Having been in development for the best part of 15 years now, it will come as little surprise to hear that the long-planned Red Sonja movie reboot has hit a snag, losing another director and star just as it seemed that the project was finally coming together.
According to a report from The Illuminerdi, not only has Emmy-winning Transparent creator Joey Soloway exited the director’s chair, but Ant-Man and the Wasp star Hannah John-Kamen is also no longer attached to follow in the footsteps of Brigette Neilsen by bringing the She-Devil with a Sword to the big screen.
All hope for a new Red Sonja movie may not be lost however, as the site is reporting that M.J. Bassett (Solomon Kane, Silent Hill: Revelation) has come on board as director, although it’s unclear at this point whether she’ll be picking up from Soloway or starting afresh with a brand new script.
Inspired by Robert E. Howard’s Red Sonya of Rogantino and created by Roy Thomas and Barry Windsor-Smith, Red Sonja made her debut in Conan the Barbarian #23 in 1973, with a feature film adaptation starring Bridgette Neilsen and Arnold Schwarzenegger following in 1985.
A Red Sonja reboot was first announced back in 2008, with Sin City helmer Robert Rodriguez set to direct his Planet Terror star Rose McGowan in the lead role. That was scrapped the following year, and the project went through several iterations with Simon West (Con Air) and Bryan Singer (X-Men) attached at various times prior to Soloway and Bassett.
Are you still holding out any hope for a new Red Sonja movie? Who would you like to see in the title role? Let us know on our social channels @FlickeringMyth…