Iconic sci-fi staple Barbarella is making a move to the small screen, thanks to Drive director Nicolas Winding Refn and Gaumont International Television.
GTI, which has a production deal with Refn, is currently producing two of his upcoming films – including the crime thriller Only God Forgives, which reunites the Drive director with star Ryan Gosling. Looking to do more than just produce films, GTI wants take film directors and expand their profile by presenting them with unique properties to develop across other mediums; to that end, the company is currently producing Bryan Fuller’s Hannibal for NBC.
Based on the cult comic from Jean-Claude Forest, Barbarella tells the story of a femme fatale who travels from planet to planet having galactic battles and adventures. Forest’s character was most memorably portrayed by Jane Fonda in Roger Vadim’s 1968 film classic of the same name.
Reflecting issues that modern women were facing at the time (1962), Jean-Claude Forest’s Barberella helped to liberate certain societal views of how women should behave and act.
Coming off of his critically acclaimed noir thriller Drive, Nicolas Winding Refn brings a lot to the table for Barbarella’s television transition. Calling Barbarella “one of the ultimate count-cultural characters,” Refn says that he’s looking “…forward to bringing this unique character to life for a new generation of fans.
Drive director Nicolas Winding Refn
Creating a beautiful and engaging film that tells the tale of a nameless protagonist in Drive, Refn’s unique vision as a director raises the potential success of a Barbarella television series significantly. Hoping that this series will replicate some of the intent of the original comic, it will be interesting to how today’s societal tropes for modern women will be reflected.
Joining Refn and GTI in Barbarella’s television adaptation will be Jean-Claude Forest’s son Julien Forest, as well as Jean-Marc Lofficier. Martha De Laurentiis, wife of late Italian producer Dino De Luarentiis (who produced the original 1968 film), will also be serving as an executive producer.
No networks have yet picked up the project, but one can only assume that it will only be a matter of time before one does. Given the subject matter of the series, as well as television’s current revolution, it’s likely that Barbarella will find a home on a cable network.
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Check back with Screen Rant for more Barbarella news as it’s announced.
Follow Anthony on Twitter @anthonyocasio
Source: Deadline; The Hollywood Reporter
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I’d give this a shot and I can see it on Showtime or Starz. I’d usually also say HBO but it doesn’t seem to fit their lineup and the types of shows they produce.
I can see showtime taking it to add some more variety to their line up of normally grounded tv shows.
How about someone come up with something new and interesting ?
Drive was a copy of Clint Eastwood spaghetti westerns. Goslin acts the same as the unnamed hero (clint eastwood) in those movies, only difference is you have fancy cars instead of horses and mexican banditos.
no
Allow me to nominate… Christina Hendricks. Refn already has a film crush on her so who else would be better?
Please make it Retro and Pulp !
Then all is fine
Johnny jewel or kavinsky for soundtrack!
Jane Fonda sure was a pretty communist.