Time for Yet ANOTHER Reboot

[D'Snowth]

This time, XENA: THE WARRIOR PRINCESS is being rebooted.

Not surprising in this day and age of rehashes, reboots, remakes, and so on and so forth, because we all know Hollywood is out of original ideas, but here's the thing: you know the main reason why Xena is getting a reboot? Just so they can now show and say the character is a lesbian without getting in trouble.

Okay, yeah, I know there was all sorts of lesbian subtext on the original show - even the cast and crew have openly admitted to that - and I know times have changed to the point where it's no longer a taboo to include a gay character on a successful series, but doesn't it seem like a rather ludicrous idea to reboot an older TV show? Even the show's original executive producer is basically saying, "Yeah, we're rebooting Xena just so we can say she's a lesbian!" That sounds like something that could have just been left to fanfic writers . . . or maybe somebody could have gone the FIFTY SHADES OF GRAY route and write their own knock-off of Xena and Gabrielle femslash and turn that into a franchise.

 

[mr3urious]

This Xena reboot has been planned since last year, actually. And one of the writers behind Lost will write it.

http://www.ew.com/article/2015/12/14/xena-reboot

And seeing as NBC will be producing it, I doubt it will last long as they've had so many flops in recent years.

 

[The Count]

Yeah, I heard about this a coupla months ago when Filmforce wasn't being such a jerk website to navigate.

And as a long fan of the original series, which was a spin-off from the Kevin Zorbo Hercules series, it sounds really really dumb to reboot the series just for that lame excuse.
Then again, it's Hollywood. Good thing there are other projects coming along that I'm much more interested in like the second Alice movie coming in May, Coco, Night on Bald Mountain, and Beetlejuice Returns (whenever that actually gets released).

 

[Mynameisdean]

I bet there will be a ton more reboots once Dreamworks figures out what to do with that Dreamworks Classics library besides really expensive and shoddy shirts.

 

[Drtooth]

Even the show's original executive producer is basically saying, "Yeah, we're rebooting Xena just so we can say she's a lesbian!" That sounds like something that could have just been left to fanfic writers . . . or maybe somebody could have gone the FIFTY SHADES OF GRAY route and write their own knock-off of Xena and Gabrielle femslash and turn that into a franchise.

I'm sure if anyone actually wrote that sort of Xena fan fiction, at least it'd be someone who knows how the mechanics of sex actually works, unlike Fifty Sharts.

Now, as someone who prefers his Hercules in a gospel musical that makes fun of it being a merchandise fest and has Danny DeVito and James Woods taking the dang show by knifepoint and refusing to give it back, I could care less. I'd hate to see a reboot of Hercules where Kevin Sorbo wags a judgmental finger at Xena and Gabriell with his sidekick Mike Huckabee (isn't it sad when these actors somehow find religion when they get too old and unpopular to have a real career and become terrible people?).

Other than that...eh... how the heck are they going to pull this show off? The show's famous for being camp. Manufactured camp is a mixed bag. Batman '66 pulled it off beautifully for the most part, even though some episodes weren't so much "So bad it's good" tongue in cheek as they were "let's see how silly we can make the show and ruin the satirical undertones." Am I the only one who hated Surfing Joker? Not to mention that the subtle hinting of their sexuality is a lot more clever and funny than just out and saying it. Remember when Ren had to remind Stimpy who the pitcher and who the catcher was? Not funny. Ren standing under the mistletoe, and flirting to cheer Stimpy up after losing his fart son, which Stimpy replies "GOSH DARN IT REN!!! Is that all YOU CAN THINK OF?!?!" Endlessly hilarious.

I bet there will be a ton more reboots once Dreamworks figures out what to do with that Dreamworks Classics library besides really expensive and shoddy shirts.

I seriously doubt we'll get anything more than that Peabody and Sherman cartoon. Underdog does deserve a reboot so everyone can forget that piece of crap Disney movie. Only way it could have been worse is if it was Rob Schneider.

 

[Mynameisdean]

Only way it could have been worse is if it was Rob Schneider.

Absolutely. I HATED that Underdog movie, seriously. Even Peter Dinklage, who is usually a good actor, managed to be... Sucky in a forgettable film, filmed in Providence, Rhode Island, I think, and I don't know why. Also, I don't know how the Peabody and Sherman movie could've worked unless it was a masterpiece, for today's animated movie audience mostly had no idea in he...ck who the duo was, and that's why it lost money.

 

[Drtooth]

The Peabody and Sherman movie worked at least better than the other Jay Ward movies. That's not saying much, though both George of the Jungle movies captured the spirit of the cartoon pretty much while altering the concept to work as a film. The only major alteration with P&S is that Peabody is a more loving father. Even managed to reference the first episode of the series in it. It gives depth to a joke concept of a dog owing a boy which of course works only for a film, as the original series was basically joke drawn.

That said, it actually made more money than all the Jay Ward films combined, but again, not saying much. Dudley Do-Right was a (justified) flop, and Bullwinkle merchandise was cleared the heck out for months after its demise. And I gotta admit, I really liked Bullwinkle's film, but felt that pandering to little girls by adding a Mary Sue tarnished the otherwise well researched cartoon translation (they sang the Pottsylvanian Anthem from the cartoon which was only referenced once...and in the middle of the longest story arc in the series).

Underdog sucked because they clearly just wanted a super hero dog movie and had the rights to make a movie called Underdog. Strangely, George of the Jungle began life as a generic Tarzan parody film, but they also planned on making a George movie and had the rights bought, so they just had someone Jay Ward up the script. But Underdog took away the most important aspect of the character, he's a dog that walks like a man (as are Polly and Riff Raff). But above all, his secret identity was a complete nebbish. Instead they made him a wise talking, Jason Lee voiced, regular dog that's some kid's pet. Nothing could have been done to make that movie any better.