General Rumors about XWP Archive
APRIL 1998 to JUNE 1998

06-09-98. Although we have not been able to find any mention of the production in trade magazines, etc., Renee O'Connor is alledgedly in California right now filming a TV movie called "Rubbernecking". Apparently, it is a comedy about a traffic jam. Rumors are that while she's filming that, the NZers are filming the shows which deal with Xena's attempts at getting back Gabrielle. The big question is whether O'Connor will be absent from any of them competely (she could have filmed bits to be inserted later), since that will break her pristine record of appearing in every single XWP episode since SINS OF THE PAST.

06-09-98. From Alex Kurtzman & Roberto Orci at a Universal Chat from 04-07-98. They said that the next season Hercules will be darker and that there will not be any comedies for quite awhile. (I guess, XWP will get them all!) They also said that Hercules will be leaving Greece for awhile and going to Scandinavia. (Which also Xena and Gabrielle shall hit the road too. We know about a return trip to Chin and Borias will return as well.)

06-08-98. Divine Justice? Karl Urban (actor, Caesar) is about to be in a New Zealand play: Shakespeare's JULIUS CAESAR. Will he further flex his Caesar muscles that he has developed on XWP? NOPE! He's playing Mark Antony! (Hey!!! He finally gets the girl!!!) And boy, does he ever have that haircut down.

06-08-98. At the Phoenix Creation Entertainment Xena/Herk Con on May 31, 1998, Sharon Delaney, president of the Official Xena & Herk Fan Clubs, stated that one of the early episodes of HTLJ for the 5th season will be an episode called"A Day in the Life". She also stated that there will also be a bathing scene between the big guy and Iolaus. (This was posted on the NetForum). It looks like this episode will be a parody of the XWP episode "A Day in the Life" which was coincidently directed by Michael Hurst. There are rumors that Hurst will be directing more this 5th season, so perhaps this will be under his helm as well. Which brings us to yet another XWP perpetual rumor: that XWP's "A Day in the Life" is to have a sequel. This has been bandied about some time now, and like the other perpetual rumor of "Warrior...Poetess...Tramp", it looks like it has been reregulated on the back burner. For a few months is was conjectured that the XWP 4th season episode "A Good Day" may have been the sequel, however, this episode is looking more like the Caesar episode every day. But, as any seasoned XWP spoiler fiend knows, it ain't official until it's aired. And would we really want it any other way????

04-23-98. The USA Channel on cable on August 3, 1998, will start broadcasting HERCULES and XENA, five days a week (yes, that is FIVE DAYS a week), at 6pm and 7pm respectively. USA gives individual feeds to the different time zomes so that time is good across the United States. Be there or be square!!!

04-23-98. Alex Kurtzman & Roberto Orci, two writers from HTLJ, were on Universal Chat on 04-07-98. These two writers were immortalized in YES VIRGINIA THERE IS A HERCULES, and ironically wrote it themselves...coincidence? YOU DECIDE. Anyways, they stated at the chat that they were going to write less episodes (about 4, they said) in HERCULES next season (the 5th for those who are counting). This is because they now oversee all of the scripts and coordinate the overall plot of the show. Can you say promotion? Also, they said the rumors that next season HERCULES won't be in the show much are completely false. A WHOOSH correspondent asked them if HERCULES was ending in 1999 and they said this was not true either.

04-01-98. Some mild buzz that the series which RenPic is developing with Bruce Campbell is about...PIRATES. Campbell has already went on the record stating that the pilot would not use Autolycus. Campbell is introducing a new character on HERCULES this season, so some are assuming that the pilot will revolve around this character. However, the new character is an actor who is studying Herk, nothing which immediately lends itself to...PIRATES. What they need to do is find a Lucy Lawless clone and spin-off a series about Xena's pirate days, who wouldn't pay REAL MONEY to see XENA: PIRATE PRINCESS...THE MOVIE? Also, there is some residual buzz that Ted Raimi will be in the pilot...and what about those other pilots based upon the Xenaverse and Hercaverse? YOUNG HERCULES suffered a blow when the lead, Ian Bohen, decided to ditch the series. The resilient RenPic team have decided to continue with the project (heck, they already sold it, after all) and to recast Young Herk as soon as possible. We have no information on whether they have narrowed down the search or have their eye on some specific person already. And what about AMAZON HIGH? AMAZON HIGH is still unsold although there was talk of some offers made. AMAZON is currently being scored and re-tooled. It may even get a name change (which in this reviewer's opinion would be a smart move!). There were also talk of some cast problems and that some actors in the pilot were not going to continue in the hypothetical series, or might even be completely written out in the re-tooling of the pilot.

