Sarah Michelle Gellar Slays in Red Dress in First Photos from the Buffy the Vampire Slayer Reboot

Sarah Michelle Gellar is back as Buffy Summers — and she looks ready to slay the day.

Gellar was photographed on the set of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot in Los Angeles on Thursday, Aug. 7, giving fans their first look at her back in action for the highly anticipated series.

In the photos, Gellar is wearing a bright red, long-sleeved, deep-V dress with a floral embellishment that hits just above the knee.

Some snaps show Gellar’s heels that fit with the monochromatic look, while all reveal the fuel that keeps the supernatural Slayer ready to go: a cup of coffee.

After years of shutting down interest in returning as Buffy, Gellar began changing her tune within the past year.

PEOPLE confirmed in February that a new Buffy the Vampire Slayer series was in the works at Hulu with Gellar, the leading lady of the original series, which ran for seven seasons between 1997 and 2003, slated to return.

Oscar winner Chloé Zhao is directing the pilot and executive producing, while Nora and Lila Zuckerman are writing, showrunning and executive producing. Gellar is also executive producing alongside Gail Berman, Fran Kuzui, Kaz Kuzui and Dolly Parton — who was an uncredited producer on the original series through her company Sandollar Entertainment.

Gellar later chimed in to share more details about how the project had come about and to tell fans, “This will be for you.”

“I have always listened to the fans and heard your desire to revisit Buffy and her world, but it was not something I could do unless I was sure we would get it right,” she wrote in an Instagram post. “This has been a long process, and it’s not over yet. I promise you, we will only make this show if we know we can do it right. And I will tell you that we are on the path there.”

The reboot series has been gaining steam over the last few months.

In March, Gellar told PEOPLE the Buffy reboot was “progressing probably faster than I’d anticipated.”

A few months later, in May, Gellar shared the moment she offered Ryan Kiera Armstrong the role of the newest Chosen One.

“How do you feel about helping me save the world?” Gellar asked the up-and-coming actress in the sweet video. “Will you stand by my side and save the world?”

A clearly emotional Armstrong agreed, and Gellar told her, “Welcome to new Sunnydale.”

Last month, Gellar shared a behind-the-scenes look from what appears to be a table read for the Buffy reboot, with one photo showing her namecard and another showing a script. “Baby steps,” she captioned the post.

On Aug. 1, Gellar shared a video of her and Armstrong in the gym, captioning it: “Warrior 1 and 2 We don’t sweat … we sparkle.”

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The original Buffy the Vampire Slayer series is available to stream in full on Hulu.