Edgar Wright is in talks to direct Sydney Sweeney’s Barbarella, with writers Jane and Honey Goldman negotiating for the gig

Edgar Wright is getting behind the camera to direct Sydney Sweeney’s anticipated reimagining of Barbarella.

When Sydney Sweeney brandishes a curiously phallic laser gun for her reimagining of Barbarella, she could be doing so under the watchful eye of Edgar Wright (Last Night in Soho, Baby Driver, Scott Pilgrim vs the World). According to Deadline, Wright is in talks to direct Barbarella, with Jane and Honey Goldman negotiating to co-write the script.

As Deadline notes, bringing Jane Goldman aboard shows how serious Sony is about assigning strong talent to Sweeney’s dream project. Jane Goldman’s writing credits include screenplays for Kick-Ass, Kingsman: The Secret Service, X-Men: First Class, Stardust, the upcoming Kingsman: The Blue Blood, and more.

During the backlash for Sony’s abysmal Marvel film Madame Web, Sweeney said she joined the film to position herself to pitch Anyone But You. The rom-com was an admirable success, with $219M+ worldwide. With Sweeney being a bankable star at the studio, Sony is ready to shoot her into space for an action-packed remake of Roger Vadim’s 1968 science-fiction classic starring Jane Fonda as Barbarella.

In Vadim’s Barbarella, an astronaut in the 41st century embarks on sexy misadventures while seeking to stop a nefarious scientist who threatens to bring evil back into the galaxy. Deadline says Wright has had his eye on Barbarella for a while. He met with Sweeney after the project was announced but had yet to agree to direct it. Now, Wright is adding Barbarella to his list of upcoming endeavors.

Before rolling cameras on Barbarella, Wright is teaming up with Glen Powell, Sweeney’s Anyone But You co-star, for a remake of Stephen King’s The Running Man. Between Wright’s unique visual style, Jane and Honey Goldman’s combined talents, and Sweeney’s rise in star power, Barbarella could be the action blockbuster Sony’s been waiting for.

While talking about the character, Sweeney said, “Barbarella is just such a fun character to explore. She really just embraces her femininity and her sexuality, and I love that. She uses sex as a weapon and I think it’s such an interesting way into a sci-fi world. I’ve always wanted to do sci-fi. So we’ll see what happens.”

Are you excited about Edgar Wright getting behind the camera for Sydney Sweeney’s Barbarella? Are you a fan of the original film? Let us know in the comments below.

About the Author

Born and raised in New York, then immigrated to Canada, Steve Seigh has been a JoBlo.com editor, columnist, and critic since 2012. He started with Ink & Pixel, a column celebrating the magic and evolution of animation, before launching the companion YouTube series Animation Movies Revisited. He’s also the host of the Talking Comics Podcast, a personality-driven audio show focusing on comic books, film, music, and more. You’ll rarely catch him without headphones on his head and pancakes on his breath.