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.

CATEGORIES
Lauren Milici
Senior Writer, Tv & Film

Lauren Milici is a Senior Entertainment Writer for GamesRadar+ 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.

Read more
Jenna Ortega as Wednesday Addams in Wednesday
Wednesday star Jenna Ortega and Escape Room's Taylor Russell in talks to lead reboot of beloved '90s thriller
Sydney Sweeney
A viral creepy Reddit story about a missing girl is being made into a thriller movie with Madame Web's Sydney Sweeney
Elijah Wood, Clea DuVall, Shawn Hatosy, Josh Hartnett, and Laura Harris in The Faculty (1998)
Almost 30 years on from the original, cult sci-fi horror The Faculty is getting a remake
Dave Bautista in Dune
Dave Bautista is starring in a dystopian alien invasion thriller from the John Wick team
Kathryn Newton in Abigail
Marvel star joins former Scream directors for highly-anticipated upcoming horror sequel
Furiosa
After Sigourney Weaver said she should be in Avatar, Anya Taylor-Joy says it's her "dream" to be Na'vi: "I watched that movie eight times in a row once"
Latest in Action Movies
Patrick Stewart as Professor X in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
The classic Fox X-Men are returning in Avengers: Doomsday, and I've got a really bad feeling about this
Wyatt Russell, Sebastian Stan, Hannah John-Kamen and David Harbour in Thunderbolts
The new Thunderbolts teaser namedrops the Avengers twice, less than a day after the cast was confirmed for Doomsday
Thor and Loki in Thor: Ragnarok
After 15 years in the making, Thor and Loki's reunion in Avengers: Doomsday could be the perfect MCU conclusion for the characters
Jason Statham in A Working Man
Jason Statham and The Beekeeper director's new movie co-written by Sylvester Stallone debuts to mixed reviews with a divisive Rotten Tomatoes score
Heath Ledger as Joker in The Dark Knight
17 years after The Dark Knight was released, Michael Caine recalls being "floored" and "terrified" by Heath Ledger's performance as the Joker
WandaVision episode 8
Robert Downey Jr's WandaVision Easter egg in the Avengers: Doomsday announcement has me thinking Scarlet Witch will be in the movie after all
Latest in News
Everybody's Golf Hot Shots
The surprise theme of today's Nintendo Direct was classic PlayStation franchises getting a comeback without Sony's involvement
Hogwarts Legacy how many spells
Unannounced Hogwarts Legacy DLC reportedly canceled, partly because the studio wasn't sure it'd be worth players' money
Ultimate X-Men #14
Ultimate X-Men #14 pays homage to a classic Wolverine moment as the Shadow King returns
Assassin's Creed Shadows screenshot showing Yasuke kneeling and praying while wearing a traditional purple robe
Ubisoft reaches deal with Tencent to create $4.3 billion mini-Ubisoft subsidiary to "spearhead development" on new Assassin's Creed, Far Cry, and Rainbow Six games
Kaitlyn Dever as Abby in The Last Of Us season 2
The Last of Us showrunner says he isn't worried about fan reaction to season 2: "The best way we could respect our fans and honor them is to not worry about them"
Black Myth: Wukong
English is no longer the biggest language on Steam as Chinese gamers embrace PC gaming even harder after Black Myth: Wukong