Lucy Lawless as Xena in 'Xena: Warrior Princess' Image via Universal Television By Collier Jennings Published Aug 8, 2026, 11:07 PM EDT Collier Jennings is an entertainment journalist with a substantial amount of experience under his belt. Collier, or "CJ" to his friends and family, is a dedicated fan of genre films - particularly science fiction, fantasy and comic book adaptations, not to mention all forms of animation animation. This stems from a close bond with his father, who introduced him to these genres via copies of X-Men comics and reruns of the original Ultraman series. Using his near-encyclopedic knowledge and bottomless love of genre, he's been able to tackle a wide variety of articles. Sign in to your Collider account Add Us Add on Google Preferred Source Google News Summary Generate a summary of this story Like Like follow Follow followed Followed Listen Thread Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap Fantasy is a genre that's constantly finding new life on television. From Game of Thrones and its various spin-offs to the chaotically charming Legend of Vox Machina , there's a fantasy show for every generation. For those who grew up in the '90s, that show was Xena: Warrior Princess . Spinning out of Hercules: The Legendary Journeys , Xena followed Lucy Lawless ' titular warrior princess as she sought to atone for the sins of her past. Ironically, Xena would wind up outstripping Hercules in popularity and remains an iconic series to this day. While most fans have been clamoring for a reboot , Lucy Lawless has taken to social media to explain why it hasn't happened... and what she'd like to do with the character.
On her Instagram account , Lawless discussed the potential Xena reboot that was in development from 2015-2016 under Javier Grillo-Marxuach ( The 100 , Lost ). NBC eventually canceled the project , but Lawless said that she had a different project in mind: a movie that explored Xena's youth .
"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."
While Lawless didn't confirm that a new Xena: Warrior Princess project was in the works, her idea of a prequel movie centered on a young Xena would be the perfect way to expand upon the series . Not only could it further expand upon the lore of Xena: Warrior Princess and Hercules: The Legendary Journeys , but it could build out elements of Xena's character that were only hinted at in the original series.
Xena (Lucy Lawless) brandishes a sword in Xena: Warrior Princess. Image via Renaissance Pictures/Universal Television Xena's past life was only touched upon in certain episodes, but it's a past that's fraught with tragedy . She lost her younger brother during an attack by the warlord Cortese, which drove a wedge between her and her mother. During her time as a pirate, she starts an affair with Julius Caesar — yes, that Julius Caesar — only for him to betray and crucify her. Finally, after being rescued by an Egyptian slave girl named M'Lila, Xena watches her take an arrow to the chest and fully embraces her darker nature. Though Hercules will eventu…