Xena Warrior Princess reboot set to fully address main characters' sexuality
There'll be no gay subtext for Xena and Gabrielle this time around...
The beloved 90s TV series Xena: Warrior Princess is getting a reboot — and it's going to be modern in more than just its production quality.
When the original show was on air, Xena and her best friend Gabrielle became icons for the lesbian community as it was repeatedly implied that the kick-ass pair were a little more than pals. But it was always subtext, not explicit, that the duo were gay.
The new NBC series, though, will have an out-and-proud Xena, suggests writer Javier Grillo-Marxuach (who also executive-produced cult hit The 100). During a Q&A session on Tumblr, Grillo-Marxuach made it clear that the two women would be lovers, plain and simple.
"There is no reason to bring back Xena", he said, "if it is not there for the purpose of fully exploring a relationship that could only be shown subtextually in first-run syndication in the 1990s. It will also express my view of the world – which is only further informed by what is happening right now – and is not too difficult to know what that is if you do some digging."
