What's that you hear in the distance? It's legions of fans doing Xena's signature battle cry all at once because Xena could be kicking her butt back to TV. E! News has learned that a Xena: Warrior Princess reboot is in the works at NBC. However, everything is still in the early stages of development.
The Hollywood Reporter broke the news that there is no writer attached by series creators Rob Tapert and Sam Raimi are involved with the project and. As for original star Lucy Lawless? The actress has been vocal about her desire to revive the brand and she may have a role on the show, but THR reports there's desire to have Lawless involved on screen and behind the scenes.
The reboot report says the new Xena would be a mix of Lawless' version and The Hunger Games' Katniss Everdeen.
UPDATE 7/20: Lawless took to Twitter after the reports of a Xena reboot broke, calling them a rumor. "Sorry, friends! news of a #Xena reboot is just a rumor," she said. "I'd love it to happen one day but it's still in the wishful thinking stage."
Hmm...
Sorry, friends! news of a #Xena reboot is just a rumor. I'd love it to happen one day but it's still in the wishful thinking stage.
— Lucy Lawless (@RealLucyLawless) July 20, 2015Lawless made headlines over the weekend by discussing her desire to bring the character back to life. "I've been pitching that, actually," Lawless told Den of Geek about a return to Xena. "The fans really do want that, and I've met some people who've crowdfunded some things, and I'm just like, ‘Why don't we just do that?'"
The sticking point: Who owns the rights to Xena? The show was on in syndication and produced by Studios USA and Universal Worldwid Television, distributed by Universal Television. The original series, a spinoff of Kevin Sorbo's Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, ran from 1995-2001. In the series finale, Xena was beheaded and remained dead despite the desire of her companion Gabrielle (Renee O'Connor).
"So what? Technicality!" Lawless told Den of Geek. "No one really dies! Screw her head back on, it's a bit wonky, and she's got a really bad attitude since she's been in a box for 20 years, so they've got to get Xena's mojo back, and go and save the world somehow."
Mind you both Xena and Gabrielle died before on the series.
A whole new generation needs Xena. We live in a strange time of revivals with The X-Files, Twin Peaks, and even Coach all readying for hopefully triumphant returns. It's time we let Xena out of the box to be the hero fans rallied behind for six years and continue to support. In an interview with E! News, Lawless said the fans are the show's greatest legacy.
"Oh, it's incredible fanbase who is a force for good in the world. It's a very loose sorority, although there are a lot of men in that, who are agents for positive change in their communities," she said. "They get together—they do amazing things. They raise a lot of money for charities and animals—just service, service to the world. I don't know anybody else who has a fanbase quite like that. I'm sure they do exist, but I really honor them."
Do you want a new Xena series? Would you watch one without Lawless in the role?