Twenty years ago, television viewers were introduced to Xena, Warrior Princess. The fantasy-action series won huge acclaim and loyal audiences -- and it may be set for a reboot.
Studios NBC and NBC Universal International are reportedly prepping a return for the series, which focused on a repentant female warlord and her interactions with the Greek pantheon. The original series ran from 1995-2001, spinning off from parent show Hercules: The Legendary Journeys.
The resurgent series is being eyed for 2016, according to trade site The Hollywood Reporter, though production is said to be in "the extremely early development stages". No writer is yet attached, though Xena creator Rob Tapert and original executive producer Sam Raimi are said to be involved.
However, Xena herself -- or rather, Lucy Lawless, who played the warrior princess in the six-year original run -- says the news of a reboot is "wishful thinking". In a tweet, Lawless said "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."
She would likely know, too -- Lawless and Tapert have been married since 1998, and both are currently working with Raimi on Ash vs Evil Dead, a continuation of the schlocky horror movie series. The actor could be playing coy though, waiting for a more formal or official announcement -- early talk can kill big TV and movie projects. Lawless would be behind Xena's return though, having previously vocally called for a reboot, and has even pitched one herself.
Tapert, meanwhile, has been quiet on social media so far as anything Xena goes. His Twitter feed is currently filling the now-standard producer role of plugging the upcoming Evil Dead series, with no mention of the character he helped create.
With the likes of Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games and Divergent's Tris Prior showing a growing audience hungry for female action heroes, the time certainly seems right to bring back one of the most successful action shows with a female lead. Xena predates Buffy the Vampire Slayer on TV by two years (the farcical Buffy movie was 1992, though), and such was the popularity of Lawless' flawed hero that recent iterations of Wonder Woman -- the original female superhero -- have adopted many of her attributes, including a penchant for swordplay and a darker mythology.
If the new series does go ahead, expect it to be a "modern reboot" though, likely without narrative ties to the original. If nothing else, it would be interesting to re-frame Xena and her world without having to frame it in context of Hercules' initial redeeming influence on the character.
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
