We haven't heard much about the Sydney Sweeney-starring Barbarella remake since it was first reported on back in 2022, but we just got quite the development about who might be in the director's chair.
Deadline broke the news today that Edgar Wright is in talks to direct the new film based on the character from Jean-Claude Forest's comic series. IGN has also confirmed the news with a source close to production, although they caution that a deal hasn't closed yet and it's still early days.
Deadline also reports that Jane Goldman (Kick-Ass, Kingsman: The Secret Service) and Honey Ross are in negotiations to write the script.
This won't be Barbarella's first time on the big screen, of course. Jane Fonda portrayed the comics character in a 1968 film directed by Roger Vadim, which saw Fonda as a space-travelling mercenary hunting for a scientist on behalf of the U.S. government. It got largely mixed reviews upon its original release, but it's since become a cult favorite, with a number of proposed and failed revivals cropping up over the years.
If a deal with Wright does go through, it would partner one of Hollywood's most in-demand actresses with one of its most popular living directors. Along with Shaun of the Dead and the rest of the Three Flavours Cornetto trilogy, Wright is famous for films like Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Ant-Man, Baby Driver, and Last Night in Soho. He's known for a fast-paced, kinetic style (with lots of needle-drops), so it gives us a good idea of where this sci-fi reboot could be headed.
Sweeney, meanwhile, has been on the rise over the past few years, particularly in the wake of her role in HBO's Euphoria. She recently scored a rom-com hit in last year's Anyone but You, and produced and starred in the recent psychological thriller Immaculate. She also dabbled in the superhero genre with Sony's Madame Web as Julia Carpenter (future Spider-Woman), although that film's poor performance at the box office and with critics mostly dashed any sequel hopes.
We don't have much of an idea of Barbarella's timeline, but Deadline notes that both Wright and Sweeney remain busy, so it probably wouldn't be the next project for either of them.
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Alex Stedman is a Senior News Editor with IGN, overseeing entertainment reporting. When she's not writing or editing, you can find her reading fantasy novels or playing Dungeons & Dragons.
