert Giles); David Boreanaz (Angel); Michelle Trachtenberg (Dawn); Emma Caulfield (Anya); Joss Whedon (creator); Marti Noxon (Exec Producer) and many others.

BIOGRAPHY: BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER was produced by Prometheus Entertainment and Foxstar Productions in association with Fox Television Studios and A&E Network. Executive Producer is Kevin Burns and Associate Producer is Juaquin Cambron (JPM). Supervising Producer is Kim Sheerin and Writer is Carolyn Townsend. A&E Executive Producer is Nancy Dubuc. Coordinating Producer is Amy Tamez.

After gaining momentum as a writer on the successful television comedy, "Roseanne," Joss Whedon penned an unconventional screenplay entitled "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." The story focused on a California high school cheerleader who spends her evenings battling the undead. "Buffy" went into production at 20th Century Fox in 1992, and Whedon soon became disillusioned with the project’s comedic direction. The film version of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," starring Kristy Swanson, Luke Perry and Donald Sutherland, proved a box-office disappointment.

With the movie behind him, Whedon next focused his energy on script doctoring, earning an Academy Award nomination in 1995 for his work on "Toy Story." His good fortune continued that year when Sand Dollar television executive Gail Berman offered to resurrect "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" with Whedon maintaining creative control. Twentieth Century Fox agreed to produce the show, and the fledgling WB network was set to broadcast it. For the role of Buffy, Whedon selected 17-year-old soap opera actress Sarah Michelle Gellar. Among her cast of comrades were British actor Anthony Stewart Head, former San Diego Charger cheerleader Charisma Carpenter and newcomer Nicholas Brendon.

Though Whedon’s 20-minute presentation failed to impress studio executives enough to land "Buffy" amid the WB’s fall lineup, the studio ordered 12 episodes to debut in the spring of 1997. Alyson Hannigan and handsome David Boreanaz were added to the show’s cast, and the combination of a skillful marketing campaign and critical acclaim attracted young audiences to Buffy’s television premiere. Its original storylines, brilliantly choreographed martial arts scenes and charismatic cast quickly established a loyal following.

Season two began with the additions of writer Marti Noxon and actors Seth Green, Juliet Landau and James Marsters, and in January of 1998, the WB boldly moved its successful series to Tuesdays. Audiences eagerly followed Buffy’s torrid romance with Angel (David Boreanaz), and after the ensemble’s high school graduation at the end of the third season, Boreanaz left Buffy to star in his own series, "Angel." Whedon continued to generate creative story ideas and was nominated for his first Emmy in 2000 for "Hush," an episode featuring creatures that take away the town’s ability to speak.

Following the show’s 100th episode and at the height of its success, contract negotiations between 20th Century Fox and the WB stalled. "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" found a new home at UPN, and the undead proved to be as captivating as ever, generating strong ratings for its new network. During "Buffy’s" sixth season, Whedon produced his most ambitious episode, a musical entitled "Once More, With Feeling." Audiences eagerly tuned in to see their favorite characters sing and dance. Yet after nearly a decade, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer", despite its loyal fan base, will soon exit, stage left.