XENA: WARRIOR PRINCESS Reboot in the Works at NBC

[Iroh]

In bright green letters I put "Ippy's Xena: The Warrior Princess Dark and Gritty Reboot Fantasy Casting" lol...

Oh, okay. Then I can disregard it all together. Wasn't going in that way at all, nor interested in that. That's just not Xena to me.

 

[Thai Otoshi]

That's fair. To me, we already have our campy Xena. Why reboot some more camp? Plus, I actually like this era of darkness and grittiness.

Also, there's absolutely nothing stopping you from doing your own "Dr. Hannibal Lecter's Xena: The Warrior Princess Campy Reboot Fantasy Casting"....

 

[Iroh]

Glad you see it that way. Not that I wouldn't go to see your version in the theater in IMAX 3D, with vibrational seats, and ridiculous Atmos sound quality. I definitely would. But I'd not opt to go that route if it would be up to me.

I might do that. I'll make my own story arc and all that jazz too.

 

[Dragonlordxxxxx]

Update: December 14, 2015

XENA Reboot Finds Writer in LOST Alum Javier Grillo-Marxuach

NBC is moving forward with its Xena: Warrior Princess reboot. The network has tapped Lost alum Javier Grillo-Marxuach to pen the script for the project, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.

Grillo-Marxuach, who was part of the Emmy-winning drama win for Lost in 2004, will exec produce the Xena reboot alongside co-creator Rob Tapert and Sam Raimi, who will oversee the NBC International Television Studios entry via their Ghost House Pictures banner.

Sources tell THR that the reboot will follow a new, modern Xena, with the lead actress needing to have the charisma and charm of original star Lucy Lawless and the smarts of The Hunger Games' Katniss as producers are said to be looking for a sophisticated and smart superhero for a new generation. The potential series is being eyed for 2016. Lawless, who is married to Tapert, is not currently involved in the NBC reboot.

Xena was created by John Schulian and Tapert and produced by Tapert, Sam Raimi and actor Bruce Campbell's Renaissance Pictures, Studios USA and Universal Television, the latter of which distributed the series in more than 108 countries around the globe. The drama was a cult favorite and ratings hit, ranking in the top five syndicated programs during each of its six seasons.


‘Xena: Warrior Princess’ Reboot Taps ‘Lost’ Javier Grillo-Marxuach to Write Script

 

[Dragonlordxxxxx]

Update: February 23, 2016

XENA Reboot Will Feature New Cast, New Costumes and Serialized Story

In an iO9 interview with new Xena: Warrior Princess reboot showrunner Grillo-Marxuach , a lot of new information about the reimagined TV show emerged.

“One big thing is that we are telling a much more serialized story than the show ever tackled. So formally we are already treading some very different ground – and while the characters will occupy roughly the same thematic spaces they did in the original, some of their backstories will be changed, and some of their morality will be tweaked so that we can tell a long-arcing story in which every episode leads directly into the next. It’s a delicate balancing act.”

“A great deal of the appeal of the show lies in certain pulpy elements – like Gabrielle’s bare midriff, Xena’s leather miniskirt, Callisto’s amazing and gravity-defying… well, you get it. And it’s hard for me in the post-Brienne of Tarth era to reconcile with the idea that Xena and her friends can meet every challenge in such skimpy outfits. I think we are going to have some very lengthy discussions about how to bring those elements into the present day without missing the boat on what makes Xena exactly what she is; and how to have our cake and eat it too.”

“…Lucy Lawless and Renee O’Connor are not going to be Xena and Gabrielle. That already has a lot of people in an uproar. The question of reboot vs. revival is a very relevant now that The X-Files has been revived with the original cast, and so has Star Wars… and because the die hard fans want to see their beloved actors in the role. And look, I love these actors in these roles as much as I love William Shatner as Kirk, Sean Connery as Bond, and Lynda Carter as Diana Prince – so why does this need to be a reboot and not a continuation?

“The answer for me is that the reboot is not a repudiation of the classic show, but rather a compliment to it. I want for Xena to be a cultural icon for longer than my tenure in the entertainment industry, or that of anyone else involved with the project. If, in some far future, people assume that Xena is a character from the greek mythological pantheon alongside Hercules, and that’s why so many people have played her over so many years? That right there would be success.”

‘Xena: Warrior Princess’ Reboot Showrunner on Recasting, Rethinking the Skimpy Costumes

 

[marioh]

mmmmm....Xena, Gabrielle, Aphrodite.

that show was prime fwapping material, along with Charmed.

 

[Thai Otoshi]

Good to know about the continuous story. Most of the best shows nowadays follow that format.

