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‘Xena Warrior Princess’ Reboot, Cast Change Defended Amid ‘Uproar’ By Fans

By Niki Cruz
Published on: 07:42 PST, Feb 23, 2016

As many know Xena: Warrior Princess is getting the reboot treatment, and while fans of the series have been waiting for the return of Xena, some are upset over the casting decision to go with two different actresses who will embody the roles of Xena (Lucy Lawless) and Gabrielle (Renee O’Connor).

Of the choice to stage a shake up with the cast, with casting younger actresses in the roles, the showrunner said the following of the decision despite outrage by the fans.

“…Lucy Lawless and Renee O’Connor are not going to be Xena and Gabrielle. That already has a lot of people in an uproar. The question of reboot vs. revival is a very relevant now that The X-Files has been revived with the original cast, and so has Star Wars … and because the die hard fans want to see their beloved actors in the role.”

The result of wanting new actresses to play the roles is because the powers that be want to expand the universe and make sure it lives on, which means that new characters have to embody the roles.

“I want for Xena to be a cultural icon for longer than my tenure in the entertainment industry, or that of anyone else involved with the project. If, in some far future, people assume that Xena is a character from the greek mythological pantheon alongside Hercules, and that’s why so many people have played her over so many years? That right there would be success.”

Fans don’t seem to care about this logic, and would rather have Lucy Lawless reprise the role.

As the Inquisitr previously reported, the new Xena reboot will play with the construct of feminism, which makes sense, given that the millennial generation has expanded on what feminism means today. Writer Javier Grillo-Marxauch is new to the production, but he’s plenty familiar with Xena as a character and how she has added to the conversation regarding feminism.

The character that brought so much power to women, is something that Javier doesn’t want to try and fix, but rather expand on in a whole new way. “It’s a delicate balancing act … one of the things I really insisted on in my pitch was telling an epic story that would be bingeable – but still feature several of the legacy characters in a way that makes sense to the totality of the story.”

Although the Xena reboot will try and capture the modern audience, and might borrow a page from the wildly successful show Game of Thrones in regards to their depiction of female characters, there’s a debate already brewing on how far to go with the clothes or lack thereof.
“I think we are going to have some very lengthy discussions about how to bring those elements into the present day without missing the boat on what makes Xena exactly what she is; and how to have our cake and eat it too.”

That said, even though Xena will go through some changes, it doesn’t mean that everything is changing. Xena’s Chakram will still be present, and Gabrielle will have her quarterstaff.

When the show first began, audiences were immediately attracted to the bond between Gabrielle and Xena, and as it turns out, that is something that the writers want to explore.

As for when the show will premiere, it’s still in the early stages, so as production gets underway, that will most definitely change.

[Image by NBC]

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