A planned reboot of Buffy the Vampire Slayer has a new name attached to the project – and it still isn't Joss Whedon.

Warner Bros., the studio that had optioned the project from Fran and Kaz Kuzui, formally announced Monday that it will be moving forward with the production despite Joss Whedon’s previous declaration that he would not be involved.

"There is an active fan base eagerly awaiting this character's return to the big screen," producer Charles Roven explained. "Details of the film are being kept under wraps, but I can say while this is not your high-school Buffy, she'll be just as witty, tough, and sexy as we all remember her to be."

“Generally, I wouldn’t have said, ‘Let’s revive this,’ but [screenwriter] Whit [Anderson]’s take is pretty compelling and a lot of fun, and it’s interesting to see all of this reimagined. This is a completely new reboot,” Roven told the Los Angeles Times. “Tone is extremely important, and you want the audience to realize what is at stake and the peril is real, but at the same time what’s going on should be fun and inviting and keep everyone engaged. It needs to be relevant to today too, and that is what Whit has found a way to do.”

So what does Whedon -- who was involved with both the TV series and the 1992 film -- have to say about all of this? Here is just a portion of the e-mail he wrote to E! News:

I always hoped that Buffy would live on even after my death. But, you know, AFTER. I don't love the idea of my creation in other hands, but I'm also well aware that many more hands than mine went into making that show what it was. And there is no legal grounds for doing anything other than sighing audibly. I can't wish people who are passionate about my little myth ill. I can, however, take this time to announce that I'm making a Batman movie. Because there's a franchise that truly needs updating. So look for The Dark Knight Rises Way Earlier Than That Other One And Also More Cheaply And In Toronto, rebooting into a theater near you.

Those willing to give the Buffy reboot a chance will have to wait for it to be released sometime in 2011 or 2012.