Shaun of the Dead's Edgar Wright reportedly in talks to direct Sydney Sweeney-starring Barbarella remake

Sydney Sweeney
(Image credit: Getty)

Edgar Wright is in talks to direct a remake of Barbarella starring Sydney Sweeney.

The 1968 sci-fi film, based on the French comic series of the same name by Jean-Claude Forest, starred Jane Fonda as the titular space traveler who is sent to find a science that has created a weapon of mass destruction. A reboot of the film starring Sweeney was announced in 2022. Wright will direct from a screenplay penned by Jane Goldman (Kick-Ass, Kingsman: The Secret Service) and Honey Ross.

According to Deadline, the tone Sony and Sweeney are going for "falls in line with the fun and creative visual style" that Wright is known for. The director has reportedly "been eyeing the project for some time" and had a meeting with Sweeney right after it was first announced. No other details about the pic have been released, though Forest's estate has greenlit the project – and first expressed the desire for a remake back in 2020.

"I mean, Barbarella is just such a fun character to explore. She really just embraces her femininity and her sexuality, and I love that," Sweeney told the Happy Sad Confused podcast earlier this year. "She uses sex as a weapon and I think it’s such an interesting way into a sci-fi world. I’ve always wanted to do sci-fi. So we’ll see what happens."

Barbarella does not yet have a release date. For more, check out our list of the most exciting upcoming movies in 2024 and beyond, or, skip right to the good stuff with our complete list of movie release dates.

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Lauren Milici
Senior Writer, Tv & Film

Lauren Milici is a Senior Entertainment Writer for 12DOVE currently based in the Midwest. She previously reported on breaking news for The Independent's Indy100 and created TV and film listicles for Ranker. Her work has been published in Fandom, Nerdist, Paste Magazine, Vulture, PopSugar, Fangoria, and more.

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