Whedon confirms 'Ripper' commitment

Joss Whedon has confirmed that Ripper - the proposed Buffy spin-off starring Anthony Head - is still going ahead.

Whedon, speaking to SFX magazine, stated: "Ripper - or whatever Tony [Head] and I get to make - isn’t imminent, but it’s absolutely on the slate. The Beeb has been grand about it."

News on the show has been sparse since widespread reports in August that the project had been green-lit by the BBC and filming would take place in 2008. The narrative would focus on Head's Buffy character Rupert Giles, a 'Watcher' who helps mentor slayers in a bid to prevent vampires from overrunning the planet.

Plans for the Ripper spin-off were first disclosed in 2003, but the project remained in limbo until Whedon made a shock announcement in July 2007.

> Click here for Cult Spy's look at other proposed Buffy spin-off projects