Xena: Warrior Princess Movie & Plot Details Proposed By Lucy Lawless After Reflecting On Failed Reboot

Published Jul 23, 2026, 3:34 PM EDT Jeff Dodge (he/him), a published author and graduate of Western Washington University, has been a TV news editor for many years and has had the chance to interview multiple reality show stars, including Randy Jackson, Nick Cannon, Heidi Klum, Mel B and John Cena. Fun Fact: he’s been to every single Idol Live! Tour. Sign in to your ScreenRant account Lucy Lawless just opened up about the failed Xena: Warrior Princess reboot that almost got made a decade ago and shared details about a potential film version that she would have preferred to work on instead. NBC began working on a Xena reboot TV show back in 2015, with writer and producer Javier Grillo-Marxuach being hired to work on the project. However, he eventually parted ways with the team over creative differences, and then NBC pulled the plug on the reboot completely. Now, after all these years, Lawless is speaking out about the Xena: Warrior Princess reboot that never happened. The actress acknowledged in an Instagram post that the original series was a cult classic and continued gaining new fans long after it went off the air, so she always questioned if rebooting such a beloved property was even "necessary." Instead, Lawless would have much preferred to make a movie that explored her character's past. "I would have loved to see her childhood, her birth, her family, her life in Amphipolis, her first hardships, the loss of her brother and the events that gradually shaped her character and ultimately led her down the dark path of becoming a ruthless warrior," the actor said. Whereas a Xena: Warrior Princess reboot would have just rehashed what the audience had already seen on screen before, a prequel film could have provided so much more depth to the character of Xena and "answered many questions that were only briefly touched upon in the series," Lawless explained. She added that the film could have revealed what "truly broke her," what led to her becoming a "feared warrior" and "how the legend of Xena began long before her journey toward redemption." Lawless ended her extensive Instagram caption by asking her followers if they had found a reboot or a prequel film "more interesting." As of this writing, more than 3,000 people have responded in the comments section of the post, with many saying a prequel would be preferable to a reboot, though some fans expressed interest in the latter or even a sequel. "I’d like to share my thoughts on the Xena: Warrior Princess reboot that was planned for 2015–2016 but, unfortunately, never came to fruition due to creative differences. "I’ve always wondered whether a new TV series was really necessary when the original Xena: Warrior Princess had already become a cult classic and continues to attract new fans decades later. "In my opinion, it would have been far more interesting to make a full-length feature film exploring Xena’s past. I would have loved to see her childhood, her birth, her family, her life in Amphipolis, her first hardships, the loss of her brother, and the events that gradually shaped her character and ultimately led her down the dark path of becoming a ruthless warrior. "A film like this could have explored Xena’s character in much greater depth and answered many questions that were only briefly touched upon in the series. We could have seen what truly broke her, why she became such a feared warrior, and how the legend of Xena began long before her journey toward redemption. "What do you think would have been more interesting: a complete reboot of the TV series, or a prequel film about young Xena and the beginning of her journey?" Lawless had appeared in a handful of TV shows and movies before landing a recurring role in Hercules: The Legendary Journeys as Xena before getting her own series, Xena: Warrior Princess. The John Schulian and Robert Tapert-created spinoff aired for six seasons from 1995 to 2001 and became a cult classic among fans. Xena: Warrior Princess debuted with an 80% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes, and the series went on to earn several nominations at the Emmys, including for Outstanding Music Composition and Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics, and finally winning in the former category in 2000. Aside from Lawless, Xena also starred Renee O'Connor, Ted Raimi, Kevin Smith, Hudson Leick, Karl Urban, Marton Csokas, Danielle Cormack, Adrienne Wilkinson, Alexandra Tydings, Claire Stansfield, Timothy Omundson, Jennifer Sky, William Gregory Lee, Tsianina Joelson and Paris Jefferson. The show may have ended in 2001, but interest continued long after the series finale. While the Xena: Warrior Princess reboot never materialized, Lawless is still opening up about her best-known role all these years later. Release Date 1995 - 2001-00-00 Network Syndication Showrunner Sam Raimi Xena: Warrior Princess follows the journey of Xena, a once-infamous warrior seeking redemption by defending the innocent. Accompanied by her loyal companion Gabrielle, they traverse ancient lands using their formidable skills to aid those in need, setting the stage for numerous adventures and challenges. Directors Garth Maxwell, Rick Jacobson, Mark Beesley, Josh Becker, Charles Siebert, T.J. Scott, John Fawcett, Michael Hurst, Michael Levine, Oley Sassone, Charlie Haskell, Doug Lefler, Gary Jones, John Laing, Bruce Campbell, Jace Alexander, John T. Kretchmer, Paul Lynch, Renee O'Connor, Stephen L. Posey, Chris Martin-Jones, Christopher Graves, Allison Liddi-Brown, Anson Williams Writers R.J. Stewart, Adam Armus, Nora Kay Foster, Emily Skopov, George Strayton, Hilary Bader, Terence Winter, Tom O’Neill, Carl Ellsworth, Chris Black, Peter Allan Fields, Jeff Vlaming, Alan Jay Glueckman, Eric Morris, Gene O'Neill, Gillian Horvath, Katherine Fugate, Linda McGibney, Melissa Blake, Noreen Tobin, Ashley Gable, Brenda Lilly, James Kahn Main Genre Adventure Creator(s) Robert Tapert, John Schulian Executive Producer(s) Robert Tapert Producers Sam Raimi Seasons 6 Story By Sam Raimi Streaming Service(s) AppleTV+