| abstract
| - The "Xena movie" is the term used to describe a planned theatrical motion picture, sequel to the television series Xena: Warrior Princess, that never reached pre-production. It would have starred Lucy Lawless and Renee O'Connor. "When Fates Collide" writer Katherine Fugate was approached and offered to write the screenplay.[1] Planning on the Xena movie began shortly after the series ended production. In January 2003, Universal had set the budget at $50-60 Million and planned on signing some big stars. They wanted the movie to be a "major blockbuster" and to be released within three or four years, e.g. by 2007. Katherine Fugate was approached that same month to write the screenplay.[2] By September of that year, the question of who owned the rights to Xena was raised, and much of the planning came to a halt.[3] The rights to the Xena property, which were strictly controlled by Universal until released by contract that year, became the center of a legal battle between Rob Tapert and Universal, with uncertainties as to who owned the characters.[4][5] In order to retain financing, Tapert signed Lucy Lawless reprise her role of Xena.[6] At Creation Entertainment's 2004 Xena convention, news broke that Katherine Fugate finished the outline to the script and Renee O'Connor had been signed to reprise Gabrielle. Fugate's outline was stated to have many returning characters, with the notable exception of Ares (his actor, Kevin Smith, having passed away in 2002). The set budget had moved down to $40-50 Million.[7] By March 2004, despite being presented in Tapert's "package" for financing of the Xena movie, Lucy Lawless stated the unlikeliness of the film being produced due to the rights dispute.[8] In March 2005, the Windy City News reported that Fugate had finished the script for the Xena film.[9] After that news of development dried off, with Tapert and Fugate generally advising fans to write to Universal or their subsidiary Rogue Pictures in order to persuade them in releasing the rights. In December 2006, during an interview with Leeza Gibbons, Lucy Lawless stated that there was a 50/50 chance of the film being made.[10] In January 2007, Rob Tapert reported that Universal agreed a Xena could be made, but not before 2017 and definitely with Lawless and O'Connor reprising their roles. Tapert expressed his belief that something could happen sooner.[11] In April 2009, after years of trying to get a movie produced, Tapert reported that he was no longer involved with producing the movie and a remake would probably be produced in another ten-to-twenty years.[12] In 2011 a new Facebook campaign: ‘Xena 2011 Movie Campaign’ was started by fans of the Xena Warrior Princess series. Still currently in effect, now the Xena Movie Campaign, the campaign is aimed at uniting the Xena fan nation in an effort to persuade Rob Tapert, Sam Raimi, NBC Universal and any other necessary parties, of the financial gain to be made from a Xena movie starring Lucy Lawless and Renee O’Connor. Any Xena fans still wanting and hoping for a movie can join the campaign in its quest to secure a movie (with the series’ original cast) by visiting and liking the : ‘Xena Movie Campaign’ at: [13]
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