We’ve gotten close to a new Barbarella adaptation several times over the years, with the likes of Drew Barrymore and Rose McGowan both coming close to slipping on the space boots in 2000 and 2008 respectively. High-profile filmmakers Robert Rodriguez and Nicolas Winding Refn have also been attached along the way, the latter having envisioned it as a TV series for Amazon in 2014 with James Bond writers Neal Purvis and Robert Wade on scripting duties. Despite all the best efforts none of these projects ever escaped Development Hell, but it isn’t stopping Hollywood from having yet another crack at it…
Following on from her celebrated roles in the award-winning HBO double-whammy of Euphoria and The White Lotus, Sydney Sweeney (below) is the latest contender to follow in the footsteps of Jane Fonda, and will also produce the film. There’s currently no writer or director attached, but with Sweeney sweeping awards season recently we’re certain they’ll be a rush of major talent falling over themselves to join her on the adventure.
As with previous attempts to revive the property, this Barbarella won’t technically be a remake of the classic 1968 Roger Vadim vehicle and will instead look to the original source material for inspiration – Jean-Claude Forest’s 1962 French comic book series.
Will Sweeney prevail in resurrecting the iconic space heroine, or will her project go the way of the dozen other attempts? With so much potential in the source material, we’re hoping for the former – wouldn’t it be nice to have another space franchise to look forward to that doesn’t have the word Wars or Trek in its title! We’ll update on this new Barbarella as it develops…
Did you know that the original BARBARELLA made it into our recent TOP 100 COMIC BOOK MOVIES OF ALL TIME mega feature? Well, it did – look at her right there on the cover below! If you didn’t pick the issue up when it was released, we still have a limited number of copies left in the official STARBURST store. Click HERE to be whisked there and treat yourself to one before stock runs out!
