Barbarella is gearing up for a big comeback to the cinema, not in Jane Fonda’s likeness this time, but in Sydney Sweeney’s. And the director is selling a dream.
Born in 1962 from the mind of Jean-Claude Forest, Barbarella is one of the symbols of the sexual liberation of the 1960s. Cosmic, seductive, even erotic, her adventures were so popular that they carried over into film. Released in 1968, Barbarella, the movie, was directed by Roger Vadim, with his wife Jane Fonda in the title role. It’s thanks to her and to its delightfully kitschy sci‑fi sets that it has become a cult classic over the years.
To the point of inspiring new adaptation projects, first in the 2000s with Rose McGowan potentially in the mix and Robert Rodriguez behind the camera. Then in 2014 in the form of a series written by the writers of Skyfall and directed by Nicolas Winding Refn. Neither of the two came to fruition. It would seem the latest announced attempt in 2022 has a better shot at succeeding, especially thanks to Sydney Sweeney.
Barbarella Is Not Here, Then Barbarella
Deadline has just run a piece focused on Sydney Sweeney and the production company she has launched, Honey Trap. The actress, recently seen in the mega-hit The Maid, had already been actively involved as a producer. She notably cast Glen Powell to co-star with her in Anything But You, a romantic comedy that brought Sony a healthy windfall. And it’s with Sony that she signed an exclusivity deal for her new company.
Among the projects she’s actively developing there is indeed this remake of Barbarella about which there had been little news since Edgar Wright was tied to direct in 2024. Good news: the mind behind the Cornetto Trilogy, Baby Driver, Last Night in Soho, and more recently Running Man is indeed attached to direct. It looks like the new version is in prep, since Sweeney is currently rolling on Jim Mickle’s Gundam.
Still for Sony, Sweeney is set to produce The Registration, adapted from Madison Lawson’s novel. According to Deadline, she would even be interested in directing. As for her acting schedule, it’s very, very full. She has just wrapped filming The Custom of the Country, directed by Josie Rourke. After Gundam, she’s slated to work on I Pretended to Be a Missing Girl, written by the renowned Eric Roth. Not to mention, of course, the inevitable sequel to The Maid alongside Kirsten Dunst and Scandalous! in which she will play Kim Novak.
