'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' Spinoff About Spike Announced, But There's a Catch

After 20 years, Buffy the Vampire Slayer is coming back, but there's a catch. TVLine reported that much of the original cast of the beloved supernatural drama is coming back together for a brand new story on Audible. Slayers: A Buffyverse Story is set 20 years after the series finale and centers on James Marsters' fan-favorite Spike. Charisma Carpenter, Anthony Head, Juliet Landau, Emma Caulfield, Amber Benson, James Charles Leary, and Danny Strong will all be reprising their roles as well. Meanwhile, Laya DeLeon Hayes from CBS' The Equalizer will be making her Buffyverse debut.

The audio-only story will premiere on Audible on Thursday, Oct. 12 with nine episodes. Slayers: A Buffyverse Story follows an undercover Spike in Los Angeles who is "convincing the forces of darkness that he's back to his evil ways. But when his cover is compromised by 16-year-old Indira Nunnally (Hayes), Spike finds himself on baby-slayer-sitting duty once more. While he attempts to track down a watcher for his eager new protégé, their paths collide with the veteran Slayer of a parallel reality where Buffy Summers never existed, and Cordelia Chase is the one-and-only Slayer. And Cordelia needs Spike's help with a classic big bad terrorizing her world… his old flame, Drusilla."

Fans of Buffy will remember the roller coaster that was Spike. Going from villain to friend to even somewhat part of the Scooby Gang and Buffy's love interest, it seems like his story is far from over. He sacrifices himself in the series finale — but not before getting one final sentence out — in order to destroy the Turok-Han and close the Hellmouth, becoming a Champion. What Spike is doing back is unknown, but fans will surely find out in this new story. Considering Spike was such a loved and hated character on Buffy and arguably one of the best, whatever the reason is, it will definitely be a good one.

In a statement, James Marsters expressed his excitement at bringing back Spike and the franchise, saying, "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."

Written by Buffyverse comics writers Benson and Christopher Golden, Slayers: A Buffyverse Story is directed by Benson, Golden, and Kc Wayland. Take a listen when the series drops on Audible on Thursday, Oct. 12.