Dust off your amulets, take your leather jacket to the cleaner and touch up your roots with some peroxide as EW reports that James Marsters is returning to his role of Spike in an Audible series titled Slayers: A Buffyverse Story. First made famous on Buffy the Vampire Slayer before appearing for a stint on the fifth and final season of Angel, Spike is back. But, there’s more great news for fans of the timeless series as not only will Marsters be reprising his role as the Billy Idol-inspired vamp but other cast members including Emma Caulfield, Anthony Head, Juliet Landau, Charisma Carpenter, Amber Benson, James Charles Leary, and Danny Strong will also return to the fold along with newbie Laya DeLeon Hayes.
In Slayers: A Buffyverse Story, it’s been 20 years since the events of “Chosen,” the final episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Listeners will follow the British baddie-turned-goodie as he stalks the mean streets of Los Angeles in an undercover capacity, posing as the Spike we first met in Season 2 – a bloodthirsty vampire who tortured his victims by using railroad spikes. Seeing right through him, 16-year-old Indira Nunnally (Hayes) calls Spike out, a move that puts him back on slayer protection duty. Trying to shake the youngster, Spike is on the lookout for a watcher when he runs into Cordelia Chase (Carpenter). But this isn’t the Cordelia from the original series (afterall, she died in Angel), this is a Cordelia from a parallel reality in which Buffy Summers (Sarah Michelle Gellar) never existed, and Cordelia was the feared Slayer. Asking Spike for his help, Cordelia needs his background and know-how on handling her world’s latest terror – Spike’s centuries-long ex, Drusilla (Landau).
For those of us who are obsessed with the original series, Cordelia’s appearance as the one-true-Slayer is a full circle moment for Carpenter who initially auditioned for the show’s titular role. While other characters haven’t been spelled out, we can pretty safely presume that the rest of the cast will be returning to their original parts. That would mean that Head will appear as Giles who is likely now Cordelia’s watcher, with Caulfield as reformed vengeance demon Anya, Benson as the witchy Tara (who died in BtVS but perhaps survived in the parallel reality), Leary as the cat-eating-demon Clem, and Strong as Jonathan.
James Marsters Is “Ecstatic” for a New Chapter in the Buffyverse
In a statement released alongside the Audible series’ reveal, Marsters said, “I’m ecstatic to be back with my dear friends for this next chapter in the Buffyverse, as we take listeners on a familiar but unexpected journey chock full of horror, passion, and mischief. I’m excited for old and new fans to experience this beloved world of vampire slaying like never before, brought to life through immersive audio storytelling.” And, we think we speak for all Buffy fans when we say, we’re ecstatic too! And, if you were nervous about the project being in the right hands, fear not as Benson serves as a co-writer alongside Christopher Golden with the pair also co-directing with Kc Wayland.
Mark your calendars for October 12 for the arrival of Slayers: A Buffyverse Story.
via Collider