What if Lucy Lawless' Xena was a modern, sophisticated heroine in the vein of Katniss Everdeen, while not losing the charm and charisma that Lawless is known for?
That's what NBC wants from its newly announced in-the-works reboot of Xena: Warrior Princess. It's hard to believe, but Xena first premiered 20 years ago, way back in 1995. A spinoff of Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, the show was produced by Rob Tapert and Sam Raimi, and ran for six seasons. Tapert and Raimi are also responsible for the proposed reboot.
Tapert and Raimi are reportedly looking for a writer/showrunner for Xena 2.0, but according to The Hollywood Reporter, the duo doesn't just want to remake the formula that worked for the original series. They're looking to reinvent the concept entirely.
The producers are shooting for a "modern reboot" on the new Xena, which translates to "a sophisticated and smart superhero for a new generation" in the vein of the aforementioned young Ms. Everdeen from The Hunger Games. Likely this means that the tone projected by the original show — which always added a self-aware humor to its adventures — won't be replicated on the new one, in favor of something more relevant for today's audiences.
THR says that the show is in "the extremely early development stages," but the producers are hoping for a fall 2016 debut. Right now, the production hinges on finding the right showrunner and the right actress. Tapert and Raimi still want Lucy Lawless involved in the show, too, perhaps in an on-screen role and a producer capacity both. The actress has been very vocal in recent years about her personal desire to see the show return, or perhaps a big-screen movie.
Rather than an "event series" along the lines of 24: Live Another Day or the upcoming X-Files revival, Tapert and Raimi are hoping to create an ongoing series for NBC.
In the meantime, Lawless will soon be seen on Starz' Ash vs. Evil Dead alongside Bruce Campbell.
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