Plans for a revival of the beloved ’90s series,Xena: Warrior Princess, which was slated to focus more on the lesbian relationship between the Amazonian heroine and her sidekick Gabrielle are officially dead.
The reboot plans hit a major bump in April, when writer and showrunner Javier Grillo-Marxuach (of Lost fame) left the project citing “creative differences” which many believe to be Grillo-Marxuach’s desire to put the romantic relationship between Xena and Gabrielle in the forefront of the story and network executives pushing back at the idea.
NBC Entertainment president Jennifer Salke has confirmed the revival won’t be going ahead at all.
“Nothing is happening on that right now,” Salke told the Hollywood Reporter. “We looked at some material; we decided at that point that it didn’t warrant the reboot.
The cancellation of the project comes at a time when new LGBT representation on television is at a low. The original show was beloved for its emphasis on female strength and friendship. While it did receive criticism for unwillingness to be open about the nature of Xena and Gabrielle’s relationship. The 2017’s reboot was expected to be out and proud.
Source: Slate.com