Hercules and Xena |
Who Will Be The Next Xena and Hercules? | Hercules and Xena essays |
|
|
Hercules and Xena |
Who Will Be The Next Xena and Hercules? | Hercules and Xena essays |
|
|
|
| Xenite.Org News | Who Will Be The Next Xena and Hercules? |
|
Site Map 2 SciFi Links
Special thanks to: 
for designing Xenite.org's graphics Contact Us! |
Who Will Be The Next Xena and Hercules?
I suppose it's a bit premature but I've been wondering what the future holds in store for Xena and Hercules. I don't mean the current television series -- I mean the characters. Will they be resurrected somewhere in 15-20 years? It's happened before. Of course, the character of Hercules has appeared in movies for decades, but Xena is a trademarked character. Would Renaissance Pictures ever decide to revive the character? Well, did Paramount revive the STAR TREK franchise after 10 years? Of course they did. It took a lot of fannish effort at the time, but in 1979, ten years after the first STAR TREK series was cancelled, we finally got to see STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE. I suppose that, based on that film's lukewarm reception, we don't exactly want to see HERCULES AND XENA: THE MOTION PICTURE. Imagine Hercules recruiting all his old buds to go after a mysterious pylon in the Aegean Sea. "Salmoneus -- there's a thing out there." "Hercules? Why is it that every time we get together there is some thing we have to confront? Why can't we just sit down and negotiate a new sports announcer contract?" Xena would come scuttling across the Strymon River on a raft, "borrowed" from an Athenian League Philosopher's Colony, no doubt, and she would try to mind-meld with the pylon to figure out whose soul was trapped in it (which would be Alcmene's cousin, of course, but....) Seriously, a reunion movie has been long predicted by Herkuleans and Xenites with (perhaps) a decreasing level of confidence each year. But I think it more likely that the series will be revived for a future generation. Maybe Xena's story will be retold, while the "legendary journeys" will be told anew with a new cast of characters. Why should I think such a thing? Well, let's take a look at Robin Hood. He's been the subject of many movies (who can forget Errol Flynn and his hefty sidekick Alan Hale, father of "the Skipper" from GILLIGAN'S ISLAND?). He's been the subject of three television series in the United States since the 1950s. None of them were all that successful, although I think many people prefer the first series over When Things Were Rotten and the new Robin Hood. Clearly, television producers have not fallen out of love with the Merry Men. In twenty years, we'll probably see a fourth incarnation. Look at Tarzan, Edgar Rice Burroughs' beloved ape man. I remember watching Ron Ely when I was a kid and being absolutely blown away by that version of Tarzan (much to my chagrin, many years later I learned that Ely's Tarzan was nothing like ERB's). We've had two Tarzan series that I know of since Ely turned in his loincloth in the early 1970s. Unlike Hercules and Robin Hood, who are heroes drawn from myth and folklore, Tarzan is still a trademarked character (although the first Tarzan books are now in the public domain, ERB wrote so many of them it will be at least another 20 years before they all hit the public domain -- I'm not sure, however, if ERB, Inc. still owns the television rights). STAR TREK is definitely still protected by trademarks and copyrights. The franchise has not yet gasped its last breath. Even as STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE closes down its operation, Rick Berman (Executive Producer for the STAR TREK series and heir to Gene Roddenberry's creative control over the franchise) is hinting there will be at least one more STAR TREK series, set on a ship somewhere, hopefully to come out in a couple of years. So, there is precedent for reviving a series a generation after it ends production (or even sooner). The question is, will Sam Raimi and Rob Tapert (or whomever controls Renaissance in 20 years) be interested in reviving their two best shows (to date)? And, if so, who will play the new Hercules and Xena? It's doubtful that Daisy Lawless will want to follow in her mother's footsteps, but one never knows. On the other hand, if Kevin and Sam Sorbo have any children in the next few years, even a firstborn son won't likely be old enough (or experienced enough) to play the new Hercules. I doubt there will be any dynasties associated with these shows if/when they are revived. An obvious question some hardcore fans will ask is, "Would the viewing public accept another Hercules or Xena?" I think this question has already been answered. Just before Lucy Lawless broke her hip in a tonight show appearance Renaissance had closed production on an episode titled "Intimate Stranger" (sometimes miscalled by fans "Intimate Strangers"). In this episode Lucy changed roles with the frequent guest star Hudson Leick, best known to Xenites and Herkuleans as Callisto. Lucy and Hudson studied each other's portrayals of their characters to make the transition more believable, and it worked well. When Lucy was injured Renaissance brought Hudson back to reshoot the ending of "Intimate Stranger" and to remake completely "Ten Little Warlords", in which she reprised the role of Xena. Her performance was astounding and many fans loved it -- hardcore Callistolites often claim Hudson would make the better Xena, but that's a debate we'll sidestep here. The role of Young Hercules has changed hands as well. Ian Bohen was picked and groomed for the role. He doesn't look much like Kevin Sorbo but he made an effort to mimic some of the Sorbo mannerisms. Ian was popular with Herkuleans, but he decided not to stay in New Zealand after the YOUNG HERCULES series was announced so Renaissance had to find another actor to take over the role: enter Ryan Gosling. Gosling came in at a distinct disadvantage, because so many people had become attached to Ian, but after the series hit its stride (as much of a stride as it could hit), fans were generally fond of Gosling, too. I don't believe the series was cancelled for lack of talent -- word is that money was the fundamental problem. So, we've already seen more than one Xena (in fact, Bruce Campbell and Renee O'Connor have also played Xena, though perhaps not as convincingly as Hudson Leick, but they had less screen time in which to develop their portrayals) and more than one Hercules (well, more than one young Hercules). The precedent for fans' acceptance of different actors in the roles has therefore also been set. All it takes, then, is for a little time to pass, a new generation of television viewers to grow up, and maybe, some day, some way, our beloved H:TLJ and X:WP will enter production again.... |
This page is copyright © 1997-2007 by Michael L. Martinez. All rights reserved. |