Another development hell refugee may be finally gaining traction after Millennium Films taps Transparent creator Jill Soloway to helm the live action Red Sonja adaptation following the departure of X-Man franchise showrunner Bryan Singer.
Deadline reports that Soloway’s Topple Productions partner Andrea Sperling is also coming aboard as a producer.
Soloway enthused:
“I can’t wait to bring Red Sonja’s epic world to life. Exploring this powerful mythology and evolving what it means to be a heroine is an artistic dream come true.”
Soloway’s most recent efforts include The Transparent Movie Musicale Finale which will conclude the Jeffrey Tambor-led series this Fall. Red Sonja meanwhile has had a long lasting impact in the sword & sorcery genre for decades, finding a comic-book home with Marvel and Dynamite as well as two other screen adaptations, most notably being 1985’s Richard Fleischer effort starring Brigitte Nielsen in the titular role and Arnold Schwarzenegger as not-Conan Kalidor.
A mixed-review comic-to-animated feature was also released in 2016 titled Red Sonja: Queen of Plagues from Brian Ward.
Previous attempts to bring back the She Devil have been offered by the likes of Robert Rodriguez, with Rose McGowan in the role but it’s believed that Patty Jenkin’s Wonder Woman may be the impetus needed that would finally get this film off the ground.
I don’t consider myself overly politicised with regards to choice of casting or direction but I think that bringing Soloway onto this project actually will give a fresh and interesting take on the character who, in my limited knowledge, seems in need of a bit more nuance than the chainmail-kini suggests. Plus I’ve made the claim many times that Singer is terrible and would have no issues in seeing someone actually passionate for the project take a stab.
Further, it goes without saying that a legit Red Sonja movie that doesn’t rely on Schwarzenegger-billing might be interesting.
Any fans of Red Sonja out in the Wasteland?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!