Joss Whedon, creator of UPN's Buffy the Vampire Slayer, told SCI FI Wire that he's leaving open the possibility of carrying on the show after next year, even if star Sarah Michelle Gellar decides not to renew her contract, which expires at the end of year seven. Meanwhile, regular cast member Emma Caulfield, who plays Anya, told SCI FI Wire that she intends to leave the show after the end of the seventh season, which kicks off Sept. 24, but added that every other cast member has already signed up for year eight.

"I'm game for almost anything," Whedon said in an interview, when asked if he'd go on without Gellar. "It's an incredibly strong ensemble. It's a very strong mythos. It's a huge universe we've created and an incredible cast of actors. So there are definitely opportunities for different kinds of shows."

Earlier, Buffy executive producer Marti Noxon told SCI FI Wire that she thought the show could continue without Gellar in the lead. For his part, Anthony Stewart Head (Giles) said that he thought season seven would be the show's last. Gellar has made plain her desire to move on after the show's seventh season ends, whether the show goes on or not after that.

Similarly, Caulfield said she's gone after next year. "Uh-huh," she said in an interview. It's "my last year. It depends on whether or not the show goes beyond a seventh season. Sarah has not signed on. The rest of the cast has signed on for an eighth season. I have not. I'm leaving. I'm done. It's just time, you know? It's been five great years. But it's sort of like, I use the analogy of, like, high school. ... Four years. It's time to graduate, you know? It's time." Buffy airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT.