Bad news, Xena fans: that Xena: Warrior Princess reboot that was being planned at NBC a while back? It’s not happening anymore.
NBC president Jennifer Salke confirmed the news in an interview with THR. She said: “Nothing is happening on that right now. We looked at some material; we decided at that point that it didn’t warrant the reboot.”
However, that doesn’t necessarily mean a Xena revival will never happen. “I’d never say never on that one because it’s such a beloved title,” Salke continued, “but the current incarnation of it is dead.”
It sounds though the project died with the departure of Lost writer Javier Grillo-Marxuach, who parted ways with it a couple of months ago citing creative differences.
The rebooted series was set to star a new actress as the Warrior Princess, who would have taken the torch from Lucy Lawless, and it was hinted at that the story would explore the romantic relationship between Xena and Gabrielle.
Speaking in March 2016, Grillo-Marxuach said: “There is no reason to bring back Xena if it is not there for the purpose of fully exploring a relationship that could only be shown subtextually in first-run syndication in the 1990s.” The last episode of the series featured a kiss between Xena and Gabrielle (Renee O’Connor).
Salke is open to giving the green light to a Xena: Warrior Princess reboot in the future, as long as there’s a good story with it. “I need someone to come in with a point of view about what they want to do,” she told THR.
Guess we’ll just have to wait and see.
Xena: Warrior Princess – The Ultimate Collection is available to buy from Amazon.co.uk. Get all the latest fantasy news with every issue of SciFiNow.
