Edgar Wright Wants to Direct Sydney Sweeney in a Remake of a Classic Sci-Fi Sex Comedy and We Might as Well Give Them Their Oscars Now
Rich Polk. Getty Images.A jaded person might assume the whole purpose of this blog is a cynical attempt to get clicks by offering up the pageviews catnip that is Sydney Sweeney. And while I'd love to argue I'm above such petty gimmicks just to boost my numbers, by now you probably know I'm not. I've got bills to pay, the same as the next blogger.
But this time, my motives are much more altruistic. This isn't about Sweeney's good looks, exquisite body, and her willingness to profit off both. This is about art. The rarest of art, really. Which is to say Hollywood considering a remake of a classic that it actually should do. We're not talking about some bland money grab like the new Total Recall, some warmed over reboot of a horror franchise like Carrie, or some lazy, unnecessary comedy like Adam Sandler remaking The Longest Yard. We're talking about a cult classic that could definitely stand to be presented to a modern audience. Done by one of my Top 3 directors, Edgar Wright. And hopefully starring Sweeney:
Source - EXCLUSIVE: Following the success of her most recent Sony pic Anyone But You, the studio isn’t wasting any time staying in the Sydney Sweeney business as sources tell Deadline Jane Goldman and Honey Ross are in negotiations to pen a new Barbarella pic starring Sweeney with Edgar Wright in talks to direct. The film is still in development given Sweeney’s busy schedule and Wright deep in prep on his The Running Man reboot with Glen Powell starring, so the project will not be next up for either of them.
Even so, Goldman and Ross being brought on to pen clearly shows the studio is not messing around in getting the film right as they see this as big franchise for all parties.
Before we go any further, here's the 1968 original:
IMDb - The year is 4,000. After peaceful floating in zero-gravity, astronaut Barbarella lands on the frozen planet Lythion and sets out to find renowned scientist Durand Durand in the City of Night, Sogo, where a new sin is invented every hour. She encounters such objects as the Excessive Machine, a genuine sex organ on which an expert artist of the keyboard--in this case, Durand Durand himself--can drive a victim to death by pleasure, a lesbian queen who can make her fantasies take form in her Chamber of Dreams, and a group of ladies smoking a giant hookah which dispenses Essence of Man through a poor victim struggling in its glass globe. The special-effects crew constantly impresses.
You had me at Durand Durand. And a new sin every hour. And the Excess Machine, lesbian queen, fantasies from the Chamber of Dreams, Essence of Man. The whole LSD-fueled psychedelic trip through this insane Bananaland.
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Growing up I knew two things about Jane Fonda: Veterans hated her because she gave photo ops to the North Vietnamese. And at some point, she was considered the sexiest woman on Earth. And this movie was the reason why. If you were lucky enough to strike gold in the form of finding a Playboy while cutting the woods, invariably there'd be screencaps of Barbarella in there someplace. And that Fonda seemed like the very pinnacle of American womanhood. The one all other females aspired to be. Bold. Confident. Fearless. Comfortable in her own sexuality. Not afraid to use it to gain power over men. Well who better fits that description right now than Sydney Sweeney? No one. She's perfect for this.
Were this in any other director's hands, I'd be worried they'd never be able to pull it off. Hollywood has gotten increasingly corporatized and safe, save for a few real mavericks who have their unique style and know exactly what kind of film they want to make. And Wright is one of those few exceptions. This project will be more than safe in the hands of the man who brought us the Cornetto Trilogy, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World and Baby Driver. And like I said in the headline, it's not too soon to start putting his name, Barbarella and Sweeney on the Oscars for whichever year this thing finally comes out. It's the part she was born to play.