Sydney Sweeney Breaks Silence on Barbarella Reboot

Barbarella is officially headed back to the big screen, with Sony Pictures putting a new adaptation of Jean-Claude Forest’s cult-classic comic book series into development. The live-action project will be the second time that Barbarella is adapted into a film, following the 1968 movie led by Jane Fonda. This time around, Euphoria and Madame Web star Sydney Sweeney will be starring in the titular role and executive producing — and it looks like she’s eager to begin work on the project. In a recent interview with ET, Sweeney called Barbarella “iconic [and] fun”, and played coy about whether or not she’s already reached out to Fonda.

“I’m really excited to serve all the fits,” Sweeney explained. “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.”

What is Barbarella about?

Barbarella was created by Forest to be serialized in V Magazine in 1962, and began to be collected in a standalone book years later. The comic followed the exploits of Barbarella, a space-faring astronaut who goes on adventures throughout the galaxy. It is often regarded to be one of the first erotic comic books, as well as a revolutionary step in terms of representing the sexual revolution of the era. Multiple new comics inspired by the franchise have been published by Dynamite in recent years.

“In the 1960s, Jean-Claude Forest’s Barbarella was a character who helped to define her era – the first emancipated heroine for a decade that questioned all rules and moral codes,” Mike Carey said in a statement when the comic was first announced. “I’m hugely excited to be involved in re-inventing this classic and iconic character for the modern age, and introducing her to many readers who weren’t even alive when she first travelled the spaceways.”

Was there a Barbarella sequel?

Following the 1968 release of Barbarella, there have been many attempts to continue or reboot the franchise onscreen. Initially, there were plans for a sequel, which would have tentatively been titled Barbarella Goes Down. There were then efforts to reboot the franchise with a new film in the 2000s, which would have been directed by Robert Rodriguez, and later Robert Luketic, and starred Rose McGowan. That incarnation of the project ultimately fell apart due to budget and filming constraints. A musical adaptation was produced in 2004. In 2012, Amazon Studios and Gaumont International Television aimed to create a Barbarella television series, which would have been set in Asia and directed by The Neon Demon’s Nicolas Winding Refn. 

“Well, I don’t own Barbarella, the estate does, but I decided to be more interested in the Neon Demon,” Refn told The Playlist in 2016. “Plus there are other television things that caught my attention [because] I actually enjoy designing it from the beginning. It became… Barbarella, it was like Logan’s Run: certain things are better left untouched. You don’t need to remake everything.”

What do you think of Sydney Sweeney starring in a new Barbarella reboot? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!