Even as Lucy Lawless returns to the small screen this fall for Starz’s Ash vs Evil Dead, it appears that the pieces are falling into place for the actress to reprise the most iconic role of her television career. According to THR, NBC and NBC Universal International are plotting a Xena: Warrior Princess reboot, with original EPs Rob Tapert and Sam Raimi involved.
Sources warn THR that the project is in extremely early stages of development and is still looking for a writer to approach Xena 2.0 as a “modern reboot.” Lawless is reportedly being eyed for a role both on screen and behind the scenes – a logical next step, given how much geek cred the actress still possesses as a result of the part.
It’s also being reported that Xena: Warrior Princess would not be seen as a one-off revival like Fox’s 24 and X-Files series but as an on-going series that could be renewed for multiple seasons. That’s all dependent on whether audiences take to the new Xena, who must possess Lawless’ charisma and the intelligence of a modern female action-hero like The Hunger Games‘ Katniss Everdeen.
The plot to extend Xena into a new series comes just as Lawless reteams with Raimi and Tapert on Ash vs. Evil Dead, which seems to have played a role in speeding up the property’s resurrection.
Regardless, it was starting to seem inevitable that Xena would eventually ride again, given the amount of TV reboots taking shape at the moment. Everything from Prison Break to Heroes to Coach is coming back to the small screen – but luckily for NBC, at least Xena is a property fans have been loudly lobbying for over the course of many years. Especially with Lawless, Tapert and Raimi involved, the prospects for a series that reunites audiences with the Warrior Princess and introduces her to a whole new generation seem positively rosy.