Gaumont International Television and producer Martha De Laurentiis – the partnership behind the new Hannibal TV series – are set to bring another film icon to the small screen – Barbarella .
Even more excitingly, they’re bringing on board Nicolas Winding Refn ( Drive ) to direct (presumably just for the pilot at the moment) and executive produce.
The original Barbarella (1968) was produced by Martha’s former husband, Dino De Laurentiis, who was working on a new film version of Barbarella when he died in 2010.
Barbarella was created in a graphic novel by Jean-Claude Forest and made famous by Jane Fonda in the movie version.
Jean-Claude Forest’s son Julien Forest is one of the executive producers.
Nicolas Winding Refn calls the character, "one of the ultimate counter-cultural characters."
GIT CEO Katie O’Connell adds, "We are thrilled to have secured the rights from the Forest estate and are thrilled to be pairing the bold visceral style of Nicolas Refn with the pop culture icon Barbarella."
Nicolas Winding Refn has previously expressed an interest in directing Doctor Who or a revival of Blake’s Seven , so he’s clearly eager to do some small screen sci-fi.
