November 2015 Archives

Twenty years after its premiere, Xena: Warrior Princess is still alive and well —thanks in no small part to its availability on Netflix. Looking back, its influence on modern action shows like Blindspot and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. are clear, and star Lucy Lawless — who’s now kicking zombie butt on Ash Vs. Evil Dead — continues to be bombarded with adulation for her first major television role. In honor of its anniversary (and the recent release of a new 20th anniversary soundtrack) here are twenty things you probably didn’t know about the show — one for every year.

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Xena Reboot News for 21 November. Any news? Nope. Nothing as yet.

Assignment X Interviews Lucy about Ash Vs Evil Dead and Xena come up and of course the Reboot:

AX: There’s been some discussion of a XENA TV reboot happening. XENA premiered originally in 1995. Do you think it could work if it was introduced, or re-introduced, today?

LAWLESS: There had not been a mythological show on television for about two million years. So the ground was ripe for exploiting that world. Now, how do you make it appointment television, given the way that people watch things? The audience is all over cable. It’s spread out in a way that’s much harder to catch. I think friendship is what people want. People still want that core friendship [between Xena and her best friend Gabrielle, played by Renee O’Connor], and I think whenever they reboot it, they have to get two women who really like and respect, have a strong chemistry, to carry the mantle, because in whatever world you’re setting it in, I think that friendship might be what they want, the power of friendship.

AX: Would you be involved with the reboot?

LAWLESS: I don’t know. See, that was news to me. If they are rebooting it, we’re not involved at this point. There was a conversation a year ago that Rob was involved with, but that didn’t happen.

AX: You have a large group of very loyal fans from XENA. How do you feel about that?

LAWLESS: I love them and I’m really grateful for all the affection and fidelity they’ve shown me and this show. I try to show it back, but I would never bulls*** them, I would never lie to them and get their hopes up unnecessarily. I would love this [reboot] to happen, and if there was a way – what I’m sensing the issue is, I know that Rob can’t figure out a way to make it appointment television, given everything else that’s on television at the moment, given GAME OF THRONES. It’s not fertile ground for planting a seed right at the moment, but I would like all the people who are in a position to, all the creators, to think about the strength of that [Xena/Gabrielle] friendship, which was what had a resonance with all those people

AX: Would you want to return to playing Xena?

LAWLESS: In a [weekly] TV show? I couldn’t do it. I mean, I really couldn’t live that stunting. I look back, and I’ve got all sorts of wear and tear from that lifestyle, because that’s just what happens to human bodies when they get used a certain way a lot. So I actually couldn’t do it, I’m pretty certain. There’s somebody great out there. However, I would love to do a reboot of getting Xena, Gabrielle, Autolycus and Joxer [played by Ted Raimi] back together again, that crew back together to solve some ridiculous problem, [in a telefilm] or a movie. But limited.

AX: You recently had a reunion with Renee O’Connor …

LAWLESS: What I love is that it was a little bit like the show, that we have a friendship forged in the heat of battle. If we met each other in passing, we might not be attracted to one another, but we went through a lot of life dramas through our twenties together, both of us got married during the show – we went through a lot of stuff. I went through a divorce, she went through a break-up, all that sort of stuff, and we have a relationship like sisters. I’m grateful to everything that show gave me.

Blastr.com has a look back on our incredible show in it's 20th year. They interview Renee, Hudson, Ted and Steven.

Xena: Warrior Princess 20 years later: The cast and creators look back

Two decades have passed since television viewers were introduced to the fun, campy and emotional Xena: Warrior Princess. Yet if the response from passionate Xenites to news of a possible reboot showed us anything this year, it’s that Xena’s legacy and fanbase have remained strong since the show premiered on Sept. 4, 1995.

Xena’s story began before she received her own series, however, when her character appeared as a villain on Hercules: The Legendary Journeys. She received such a positive response that discussions of a spinoff led to her being chosen to helm the new show. Her story of seeking redemption by helping others as she turned from her ruthless, evil ways would help set her apart from Hercules. According to Steven Sears, a writer and producer for Xena’s first five seasons, Hercules was like their big brother. It was their launching pad, and the success of Hercules was one of the reasons Xena had a chance and was able to become successful. The team knew, however, that they didn’t want to be another Hercules.

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The winners of the AUSXIP Xena 20th Anniversary Giveaway is....
(before I get to the names, I have to say there was over 1500 entries and it took a while to sort out so thank you all for your patience!).

Thank you to all those who entered the giveaway!

Winner of the XWP Pack is: Arielle Strauss

Winner of the Xena Pack is: Isabella Svendsen

Winner of the Gabrielle Pack is: Elizabeth Koerber