With all the reboots and revivals of old shows and movies happening lately, it’s understandable that some people have been holding their breaths for their favorite older shows to go through a revival. Well, it’s finally happened, Xena: Warrior Princess has finally been confirmed as a reboot by NBC. The show will be headed by the creator of the new cult hit The 100. But we do want to make it clear that this is a reboot and not a revival. The distinction makes a huge difference. Remakes like Fuller House is a revival where the old cast comes back to replay their old roles in perhaps a more modern take. Whereas, the new Star Wars/Star Trek movies are a reboot, same universe but with different cast members with occasional nods to their former glory.
With the news of the reboot being out for a few weeks already, there has been plenty of time to gather some juicy details on the new show. First and foremost, the show writers have just come out and said “…Lucy Lawless and Renee O’Connor are not going to be Xena and Gabrielle,” This is a very touchy subject for many people who long to see the two reprise their old roles. New actresses will play the two.
The show runner, Javier Grillo-Marxuach, has also made it quite clear that the subtle homosexual undertones that are evident between Xena and Gabrielle will be put on full display in the new show. “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.” So be prepared for what will most likely be, full on out of the closet lesbian warriors front and center.
Other issues that the new show will run into will be stylizing the story to a new modern audience. For instance, the new show will most likely be much more long term plot driven rather than the standalone stories that comprise most of the old series. Also the wardrobe will probably have an overhaul too. Gabrielle’s midriff, and Xena’s short leather skirt seem almost backward when you consider Game of Thrones’ fully armored Brienne of Tarth. Brienne played by Gwendoline Christie has really shown us what a real female warrior can do and look like in a more realistic and less sexual context.
But, the show runners have made it clear that they will try their best to balance the new modern changes with what made the original show so popular to begin with. “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.” We all have high hopes for what could be an amazing show.
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