In a recent interview with Variety, David Boreanaz (Angel, SEAL Team) expressed that he had no desire to return to the role of Angel, the brooding vampire he played for eight years on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spin-off Angel. As Angel is timeless vampire, Boreanaz cites his age as the main reason that he would not want to reprise the role, via Variety.
In 2018, Deadline announced that Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot was on it’s way from original creator Joss Whedon (The Avengers, Buffy the Vampire Slayer) and Monica Owusu-Breen (Alias, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.), though many of the series details still remain a mystery. After Boreanaz’s Variety interview, Screen Rant posits that “it’s unlikely that any kind of Buffy reboot would involve the original cast.” Sarah Michelle Gellar (Cruel Intentions, Buffy the Vampire Slayer), Buffy herself, has expressed similar sentiments to Boreanaz in past interviews and Screen Rant asserts that it’s unlikely either actor will participate in the upcoming reboot of the series.
“I’m too old,” the fifty-one-year-old actor stated outright when speaking to Variety. While Boreanaz stated that he fully supports the trend of cast reunions prevalent in Hollywood, he noted marked difference in attempting to do so with a supernatural show like Buffy the Vampire Slayer. “It’s not like we’re the cast of Friends reuniting,” Boreanaz told Variety “we’re not hanging out in the coffee shop on a couch.”
Of course, another recent trend in Hollywood productions has been de-aging actors for certain roles, which Boreanaz also cited in his interview. “But, you know, with all that technology,” the actor laughed with Variety “they made Robert De Niro look really young.” However, despite de-aging technology, Boreanaz encourages any future Buffy the Vampire Slayer creators “to find somebody else to [play Angel]” (Variety).
Between Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, Boreanaz has played the vampire Angel for 166 total episodes of television. According to Screen Rant, this means that Angel has the most appearances of any character in the “Buffyverse”. For this reason, Screen Rant posits that Boreanaz’s recent declaration is not necessarily bad news for fans. “In an age where it seems like every TV series is coming back, there’s something special about an actor willing to acknowledge that they’ve said what they needed to say” (Screen Rant).
While Boreanaz continues his work on CBS drama SEAL Team and pursues future acting roles, it’s possible that Buffy the Vampire Slayer fans may see a new actor take up the mantel of Angel down-the-line. “Maybe one day we’ll get an interesting and unique take on the character in a Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot,” Screen Rant reported after Boreanaz supported someone else stepping into Angel’s trench coat in the future. Of course, Buffyverse characters such as Wesley and Spike have already tried their hand at impressions of the character within the series Angel and were not always met with a warm reception from the vampire himself.