'Xena: Warrior Princess' reboot gets go-ahead, but Lawless might not star
The Warrior Princess reboot gets an official green light from NBC, but don't expect the original star Lucy Lawless to reprise her role as Xena.
With the diverse variety of TV and movie reboots coming our way -- from " Electra Woman and Dyna Girl" to " Big Trouble in Little China" -- it shouldn't be too big of a shock that "Xena: Warrior Princess" is getting its turn for a new take from the next generation of fans.
The original "Xena: Warrior Princess" TV series -- a spin-off from "Hercules: The Legendary Journeys" -- ran for six seasons, airing from 1995 to 2001.
It followed the adventures of a warrior woman named Xena (Lucy Lawless) who was on a quest to rectify her past sins by helping those who cannot fight for themselves. Her female sidekick Gabrielle (played by Renee O'Connor) kept her grounded and always had her back.
NBC Entertainment Chairman Bob Greenblatt said on August 12 that the network is still in the early stages of creating a different approach to "Xena," but is actively looking for a writer to work on it, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
While the show's original executive producers, Sam Raimi and Rob Tapert (Lawless' husband), are attached to the new production, the series' original star Lawless is not part of the reboot even though she has been vocal on Twitter about wanting to see "Xena" return to TV.
"If a Xena reboot gets made, it's because the fans are beautiful, hard-core nutballs who want what they want," Lawless tweeted on August 13.
As much as fans would love to see Lawless wield a sword again as the Warrior Princess, Greenblatt has made it quite clear that if she is on the reboot it would have to be as a different character than Xena.
"We'd love to have Lucy be a part of it -- if we felt that her presence didn't overshadow the direction we take with it," Greenblatt told The Hollywood Reporter. "I'm not sure how she could be part of it if she wasn't playing Xena, and I don't know if that's a direction we'll ever go."
While the search is still on for a writer to head up the reboot, Lawless had some sound advice.
"I think that the friendship is what people want," Lawless told Entertainment Weekly in July. "Whenever they reboot it, they have to get two women who really like and respect [each other] and have a strong chemistry to carry that mantle."
Of course, it's not like Lawless isn't already busy fighting off a different kind of opponent. She will be battling evil as Ruby in "Ash Vs. Evil Dead" premiering this Halloween on Starz.
The proposed "Xena" reboot is anticipated to debut in 2016.