As we reported last year, there is now confirmation, via Deadline, that Edgar Wright is in talks to direct Sony’s “Barbarella” remake, starring Sydney Sweeney. Jane Goldman (X-Men: First Class) and Honey Ross will be penning the screenplay.
The project had been announced last October. Sweeney, who is set to play the titular character, is also executive producing. Wright is a big fan of the 1968 original, which starred Jane Fonda, and even included on his list of favorite movies.
The 1968 film, directed by Roger Vadim, followed an astronaut from the 41st century who set out to find and stop the evil scientist Durand Durand, whose Positronic Ray threatened to bring evil back into the galaxy.
I find Wright to be an incredibly talented visual filmmaker, but he also has an annoying penchant for infantilism and silliness. There’s a film geek sensibility to his movies that can sometimes rubs me the wrong way. With that being said, his best film is probably “Baby Driver” and its incredible usage of practical effects (save for the absurdly over-the-top last 20 minutes).
With that said, Wright’s next film is also a remake, that of 1987’s “The Running Man.” Glenn Powell, who is everywhere these days, is set to star as the lead.
Wright is coming off the worst-reviewed movie of his career: 2019’s “Last Night in Soho.” He still has his ardent fanbase, who will go and see whatever he does next. He’s built up this base of support with such films as “Hot Fuzz,” “Scott Pilgrim vs The World” and “Shaun of the Dead.”
The budget? That depends on who you ask. Sony originally pegged it at $20M, but it's now being reported at $40M. Given how studios try to lowball costs, I'd bet on the latter being the actual figure.