Nicolas Winding Refn Reveals Why He's Not Making the Barbarella TV Series

It's been more than a decade since Refn's Barbarella series was announced.

By Nicole Drum

It's been more than a decade since it was announced that a Barbarella television series was in development with writers Neal Purvis and Robert Wade as well as filmmaker Nicolas Winding Refn, but despite reports that the series had found a home at Amazon Studios, no further developments were ever announced. Now, Refn is opening up about why he's not making the project, explaining in a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter that it's as simple as the idea of something is sometimes more interesting than actually doing it.

"Well, let me put it like this: Sometimes the idea is more interesting than the reality. Sitting around the table talking about remaking Logan's Run is probably more fun than remaking it or Barbarella, for that matter," he said. "But I think I've never turned down anything. I just had meetings with everyone but never really materialized, none of these projects became a real reality. But the illusion is always more exciting than the actual bones of it and, at the end of the day, I've always found if I can make my own projects that define myself, that is more satisfying. But that's maybe because I haven't found the right project. I mean sure, I'll make Batwoman or Batgirl, whatever it's called, if it comes my way. I love Hollywood, I love the machinery, I love the campiness of it, the iconography and the excitement around it. I guess I'm still waiting for the right moment, but until that comes, I do very much prefer my freedom. Being free to do what I want to do every day is, for me, a very essential, very pleasurable experience."

A Barbarella Reboot is In the Works at Sony

While Refn's Barbarella television series isn't going forward, a reboot film that is set to star and be executive produced by Sydney Sweeney, has been in development since 2022 and, according to recent reports, Edgar Wright is in talks to direct with mother-daughter duo of Jane and Honey Goldman in negotiations to co-write the script with Wright.

Related:

What Is Barbarella About?

Barbarella was created by Jean-Claude Forest and serialized in V Magazine in 1962, and then began to be collected in a standalone book years later. The comic followed the exploits of Barbarella, an astronaut from the 41st century who sets out to find and stop the evil scientist Durand Durand, whose Positronic Ray threatens to bring evil back into the galaxy. Barbarella was adapted into a 1968 film led by Jane Fonda, which has since become a cult classic. Multiple new comics inspired by the franchise have been published by Dynamite in recent years.

"I'm really excited to serve all the fits," Sweeney explained in an interview late last year. "But also, just it's such an iconic, fun character. And I want to keep that fun alive through Barbarella. So, I'm excited for everyone to see it."

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