Before she became a political activist and purveyor of exercise videos, Jane Fonda was a sex kitten best known for her role in Barbarella. Barbarella was the 1968 equivalent of softcore porn, with Fonda as an oversexed woman living 40,000 years in the future. She’s sent on a mission to save the world, and in the process keeps losing pieces of her clothing.
So it’s 2007 and the film’s producer Dino De Laurentis is still alive and talking about remaking his now famous flick. Except of course he refuses to call it a remake, even though that’s clearly what it is. He tells the Associated Press he’s creating a whole new franchise with the Barbarella character and “it’s not a remake of 'Barbarella"' but "a completely new Barbarella.” But really it’s a remake.
De Laurentis says they’re working on a script right now, and describes it as containing “love, sex, adventure.” Really specific stuff. They’re still writing it, so they haven’t cast anyone to replace Jane Fonda and at this stage who knows if the project will ever even get made. Still, it’s interesting to ponder what a 2007 version of the film might be like. Normally I’m hesitant when it comes to remakes but Barbarella is hardly some sort of serious masterpiece. Why not redo it. Have fun with it. It’s Barbarella, not Hitchcock. This is exactly the kind of movie Hollywood should be remaking.
