Edgar Wright in Talks to Direct Sydney Sweeney’s ‘Barbarella’ Remake
Samantha Bergeson
Edgar Wright is doubling down on iconic-film remakes, potentially directing “Barbarella,” starring executive producer Sydney Sweeney.
IndieWire can confirm that Wright is in talks to direct the reimagining of the 1968 cult film that originally starred Jane Fonda as an astronaut looking to defeat an intergalactic evil force. “X-Men: First Class” screenwriters Jane Goldman and Honey Ross are also in negotiations to write the Sony film.
Deadline first reported that Wright is in the running to direct.
And speaking of running, Wright was recently announced to be writing and directing his long-awaited “Running Man” remake with Sweeney’s “Anyone But You” co-star Glen Powell in the lead. The Paramount feature has been in the works with Wright since 2017, and is based on Stephen King’s 1982 novel and later the 1987 feature starring Arnold Schwarzenegger.
“Barbarella” is based on Jean-Claude Forest’s comic series, which was published as a serialized strip for V Magazine in early 1962 and later released as a book in 1964. The 41st century set series centered on space explorer Barbarella as she tries to find evil scientist Durand Durand and dismantle his laser technology. Throughout her voyage, Barbarella realizes that her innocent concept of reality is pure fantasy.
Original “Barbarella” star Fonda previously told The Hollywood Reporter she’s trying to not think about the remake with Sweeney “because I worry about what it’s going to be.” Fonda also recalled having a different perspective than her “Barbarella” producer Dino De Laurentiis with just how much to sexualize the title character.
“I had an idea of how to do it that [original producer] Dino De Laurentiis, when he was still alive, wouldn’t listen to. But it could have been a truly feminist movie,” Fonda said. Roger Vadim directed the film.
“Only God Forgives” director Nicolas Winding Refn announced a reimagined “Barbarella” series for Prime Video in 2013, saying, “‘Barbarella’ is what ‘Barbarella’ wants to be for every given generation.”
“I have daughters, and I want to make a movie that shows that women are more powerful than men,” Refn said. The series never happened.
Rose McGowan was also attached to a previous possible “Barbarella” iteration from director Robert Rodriguez.
