Shortly before director Edgar Wright started rolling cameras on his adaptation of The Running Man, a new cinematic version of Stephen King’s dystopian classic, he signed on to helm another sci-fi remake. Since May 2024, Wright has been attached to direct a new Barbarella movie, which will star Sydney Sweeney in the titular role. Obviously, Wright has been occupied with The Running Man for the past year, so it’s been fairly quiet on the Barbarella front lately. Though Sweeney’s version has been in development dating back to 2022, the project hasn’t received a release date, and fans are eager for updates. Now, Wright has shed some light on his approach to the movie.
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During an appearance on the podcast Happy Sad Confused, Wright addressed Barbarella and explained his vision for the film. “I think if that did happen, it would be more [of an adaptation of the source material],” he said. “I love the original, and I probably watched that at exactly the right age: too young. The script is by Terry Southern, though you can feel the Terry Southern-ess of it start to … there’s a lot of that in there, and when it’s really sharp, it’s great. It’s beautiful to look at, and it’s fun and subversive. The books themselves are just beautiful and really imaginative and progressive.”
Will Edgar Wright’s Barbarella Still Happen?
Wright’s use of the word “if” in his response indicates that his adaptation of Barbarella may not be set in stone yet. Though there are pieces in place, it sounds like there’s still work to be done, and no production timeline has been set. Some of this could simply be a byproduct of Wright’s availability — or lack thereof. The Running Man prevented Wright from being able to commit too much time to Barbarella. Now that the King adaptation is out in theaters, Wright can turn his attention to his next project. Jane and Honey Goldman were hired to co-write the script with Wright, so they probably had to wait for Wright to become free before getting too deep on the Barbarella screenplay.
It will be interesting to see if reception to The Running Man has any impact on Barbarella. Opening earlier this month, The Running Man earned generally positive yet mixed reviews (it has the lowest Rotten Tomatoes score of Wright’s career) and underwhelmed at the box office. It made just $16.4 million domestically in its opening weekend, a disappointing result considering the film’s $110 million production budget. The Running Man won’t have any legs over the holiday season, as it’s falling down the charts while mega hits such as Wicked: For Good and Zootopia 2 arrive on the scene.
Every project is different, but there’s a scenario where Sony gets cold feet about Barbarella after seeing how The Running Man performed. Even if the budget wasn’t $110 million, Barbarella wouldn’t exactly be a cheap film to make given the genre and premise (Barbarella is a space adventurer who travels to a variety of planets). Audience expectations and production values have obviously changed since the original Barbarella film premiered in 1968, so there’d probably be a fairy hefty price tag attached to ensure the reboot meets current standards (as a comparison, Wright’s Scott Pilgrim vs. the World was budgeted at $85 million). It remains to be seen if Sony would want to give Wright the keys to another sci-fi remake after The Running Man fell short. Wright has a passionate fan base, but he’s never been synonymous with box office success.
Sweeney shared an encouraging Barbarella update earlier this year when she said she’s had conversations about the story and script, but since then, she’s had a box office bomb of her own. Sports biopic Christy grossed just $1.3 million domestically in its opening weekend, becoming one of the worst debuts of all time. Though Sweeney remains a popular celebrity and has some high-profile projects on the horizon, the jury is still out on whether or not she’s a movie star who can bring audiences to the theater. In the realm of comic book adaptations, Barbarella isn’t on the same level as Marvel or DC in terms of recognizability, meaning Sony is banking on the talent to be the main draw. Sweeney is executive producing Barbarella, so she likely has some say with that role, but ultimately, Sony will be the ones deciding if Barbarella moves forward.
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