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[LordOfLore]

Link.

NBC's Xena: Warrior Princess reboot is not going forward.

After parting ways with writer Javier Grillo-Marxuach (Lost) a few months ago, NBC Entertainment president Jennifer Salke said the proposed revival in its most recent form is dead.

"Nothing is happening on that right now. We looked at some material; we decided at that point that it didn't warrant the reboot," Salke tells The Hollywood Reporter. "I'd never say never on that one because it's such a beloved title, but the current incarnation of it is dead."

Xena: Warrior Princess was poised to get the revival treatment — with a new actress taking on the role made famous by Lucy Lawless. Xena co-creator Rob Tapert and Sam Raimi were on board to oversee the NBC International Television Studios entry via their Ghost House Pictures banner.

Grillo-Marxuach announced that he had exited the project in April, citing creative differences. His vision for a Xena revival suggested that he would have explored the romantic relationship that existed between Xena (Lawless) and her sidekick, Gabrielle (played by Renee O'Connor in the original).

"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," Grillo-Marxuach said in March 2016.

Xena diehards viewed the characters as a romantic pair, a notion that was often hinted at on the show but never fully confirmed. Lawless backed the idea of Xena and Gabrielle as a couple, saying in 2003 that the final scene of the series — featuring a kiss between them — confirmed "it wasn't just that Xena was bisexual and kinda liked her gal pal and they kind of fooled around sometimes, it was, 'Nope, they're married, man.'"

As for the NBC take, Salke confirmed that the network remains open to doing a Xena revival at some point down the line. "I need someone to come in with a point of view about what they want to do," Salke said.

The original series was produced by Studios USA and international producers Universal Worldwide Television and was distributed by Universal Television. Xena ran in syndication for six seasons from September 1995 to June 2001. It started as a spinoff from Hercules after producers realized how popular the Xena (Lawless) character was and opted to launch a new series built around the Amazon warrior on a quest for redemption with her trusted companion Gabrielle.

Meanwhile, reboots continue to remain in high demand as broadcast, cable and streaming platforms look for proven IP in a cluttered and competitive landscape that's rapidly approaching 500 originals.

 

[strafer]

AYAYAYAYAAYAYAYAYAAYAYAYAYAAYAYAYAYAAYAYAYAYAAYAYAYAYAAYAYAYAYAAYAYAYAYAAYAYAYAYAAYAYAYAYAAYAYAYAYAAYAYAYAYAAYAYAYAYAAYAYAYAYA

 

[Caboose]

You'd think Wonder Woman would have renewed interest.

 

[A-V-B]

This day, the world was spared CSI: Xena.

Wait, that actually sounds hilarious.

 

[Jintor]

 

[nubbe]

Give it to HBO
They got a slot open for 2 years

 

[Volimar]

Joxer stays losing.

 

[Ensirius]

Perfect.

 

[Sober]

This day, the world was spared CSI: Xena.

Wait, that actually sounds hilarious.

First of all, it'd be on NBC so it'd at least be a Chicago joke, not a CSI one.

Also why would a show being on a network immediately turn it into a CSI-like anyway?

 

[xrnzaaas]

Give it to HBO
They got a slot open for 2 years

With lesbian sex scenes in every episode, I'm in.

 

[sirap]

Good. It'll never be the same without GOAT Ares.

 

[LookAtMeGo]

AYAYAYAYAAYAYAYAYAAYAYAYAYAAYAYAYAYAAYAYAYAYAAYAYAYAYAAYAYAYAYAAYAYAYAYAAYAYAYAYAAYAYAYAYAAYAYAYAYAAYAYAYAYAAYAYAYAYAAYAYAYAYA

This reminds me of one time I got caught masturbating.

 

[Jason Frost]

This day, the world was spared CSI: Xena.

Wait, that actually sounds hilarious.

Me in 2015:

In the present day, the spirit of Xena is transferred into the body of a middle aged woman working for the NYPD after some magic inccident. Now, she must fight criminals, monsters, gods, demons and all every others shits like that while continuing her work as a detective for the NYPD and also trying not to reveal her real identity, all in the same time.

Some big lines of the pilot:
- The cop woman looks strangely like Lucy Lawless.
- She is investigating a black market of old artifacts.
...
She gets help from another woman, a nerdy librarian / police consultant specialised in ancient Greece and she looks strangely like Renee O'Connor.
...
- While pursuing her suspects, she finds a weird pawn shop specialised in old items.
- After saving the life of the owner of the pawn shop, he gives the woman a old Chakram to thank her.
...
The woman cut herself with the Chakram.
*Magic happens*
- Xena is now in the body of that woman.
...
- And from this point, she has to fight criminals, monsters, gods, demons, ect., with the help of her new sidekick, the nerdy librarian.
...
Plot twist:

Spoiler

The owner of the pawn shop was Ares in a new body and he is now smiling at the camera.

End of the episode.

 

[Muppet of a Man]

Stop with the remakes/reboots already. Jesus fucking christ, do primetime tv execs ever have or back an original idea? It's like original ideas have ceased to exist.

 

[SArcher]

It's kind of hard to imagine anyone else playing the role.

 

[Beren the Empty-Handed]

I don't want a reboot of this. There's a charm to the original series, warts and all, that probably wouldn't be replicated. Also I don't want a Xena that doesn't have that cast.

 

[liquidtmd]

I don't want a reboot of this. There's a charm to the original series, warts and all, that probably wouldn't be replicated. Also I don't want a Xena that doesn't have that cast.

Same

Goes for other shows of the '80s and '90s like...I dunno. Quantum Leap. The cast and leads were the charm as much as the narrative.

 

[Escape Goat]

 

[fanboi]

At least we have Spartacus.

 

[Skellig Gra]

It's for the best

 

[biggersmaller]

Xena was made cheap so stations could buy it in syndication to fill schedule gaps.

Even back then, it could never be an expensive tent pole network drama. This was destined to fail.

 

[Korigama]

I don't want a reboot of this. There's a charm to the original series, warts and all, that probably wouldn't be replicated. Also I don't want a Xena that doesn't have that cast.

This. There wouldn't have been any point to even trying.

 

[Bishop89]

Good

 

[Volimar]

Good

GOAT Ares.

 

[n00bsauce87]

Good

He really made the show

 

[buttery fistful]

I don't want a reboot of this. There's a charm to the original series, warts and all, that probably wouldn't be replicated. Also I don't want a Xena that doesn't have that cast.

Yup, feel the same for this and Hercules TLJ

 

[Ravelle]

Stop with the remakes/reboots already. Jesus fucking christ, do primetime tv execs ever have or back an original idea? It's like original ideas have ceased to exist.

They ran out of ideas and now aim for our nostalgia.

 

[Reversed]

Not even the success from WW could make this happen.