Will Buffy-verse expand?

"Buffy the Vampire Slayer" is over. So is "Angel." But is that the end of the world the two characters inhabited?

Maybe not.

"We're still going to pursue the idea of some kind of Buffy-verse movies or miniseries or spinoffs," said creator and executive producer Joss Whedon. "That's definitely in my brain."

At this point, however, it's only in his brain. There are no firm plans to continue either the "Buffy" or "Angel" franchise.

When the WB announced back in February that it was canceling "Angel," the network's programmers said they'd be interested in doing TV movies with the characters. Which, at this point, is as far as it's gone.

"A TV movie thing was suggested. Fox studios said, 'Yes, we would be interested in pursuing that,' and then I haven't heard bupkis," Whedon said.

Still, he's not convinced that the universe he created that "Buffy" inhabited for seven seasons and "Angel" for five is gone for good. "We're sort of talking about pursuing it in different venues," Whedon said.

"I don't think of the universe itself as having gone away at all. I've been talking with Dark Horse about rebooting the Buffy comic. And in my mind, thinking about, well, let's start making the comic-book canon. . . . the thing that we absolutely carry the myth in. Whereas sometimes in the comics or the novelizations or things I didn't have the time to control, I let them sort of go in their own directions; as long as they weren't against what we were talking about, they were OK. "

Which is all well and good, but is there a possibility either "Buffy" or "Angel" could return — alone or together — on film again? As a TV movie? As a theatrical movie? And what about another series set in the same world?

Whedon has, on several occasions, spoken of that possibility. And WB programming chief Jordan Levin said he hopes it would be offered to his network. Although, of course, he made no promises about picking up such a show.

"We talk about the possibility of future spinoffs or TV movies," Whedon said. "None of those is definite. None of those things are in the works right now. But I just don't believe the Buffy-verse is dead."