‘Xena: Warrior Princess’ Reboot Not Moving Forward at NBC

It looks like NBC‘s reboot of Xena: Warrior Princess will not be hitting television screens anytime soon.

NBC Entertainment president Jennifer Salke recently confirmed that the current version of the Xena reboot is essentially dead at the network.

“Nothing is happening on that right now.” Salke revealed to The Hollywood Reporter. “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.”

News of an official Xena reboot first came to light in 2015, with Sam Raimi and Xena co-creator Rob Tapert initially involved with the reboot’s development. But many fans were quickly disappointed to discover that series star Lucy Lawless would not be involved with the project, and that the new Xena would be a complete reboot.

The series later found a writer in Lost alum Javier Grillo-Marxuach, but he left the project in 2016 because of creative differences. As Grillo-Marxuach later explained, his idea for the series revolved heavily around the romantic relationship between Xena and Gabrielle (Renee O’Connor).

“There is no reason to bring back Xena,” Grillo-Marxuach explained, “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.”

The original Xena series – itself a spinoff of Hercules: The Legendary Journeys – aired from 1995 to 2001, and developed a passionate fan following in the years since. The series has since lived on through various comic titles, including a crossover with Army of Darkness.