So what about that openly gay Xena reboot? 'It's dead'

Xena: Warrior Princess fans will today awaken to some sad news - the reboot of the cult '90s action series isn't happening.

The show, which turned Kiwi actress Lucy Lawless into a household name, was scheduled to be rebooted by NBC.

But things looked dicey when Lost writer Javier Grillo-Marxuach departed a few months ago over creative differences, and now NBC says it isn't happening.

The network's Entertainment president Jennifer Salke confirmed the news to The Hollywood Reporter.

"Nothing is happening on that right now. We looked at some material; we decided at that point that it didn't warrant the reboot," she said.

But there's still a little hope: "I'd never say never on that one because it's such a beloved title, but the current incarnation of it is dead."

Lucy Lawless as the main character in Xena: Warrior Princess.

Grillo-Marxuach had planned to explore a romance between Xena (Lawless) and her sidekick Gabrielle that was only hinted at in the original.

"There is no reason to bring back Xena 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," Grillo-Marxuach said last year.

The series, which ran for six seasons between 1995-2001, concluded with the pair kissing. Lawless later said she always considered the pair to be a couple.

Lucy Lawless as Xena.

Lawless had backed the idea of a reboot after sparking rumours back in 2015, but she didn't want to play Xena again.

"I wouldn't do a series because it's just too physically hard," she'd said.

Lawless' next role is in Auckland-based live theatre experience, Pleasuredome.