One Screenwriter’s Quest to Bring to the Big Screen; ‘XENA: WARRIOR PRINCESS’

Bring Xena and Gabrielle back to the screen!

If you head over to XenaFilm.com, you might be surprised by what you see. We’ll admit, it’s not the most traditional method of getting a pitch heard in Hollywood, but we have to give props to this creative screenwriter (a close friend to us at Beyond the Marquee). In case she’s successful in her efforts, we don’t want to spoil the plot, but we’ve read her 30-page treatment for what she calls a combination “adaptation/relaunch” of Xena: Warrior Princess, and we love it!

Xena: The Warrior Princess

Xena: The Warrior Princess

Xena is without a doubt one of the most iconic female franchises of all time. Joss Whedon once said that without Xena, there would have likely been no Buffy. Obviously then without Buffy, we would have never seen his version of Avengers. With the recent box office success of female-lead projects like Hunger Games and Frozen, it seems the timing is perfect to bring Xena and Gabrielle back to the screen in a blockbuster movie. In her incredible treatment, this screenwriter has achieved that tough balance between epic action/adventure and heartfelt drama. She’s captured the essence of the series and utilized the original characters in a way we’re sure Xena fans would love — all while establishing an exciting new young lead that would carry the torch into many more films, spin-offs, and merchandise.

If Universal Pictures and Rob Tapert are as smart as we know they are, they’d contact our friend immediately at xenafilm@gmail.com and hire her to pen the screenplay for this incredible tentpole project, then watch the global box office dollars roll in! But they’d better hurry — Lucy Lawless and Renée O’Connor aren’t getting any younger, and if this fan campaign is any indication, the masses are tired of waiting! For that matter, if they fast-tracked the project, it could hit screens just in time for the 20th Anniversary of the show’s debut. We know we’d be first in line to see it! Would you? Leave us your comments below.

 

 

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9 Responses to “One Screenwriter’s Quest to Bring to the Big Screen; ‘XENA: WARRIOR PRINCESS’”

  1. Hooly says:

    I want to see a Xena movie WITH Lucy and Renee! To shore up the tragic end that no studio would ever do to a male action hero, ever.

    I can’t support throwing talented women under the bus just to get a Xena movie made with a recast. Studios have NO PROBLEM making movies with men 5-20 years older than Lucy and Renee. Universal is making a new ‘Conan The Barbarian’ movie with 66yo Arnold, you know, the lying lug who had extra-marital sex with his maid and a child with her? He’ll also be in the new ‘Terminator’ and ‘Expendables 3’ movies. Why can’t people support actresses the same way? Men and women both like to reconnect with our heroes, not just male heroes. (67yo Sly is making a new Rocky movie, Bruce Willis reprised Die Hard, the cast of Star Wars coming back 38 yrs later, Johnny Depp will be making a new Pirates of The Carribean – yep, he’s older than Lucy. So is Robert Downey, Jr.).

    It would be a different situation if Lucy and Renee were not able. But they are fit, beautiful, and have great acting range – so a movie could also have a plot and drama instead of just explosions and one-liners. I don’t see how we can expect change in Hollywood for talented women behind and in-front of the cameras unless we are willing to stand up for it.

  2. Agent 86 says:

    I’d love to see a Xena: Warrior Princess movie! Either released straight to DVD or a major blockbuster on the big screen.

    It sounds like the legal rights are a pretty major issues when it comes to exploiting the Xena brand. The fact that so many other 90s TV shows are seeing a resurgence in merchandise like action figures, statues, etc yet Xena never appears is very odd.

  3. I am concerned about the author retaining the complexity and layers of both Xena and Gabrielle. The scripts presented some of this, but it was the amazing acting of Lucy Lawless and Renee O’Conner secondarily (as her
    character was less complex a person than Lucy’s).

    I would welcome, as a devoted fan, a Xena film, but the only one of the quality and uniqueness of the original would have to include Lucy and Renee in the lead roles- They are not too old-they are both still stunning women-for you sexist pigs reading this- and their acting skills have only gotten richer, deeper and more subtle.

    The idea of passing the torch would be consistent with the spirit of Xena Warrior Princess but the author should retain the glory of the originals.
    Lucy WAS Xena and Renee WAS Gabrielle-there are no substitutes-only more mature versions of these brilliant actors.

  4. Marina Tucakovic says:

    Great news. I wonder how many others have thought outside the box? I know I have. Have a completed XWP screenplay ion my computer ready to go. It has been been through reviewers and the feedback is great. Universal need to sort out the rights issue, call those scripts in and choose.

  5. FW says:

    Xena for ever!!! bring her back!! <3

  6. Jude says:

    I would *love* a Xena movie. And I would pay for it <– $$$$!

  7. ray p. says:

    Interesting. As a former casual series viewer, I’d be down with seeing a Xena flick if it’s a big action flick. This screenwriter seems to be thinking outside the box, which is a good sign. I’d hate to see Xena completely rebooted, but I also don’t think a straight up adaptation would be “big” enough. So what the writer is proposing sounds like the right idea to me. Hopefully Universal reaches out to him/her.

  8. Film Nutter says:

    ok ok, consider my interest peaked

  9. freeda22 says:

    I would love to see this!!! Curious if Universal and the show creators would do the right thing though and actually reach out to the writer, or just keep thinking they know best and never give us a movie which is far from “best”. 🙁

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