Red Sonja movie casts Ant-Man 2's Hannah John-Kamen in lead role

Hannah John-Kamen in Ant-Man and the Wasp
(Image credit: Disney)

A new Red Sonja movie is officially in the works – and it's found its lead. Hannah John-Kamen will star in the sword and sorcery remake, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Joey Soloway, creator of the comedy-drama series Transparent, will direct the movie. They also co-wrote the script with Tasha Huo, the showrunner for Netflix's upcoming animated Tomb Raider series.

"Hannah is a very talented actress who we’ve been following for years and she IS Red Sonja," Soloway said in a statement. "Her range, sensibilities and strength are all qualities we have been looking for and we couldn’t be more excited to embark on this journey together."

The original Red Sonja movie was released in 1985, starring Brigitte Nielsen in her debut feature. Based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name, the story takes place in a fictional prehistoric time in the same world as Conan the Barbarian –in the comics, she's fiery and strong enough to go toe-to-toe with Conan while refusing his advances. Soloway previously referred to her as "an ancient heroine with an epic calling".

Kamen-John is best known for playing antagonist Ghost opposite Paul Rudd and Evangeline Lilly in Ant-Man and the Wasp, and she's also had roles in Ready Player One and 2018's Tomb Raider reboot. She started her career with small roles in Black Mirror and Game of Thrones, and we can next see her on the big screen in the survival horror movie Resident Evil: Welcome to Racoon City. 

While we wait for Red Sonja to hit the big screen, check out our list of the best superhero movies that you can watch right now.

Entertainment Writer

I’m an Entertainment Writer here at 12DOVE, covering everything film and TV-related across the Total Film and SFX sections. I help bring you all the latest news and also the occasional feature too. I’ve previously written for publications like HuffPost and i-D after getting my NCTJ Diploma in Multimedia Journalism.