Movie Whispers

Finally, some more whisperings about the Xena Movie! Box Office Mojo interviewed Katherine Fugate on April 16, 2004. Here is the relevant part of the article to which I am referring to:

BOM: You also wrote for Xena: The Warrior Princess --

Fugate: I wrote [during] the sixth and last season. The main episode I wrote was "When Fates Collide," which a lot of fans felt officially outed Xena and Gabrielle as lovers. It had been pretty obvious if you wanted to see it but it was never as overtly stated and as clearly drawn. I have never experienced so much hate mail. At first, I was hurt. It's hard to read that people hate you and wish you to hell. But when I was able to step back, I knew I was doing the right thing.

BOM: Will there be a Xena movie?

Fugate: I'm supposed to write the script. I've outlined it, but [the deal is] not signed and sealed. It was assumed that Robert Tapert, the creator and executive producer, who is married to Lucy [Lawless, the actress who played Xena], was supposed to get the rights back from Universal. Under that assumption, I was approved as the writer with Lucy and Renee [O'Connor, the actress who played Xena's sidekick, Gabrielle] signed to reprise their roles. But now there's some big legal battle. Universal isn't sure who has the rights and everyone has a different conclusion.

BOM: What's the plot?

Fugate: This is what I'll say about a cult movie. I'm friends with Gillian Anderson [Scully on The X-Files, who went on to star in the X-Files movie]. There are expectations on many levels of a TV-based movie. You have original fans, those who saw it maybe a few times, hardcore fans who don't want to see any exposition because they've seen every episode maybe five times, and then you have people who have never seen it and you have to try and tell them a whole new story. There are so many angles. People have many desires; I was listening to Gillian, and [X-Files] is still Chris Carter's show, but some people wanted Mulder and Scully to be together and some didn't and that's it. Once you make a decision, you're going to alienate people and you're going to make others thrilled. It's the same with Xena.

BOM: Are Xena and Gabrielle going to be lovers?

Fugate: [I]t was pretty clear that they were [lovers]. But the series wasn't about a lesbian relationship as much as it was about a heroine. I don't want to write a domestic drama. It's clear that they're lovers but that's not going to be the focus.

I also updated the Link of the Month! XWPonline | Xena: Warrior Princess | Unofficial Website is a spectacular site for continuous updates on all things Xena related! I highly recommend this site for anyone who wishes to keep up to date on their Xena news!