Limitless is the only recent non-comedy show that can pull off the episodic format.

 

[Dragonlordxxxxx]

Good to know about the continuous story. Most of the best shows nowadays follow that format.

Limitless is the only recent non-comedy show that can pull off the episodic format.

For me, an action-drama show should have its fair share of standalone-ish episodes. I think they're essential to keeping things fresh and give some much-needed breathing room for the main story arc. I've seen a lot of shows suffer in their later seasons because they're too focused on the main storyline in every episode (Jessica Jones, Dexter, Justified, Arrow and so on). First noticeable decline are the main villains who appear in almost every episode and wore out their welcome in the process.

 

[Thai Otoshi]

For me, an action-drama show should have its fair share of standalone-ish episodes. I think they're essential to keeping things fresh and give some much-needed breathing room for the main story arc. I've seen a lot of shows suffer in their later seasons because they're too focused on the main storyline in every episode (Jessica Jones, Dexter, Justified, Arrow and so on). First noticeable decline are the main villains who appear in almost every episode and wore out their welcome in the process.

I don't disagree. I, in fact, agree 100%.

I was just saying that the best shows tend to have continuous stories. Breaking it up every once in a while, to have a ____ of the Week keeps this fresh indeed.

 

[BisexualMMA]

How creatively bankrupt is Hollywood when they have to reboot Xena: Warrior Princess rather than come up with something new.

 

[JadeOwl]

How creatively bankrupt is Hollywood when they have to reboot Xena: Warrior Princess rather than come up with something new.

For as long as people have been telling stories, people have been shamelessly ripping them off, remaking the popular ones and putting their own spin on them.

And that's not necessarily a bad thing as long as the end product is good.

Have you heard of The Maltese Falcon? One of the greatest films of all time? It was the third film adaptation of the novel in less than 10 years!

 

[Thai Otoshi]

Preach, bro!

Adaptations have been around forever. Some are good. Some are bad.

Agreed on them not necessarily being a bad thing as long as the end product is good. I say this IRL all the time.

Also, I've said this many a time as well, with the ease with which stories can be told and distributed across the world, and the sheer number of influences any writer has.... how can anyone, in their right mind, pretend that "original" stories should be a given, let alone even possible? Like it or not, if you create a work, it will have influences from other sources.

 

[BisexualMMA]

For as long as people have been telling stories, people have been shamelessly ripping them off, remaking the popular ones and putting their own spin on them.

And that's not necessarily a bad thing as long as the end product is good.

Have you heard of The Maltese Falcon? One of the greatest films of all time? It was the third film adaptation of the novel in less than 10 years!

There's a difference between looking to the Maltese Falcon for inspiration and looking to Xena: Warrior Princess.

 

[dr_hellno]

Have you heard of The Maltese Falcon? One of the greatest films of all time? It was the third film adaptation of the novel in less than 10 years!

The Maltese Falcon was based on a Dashiell Hammett classic. Xena was an atrociously bad Kevin-Sorbo-as-Hercules spinoff.

 

[JadeOwl]

There's a difference between looking to the Maltese Falcon for inspiration and looking to Xena: Warrior Princess.

So your issue isn't so much with Hollywood making remakes as it is with the source material they're choosing to remake?

Oh, shut the fuck up. The Maltese Falcon was based on a Dashiell Hammett classic. Xena was an atrociously bad Kevin-Sorbo-as-Hercules spinoff.

That's a stupid argument. The quality of the source material is no guarantee about the quality of the remake or adaptation. There have been some serious turds based on some of the greatest works of literature and some awesome movies and shows based on ridiculous shit.

Look at The Godfather. Even Mario Puzzo himself agreed that the movie was vastly superior to his novel, to the point that most people today don't even remember that there was a book.

Look at Battlestar Galactica. The original show was as cheesy as the 1970's could produce, but the remake was a great and widely applauded show.

 

[BisexualMMA]

So your issue isn't so much with Hollywood making remakes as it is with the source material they're choosing to remake?

The two have combined into an endless cycle of resurrecting low quality movies and TV shows.

Once in a while they breathe some new life and passion into something old like Creed or Mad Max. More often than not, you get Transformers 2-4, just rebooting / retreading something not even old enough to reboot, or Tron: Legacy where they just slap modern graphics on a nonsensical premise. I don't expect every movie that gets made to have been conceived from scratch with 100% virgin ideas...I just prefer a bit of effort and a bit of passion, rather than something that feels like it was dug up by a crawlbot and greenlit by a committee of film studio accountants.

Whatever, if they want to take a series of brainless random amazon swordwoman adventures and slap the name Xena on it, fine by me.

If you enjoy watching it, I'm glad for you.