Buffy Movies Straight To DVD?

Sci Fi Wire -- The News Service of the Sci Fi Channel is reporting that there is a possibility characters from the Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel TV series may live on in a series of straight to DVD movies. This would tie in nicely with the persistent rumours of a Spike TV-movie, and I think may even provide an outlet for Serenity/Firefly stories.

Characters like Buffy and Willow may be unavailable, as Sarah Michelle Gellar and Allyson Hannigan have moved into prominent TV and film roles. However, given the rich and deep mythology of backstory Whedon and his writers have instilled in their world, several characters could hold their own in movies, such as Spike, Giles, or even Eliza Dushku's Faith. As Whedon said, "I have every intention of keeping the Buffyverse alive and not just in flashback tales that I'm not connected to." That's all well and good, but fan that I am, I can't see myself sitting through a Xandar movie.

Direct to DVD movies have largely been a dumping ground for shelved films and poor quality flicks with C-list actors, but creating a well crafted product with a built in fan-following could be a lucrative approach.