Javier Grillo-Marxuach
will pen the script for Rob Tapert and Sam Raimi.
NBC is moving forward
with its Xena: Warrior Princess reboot.
The network has tapped
Lost alum Javier Grillo-Marxuach to pen the script for the project, The
Hollywood Reporter has learned.
Grillo-Marxuach, who
was part of the Emmy-winning drama win for Lost in 2004, will exec produce the
Xena reboot alongside co-creator Rob Tapert and Sam Raimi, who will oversee the
NBC International Television Studios entry via their Ghost House Pictures
banner.
Sources tell THR that
the reboot will follow a new, modern Xena, with the lead actress needing to
have the charisma and charm of original star Lucy Lawless and the smarts of The
Hunger Games' Katniss as producers are said to be looking for a sophisticated
and smart superhero for a new generation. The potential series is being eyed for
2016.
Lawless, who is married
to Tapert, is not currently involved in the NBC reboot.
"We'd love to have
Lucy be a part of it — if we felt that her presence didn't overshadow the
direction we take with it," NBC Entertainment chairman Bob Greenblatt told
THR in August. "I'm not sure how she could be part of it if she wasn't
playing Xena, and I don't know if that's a direction we'll ever go," he
said, noting that he'd be open to having the actress — who is married to Tapert
— involved creatively behind the scenes."
Xena was created by
John Schulian and Tapert and produced by Tapert, Sam Raimi and actor Bruce
Campbell's Renaissance Pictures, Studios USA and Universal Television, the
latter of which distributed the series in more than 108 countries around the
globe. The drama was a cult favorite and ratings hit, ranking in the top five
syndicated programs during each of its six seasons.
"I don't think
it's just a continuation, but we haven't gotten that far. I think it's a great
character, and we should try to figure out how to revive it somehow,"
Greenblatt said.
For his part,
Grillo-Marxuach's credits include a WGA Award for Lost in 2006 for best
dramatic series and a nomination for the same category a year later. The
prolific writer's résumé includes Helix, Charlie's Angels, The Middleman,
Medium, Boomtown, The Chronicle and Charmed. He's repped by ICM Partners and
Jackoway Tyerman.
Revisiting Xena comes
as reboots continue to be in high demand as broadcast and cable networks alike
look to proven commodities (and fan bases) to cut through the clutter in an
increasingly competitive scripted landscape. Key to their success is having the
original producers involved. Fox is bringing The X-Files back in January and
has plans to produce another run of Prison Break after successfully reviving
24. Over at CBS, the network has found success with a remake of Limitless with
star Bradley Cooper attached as an EP and recurring player and will bow its
Rush Hour adaptation come midseason.
by Lesley Goldberg
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