Producer Javier Grillo-Marxuach Explains How His Xena Reboot Will Be “Very Different” From The 100

Javier Grillo-Marxuach has worked on some of the most popular genre TV shows out there, most recently as co-executive producer on The 100. As part of his work on The 100 he also wrote “Thirteen,” possibly the most controversial installment in the series so far for its treatment of a lesbian character. (Spoilers for The 100 to follow.)

Since “Thirteen” aired earlier this month, Grillo-Marxuach has been responding to fan concerns about the episode on his Tumblr, where he revealed that he won’t be returning to the show in the future. He’s also the writer and executive producer on that upcoming Xena reboot, and given the subtextual relationship between Xena and Gabrielle in the original series, it’s understandable that fans would want to know how Grillo-Marxuach plans to address LGBTQ+ relationships on the show. One Tumblr user asked,

Do you think the fan’s reaction to Lexa’s death will a) influence the writers or Jason’s decisions for the series as it continues and b) have effect on your writing for future projects like Xena?

Grillo-Marxuach replied,

i am a very different person with a very different world view than my employer on the 100 – and my work on the 100 was to use my skills to bring that vision to life.

xena will be a very different show made for very different reasons. 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. it will also express my view of the world – which is only further informed by what is happening right now – and is not too difficult to know what that is if you do some digging.

Based off that, it sounds like Grillo-Marxuach plans to make Xena and Gabrielle’s relationship explicit in the new show. I’m cautiously optimistic about what that could look like, provided Grillo-Marxuach does bring “what is happening right now” (by which I presume he means all the comments he’s receiving from fans about “Thirteen”) to bear in Xena.

Thoughts?

(via Comic Book Resources)

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