04-01-98. Around March 25, 1998, the 2nd unit crew finished their last filming of the 3rd season and so began the 4 week-ish XENA hiatus before everyone has to return to tackle the 4th season. This allowed star Lucy Lawless, some spare time to get married to executive producer Robert Tapert on March 28, 1998 in Santa Monica and honeymoon a tad. The next hiatus will begin mid-August and last for 6 or more weeks.

04-01-98. In late March 1998, executive producer and key XENA player, RJ Stewart signed a multimillion dollar deal to hang with USA Networks Studios for the next few years. This deal guarantees that Mr. Stewart will be with XENA over the next three years. HSN/USA NETWORK purchased all of Universal's Television shows last year and now they are sewing up the loose ends by snatching up producers, writers, and development deals.

04-01-98. At the Boston, March 23, 1998, Creation Entertainment Convention, Brad Carpenter, a frequent Creation Con guest, actor, writer, and ex-Marketing Director for RenPic, stated that they were thinking of changing the premise of season 4's tentatively named WARRIOR...POETESS...TRAMP away from being a Lucy Lawless French sex farce where she plays mulitiple characters. Carpenter also stated that "a well known musician" had expressed interest in being on the show and they appear to be adapting this episode for her. Carpenter didn't even hint at who the person was ("I can't say, I'd be killed!") but they are hoping to release a pop single from the show. Of course, we all heard this about the hype for BITTER SUITE. Of course, we got a cd, but no single. And who this person is? kd lang recently stated in TV Guide that she'd love to be on the show. She's "well known" and she has "expressed interest", so it works for me.

04-01-98. On March 25, 1998, Bruce Campbell confirmed that he was signed to 11 episodes of HERCULES next season. There was some curiosity over whether his deal included any XENAs.

04-01-98. On March 23, 1998, Sharon Delaney, the coordinator of the Official HERK and XENA fanclubs, stated that Lucy Lawless wears a costume not seen before in VANISHING ACT. VANISHING is an Autolycus episode where Auto enlists the two ladies in order to regain his title of "King of the Thieves".

04-01-98. The March 23, 1998, NEW YORK DAILY NEWS reported that Kevin Sorbo was cutting back on his work on HERK, as a result of the shoulder aneurysm he recently suffered. As a result, the show will utilize the gods more (good news for Ares, Hades, and Aphrodite). They are also looking for someone to cast as a permanent Zeus. They used Anthony Quinn for the telemovies, but he is in no longer interested in those 17 hour plane rides. They used another actor to play Zeus recently, but apparently they are looking for a "name". A name bandied about has been Jack Palance. What a hoot! So, HERK-lite episodes will be the rule instead of the exception for the 5th, and rumored last, season of HTLJ.

04-01-98. Steve Sears was on an AoL Digital Worlds chat on Friday February 13th 1998. Here are some more selections from it:

Q: Have you run into anything that the actors simply won't do?
Tyldus: Not that I can think of, no.

Q: Will Xena be able to periodically channel the powers from Lao Ma?
Tyldus: The powers Xena had resulted in a purity of purpose that she hasn't been able to recreate. Purity of essence, I meant. I'm not saying that it won't happen again, but it can't happen at will.

Q: When scripts are tabled, are a lot of changes made or is the original writer's vision generally respected?
Tyldus: More than almost any other show I've worked on, 95-99% of what's in the script is what's shot.
Q: Wow! That's incredible
Tyldus: Yeah, we're very lucky. The actors and the writers are in tune.
Q: What an amazing thing that is. Actors who give you what you ask, and scripts that say what you want
Tyldus: Hah!

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