Red Sonja Director Reveals One Big Change in the Movie

The fantastical warrior Red Sonja was brought to life for a film in 1985, and despite being full of potential storylines to revive for a new generation, a new take on the character has struggled to be realized. Filmmaker M.J. Bassett was enlisted to adapt the character, with the help of star Matilda Lutz, though she recently detailed that she was able to put her own stamp on the previous incarnation of the story, which meant removing a plot point in which the title character was raped by an enemy, along with her version cutting down on the “sexual politics” of the previous approach. Red Sonja doesn’t currently have a release date.

While speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, Bassett pointed out that she rewrote the script multiple times. “I didn’t warm to the previous script, which was much more sexual politics,” the filmmaker admitted. “Obviously in my personal life I’m interested in that. But as a storyteller I don’t think it’s interesting.”

The filmmaker also addressed the decision to remove sexual assault from the warrior’s origin, despite its inclusion in previous takes on the character.

“I have no interest in fictional women who use [rape] as an engine of motivation,” she detailed. “It’s not a strong motivation. She’s just a human being in the world of femininity.”

Bassett did confirm, however, that the film will stick to some elements of the source material, even if a chain-mail bikini might not seem the most appropriate attire for battle.

“It’s preposterous,” Bassett confessed of the character’s iconic costume. “She became a character for prepubescent 13-year-olds that was never accessible beyond.” Though she added, “I mean, I loved it!” While Red Sonja is said to appear in the comics-accurate outfit, it’s unknown if this will be her only garb or if it will just be one facet of various other ensembles.

Red Sonja is derived from the sword and sorcery comic books of the same name by Dynamite Entertainment, based on the heroine created by Robert E. Howard and adapted by Roy Thomas.

Also starring in the film are Wallis Day as Annisia, and Robert Sheehan as Draygan. Additional cast includes Michael Bisping as Hawk, Martyn Ford as General Karlak, Eliza Matengu as Amarak, Manal El Feitury as Ayala, and Katrina Durden as Saevus. 

Stay tuned for details on Red Sonja.

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