Ryan Kiera Armstrong has staked the role of the new slayer in town in the upcoming “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” revival.
The 15-year-old actor will co-star with original series lead Sarah Michelle Gellar.
The two actors shared the news May 15 in a joint Instagram post featuring a video that showed Gellar breaking the casting news to Armstrong.
“How do you feel about helping me save the world?” 48-year-old Gellar asked Armstrong in the clip.
“Good,” responded Armstrong, who appeared unsure of Gellar’s meaning.
“Do you want to be my Chosen One”?” Gellar asked her, which prompted Armstrong to cover her mouth as she burst into tears.
“Will you stand by my side and save the world with me?” Gellar asked while Armstrong, sobbing still, nodded her head.
“Ryan, we all love you,” Gellar said, “and from the second we all saw your (audition) tape, there was nobody else in our eyes that could do it, that we wanted to do it with, and I am so excited to stand by your side and have you be my partner on this journey.”
“This is so exciting. Oh my gosh,” said Armstrong, looking around the room in disbelief. “Yes, yes. For sure, yes. Um, thank you. I’m so excited.”
“Welcomed to New Sunnydale,” Gellar told Armstrong, who then called her dad into the room.
“What do you think? Are you ready for this journey?” Gellar asked Armstrong’s father.
“I know this is exactly where she’s supposed to be right now,” the proud dad responded.
Gellar wrote in the caption of her post, “I want to introduce you to @ryankarmstrong. From the moment I saw Ryan’s audition, I knew there was only one girl that I wanted by my side.
“To have that kind of emotional intelligence , and talent, at such a young age is truly a gift. The bonus is that her smile lights up even the darkest room. Welcome to #NewSunnydale #btvs,” she added.
Armstrong’s Instagram bio now reads, “slayer.”
“I’m so beyond thankful and excited to share that i am going to be apart of the BTVS universe!!! i am so excited for this journey with you @sarahmgellar i am in awe of you,” Armstrong wrote in a separate post on Instagram.
The teen went on to thank others involved in the upcoming series as well as her “amazing parents” who, she wrote, “have allowed me to do my dream.”
“I WONT LET YOU GUYS DOWN!!” she added.
At 15, Armstrong already boasts an impressive acting resume. She played the lead role in the 2022 horror flick “Firestarter” (a remake of the 1984 film starring Drew Barrymore) and portrayed the daughter of Nicolas Cage’s gunslinger character in the 2023 Western “The Old Way.”
Armstrong also appeared in the feature films “Wildflower,” “The Art of Racing In the Rain” and “Black Widow” and appeared as a regular on the television series “Anne with an E” and Season 10 of “American Horror Story.”
Gellar, who has long resisted the idea of a “Buffy” spinoff, confirmed in February that she was involved in a reboot, helmed by Oscar-winning “Nomadland” director Chloé Zhao.
The original “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” which also starred Alyson Hannigan, Michelle Trachtenberg, David Boreanaz, Emma Caulfield and Anthony Head, aired from 1997 to 2003 and told the story of a teenage girl in the fictional Sunnydale, California, whose destiny was to fight vampires and other demons in order to save the world.
The “Buffy” series, which was created by Joss Whedon, was based on the 1992 movie of the same name, starring Kristy Swanson, Donald Sutherland, Paul Reubens and Luke Perry.
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