40 Years Later, An Infamous Fantasy Flop Is Finally Getting A Remake

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No matter how much progress it makes, Hollywood seems loath to meet the demand for female action stars. It took the MCU nearly a decade to spotlight Black Widow, and Charlize Theron is still fighting the stigma that paints female-led action flicks as riskier than male-driven films.

It’s a tale that can be traced back to the action boom of the 1980s: while Arnold Schwarzenegger was getting swole to play Conan the Barbarian, the industry was still figuring out what to do with Red Sonja, Conan’s female counterpart and occasional love interest. A then-21-year-old Brigitte Nielsen brought Red Sonja to life in 1985, but her solo film failed to deliver the kind of introduction the character deserved. With her chain mail bikini and schlocky comic book origins, a nuanced take on Red Sonja seemed out of the question. Poor direction and a goofy script only sank the film further.

It’s been 40 years since Red Sonja came and went, and the character is long overdue for a second chance. Fortunately, the She-Devil with a Sword may finally get the film she deserves. Revenge star Matilda Lutz will inherit the mantle from Nielsen in a new Red Sonja movie, directed by MJ Bassett (Iron Fist, Altered Carbon) and written by Tasha Huo (Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft).

Red Sonja feels every bit like the classic sword and sorcery epics that once dominated the zeitgeist. It might also offer a more straightforward, self-aware origin story for the character. When she’s captured by a tyrannical king (Umbrella Academy’s Robert Sheehan) and forced to fight for his entertainment, Sonja (Lutz) gathers a rag-tag army to free the realm. Check out the film’s official synopsis below:

Captured. Chained. Forced to fight for survival. Red Sonja must battle her way through the blood-soaked pits of a tyrant’s empire and rally an army of outcasts to reclaim her freedom and take down Dragan and his ruthless bride, Dark Annisia.

Sonja’s crusade is suitably ambitious, as is an adventure of this scale. Red Sonja calls to mind other hyper-stylized fantasy-thrillers like Furiosa and — for better or worse — The Princess or Mortal Engines. Hopefully, Huo’s script has the substance to anchor the film’s supernatural thrills. It’s been too long since Sonja got the spotlight, and this remake could help the character step into a new era.