Even if you were once a fan of The CW series (back when the network was still the WB), you might not be familiar with the 1992 movie that launched the Buffy the Vampire Slayer franchise. One had very little to do with the other, but since the movie was none-too-successful it didn’t seem to matter much anyway.

The truth of the matter is, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the film, scored around $16 million gross in the U.S. That’s to date. Running at 86 minutes and starring Kristy Swanson in the title role, the film revolved around high school cheerleader Buffy (Swanson) and her vampire-slaying legacy, as introduced to her by a Watcher whose purpose it is to train the slayer (Donald Sutherland). For reasons that all tie in to Luke Perry, I loved the movie when it came out.

Most people, however, didn’t (as box office records show). Somewhat surprisingly, the idea was still picked up by the WB in 1997…and almost instantly became a huge hit. With Sarah Michelle Gellar in the title role and a strong cast of fresh faces offering support, Buffy became a phenomenon that brought vampires, once again, into the mainstream. The show ran until 2003 and made Gellar the main obsession of vampire fans around the world.

Now, Buffy’s back…but she’s going to be completely different. Uh…again. Fran Rubel and Kaz Kuzui, who have retained the film rights to Buffy since they offered up the first film seventeen years ago, are bringing the slayer to the big screen once more. But she won’t be Swanson. And she won’t be Gellar. And she won’t have anything whatsoever to do with anyone from the Buffy show or the first Buffy movie. In fact, it’s not a sequel. Or even a prequel. Nor is it a remake or a continuation or anything else. It’s just…something new in the Buffy universe.

Which is almost guaranteed to piss off the fans who are already firmly rooted in their version of the universe (that being the TV series). Characters like Willow, Angel and Xander will not be involved. The movie will stay true to the main Buffy plot points (the fact that every generation has a slayer, for instance) but will bring us a new vampire-fighting babe. Vampiric success in the form of Twilight has made everything bloodsucker-related a hot commodity, and Buffy’s rebirth is a no-brainer…but will the idea be strong enough to carry existing Buffy fans?