The much-anticipated new live-action adaption of Red Sonja, the chain-mail bikini-clad warrior of the sword-and-sorcery comics of the same name, has finally began shooting. Matilda Lutz, known for her roles in Revenge and Medici, is playing the titular character. Although Hannah John-Kamen (Ant-Man and the Wasp) was originally slated to play Sonja, she had to back out due to scheduling conflicts.
Director M.J. Bassett, who helmed Rogue and Solomon Kane, in addition to numerous television shows, said in a press release, “I’ve wanted to make a Red Sonja movie since I was a teenager — she has been a powerful presence for me and a character that I have always wanted to bring to the screen with my own voice and vision.”
Other main members of the cast include Wallis Day (Sex/Life, Batwoman) as Annisia, and Robert Sheehan (The Umbrella Academy, Misfits) as Draygan. The script was written by Joey Soloway (Transparent) and Tasha Huo (Netflix’s Tomb Raider).
The creative team is being helmed by women and non-binary people, something to note considering that originally Bryan Singer was originally on the slate to direct. I’m hopeful that the team of Bassett, Soloway, and Huo will be able to take on this often-maligned character — previously seen on the big screen in 1985’s Brigitte Nielsen and Arnold Schwarzenegger-starring bomb — and bring her to life in a way that’s fully aware of the the male-gazey/sexploitation pitfalls of superhero stories that follow women and seek to undermine or even satirize them.
Red Sonja is currently in production in Europe, so a 2023 or even 2024 release seems likely.
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