Sad news, fans of the Warrior Princess — the modern revival of Xena is no longer happening. In the wake of original showrunner Javier Grillo-Marxuach’s (The Middleman) departure, NBC has decided to close the book on a new Xena show… for now, at least.
Image: NBC
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, NBC president Jennifer Salke flatly confirmed that plans to move the reboot forward were no more:
Nothing is happening on that right now. We looked at some material; we decided at that point that it didn’t warrant the reboot. I’d never say never on that one because it’s such a beloved title, but the current incarnation of it is dead.
First announced two years ago, the reboot — which was to be showrun by Grillo-Marxuach and executively produced by original Xena producers Rob Tapert and Sam Raimi — would have cast new actors in the roles of Xena and her longtime ally Gabrielle, and intended to explore the romantic undertones of the two character’s relationship in a way the original series never explicitly could.
So for now, Xena and Gabrielle will have to wait a bit for their return to TV — and when they do return, it will probably be in a much different form to what we were looking to get out of this attempted series.