Talk of a new Conan the Barbarian movie rears its head every couple of months, but rarely do we hear about the Cimmerian’s female equivalent, Red Sonja. Plans are in the works for a new movie about the crimson warrior and already they sound miles ahead of the original 1985 version of Sonja’s story, which starred Bridgette Nielsen.
USA Today reports that the new Red Sonja will serve as an origin tale, based on the comic books and original Robert E. Howard novels. Sin City auteur Robert Rodriguez will produce the picture, with his Grindhouse: Planet Terror star, Rose McGowan, in the title role, and it’s a combination I couldn’t be more excited about.
Rodriguez speaks highly of the script, which was brought to him by McGowan: ”I found it very entertaining. Sonja was strong, smart, cunning — just about everything she'd have to be to survive." He also has high praise for McGowan and quickly explains why she’s the right candidate for the part: ”Rose is a pistol. She's whip-smart, has attitude to burn, is sexy, extremely strong, yet has a vulnerable side that would surprise her closest friends. That description also fits Red Sonja." I'm sure McGowan's ability to show off an awesome chain mail bikini has nothing to do with it.
McGowan, on the other hand, isn’t quite as confident in her Sonja-esque abilities, joking with the press, "I do have a body made for sitting on a veranda with mint juleps and a parasol. I don't know why I always have to save the planet."
While Rodriguez will produce, the picture will be directed by Douglas Aarniokoski, who has served as First Assistant Director on several of Rodriguez’s pictures. He also directed Highlander: Endgame, but we’ll try not to hold that against Red Sonja, especially when it already has so many things going for it.
