With no more Buffy planned, what lies ahead for Joss Whedon's monster franchises?

Whedon revealed to Reuters on Thursday that UPN, Buffy's current network home, are keen for a spinoff - something he is willing to create. The main issue at the moment, however, seems to be the timetable for a new series.

"I think ideally the best thing to do would be to wait and not rush anything," said Joss, countering UPN's desire to launch something new as soon as this autumn. "There are paradigms that I've posited that could start next year ... [but] whatever came next, it would have to have at its centre an idea as worthy as [Buffy and spinoff Angel] were. And somebody who's pretty."

One pretty face that definitely won't be headlining a spinoff is Eliza Dushku. Alleged talks with the actress regarding a Faith show seem to have been scuppered by the announcement that Dushku will star in Heroine, a pilot for the Fox network in which she will play a girl with the ability to jump back a day in time to right wrongs in a Quantum Leap/Seven Days style.

Although UPN doesn't have any automatic rights to Buffy's follow-up, Whedon hopes that producers Fox will work with the network, as they came through for him at a time nobody would - when The WB failed to stump up enough cash to continue Buffy after its initial five year run.

"We're still in discussions [with Whedon], and they've ranged in many different places, many different directions," UPN Entertainment President Dawn Ostroff told the Zap2It.com web site. "But we're not prepared to announce anything yet."

Whilst media attention has focussed on Buffy in these past few days, it's important to note that The WB has yet to decide whether it will bring back Angel for a fifth season. Ratings have remained consistent since the show moved to Wednesday nights, but they are still lower that the show it replaced in that slot - Birds of Prey. Whedon, however, remains upbeat.

"I don't know where we stand ... but I'm putting my money on this not being the last season," he said. "I love this show, and I won't let myself think this is an end."