For the uninitiated, Barbarella is a science fiction movie from director Roger Vadim that was not very highly regarded when it was released in 1968, but is today a cult classic. The film starred then-nubile Jane Fonda in the title role and was an adaptation of the Barbarella comic books of Jean-Claude Forest. The film caused a bit of a stir because of an opening sequence featuring Fonda stripping in zero gravity and for a torture sequence where a device attempts to pleasure Barbarella to death.
There have been many who have expressed interest in doing a remake of the film over the years, but the idea never gained any real traction until it was announced in May 2007 that Robert Rodriguez was fronting an effort to bring the space vixen to life. After that announcement, rumors circulated that Rodriguez's girlfriend at the time, actress Rose McGowan, would play the role of Barbarella, but one year later Rodriguez declared the project dead.
Now, it seems, Barbarella has new life. The Hollywood Reporter recently reported that Dino & Martha De Laurentiis are producing the Barbarella remake and that they've hired Joe Gazzam to write the screenplay, with Robert Luketic in talks to direct. But, with Rodriguez and McGowan out of the picture, who will play the title role? According to some reports, Golden Globe-winner Emily Blunt is in talks for the role, along with fellow Brit Sienna Miller, who currently stars as The Baronness in G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra. However, since the De Laurentiis' project does not currently have studio backing, it may be some time before we know who will be wearing Barbarella's see-through space-age apparel.
Posted 08.10.09 by BrentJS