Tag: Red Sonja

Posted on in Film News

EXCLUSIVE: Set Photo From ‘Red Sonja’ Remake Showcases The Fantasy Heroine’s Armor

While we’re still in the dark about Netflix’s overall plans for the Conan The Barbarian franchise after securing the rights to make films, television series, and animated projects, another character birthed from Robert E. Howard’s sword-and-sorcery literary work is getting a second shot on the big screen. Millennium has been developing a new Red Sonja movie for ages that focuses on the redheaded warrior that fought alongside Conan in the pages of Marvel Comics in the 1970s. Those comics helped grow an audience and desire to make a live-action film that was released in 1985 from director Richard Fleischer, which starred Arnold Schwarzenegger and Brigitte Nielsen.

Red Sonja wrapped filming last year but we really haven’t had a great look at the new version of the warrior’s armor/costume outside of the obscured promotional photo released that really only showed-off the new sword. The Ronin is now sharing a new set photo from the film that shows Sonja carrying a bow while on horseback. The image gives us a better idea of what the fantasy heroine’s armor will look like in the film as those duties were handled by costume designer Alison McCosh (Peaky Blinders). Take a look below.

Director Robert Rodriguez (Star Wars, Alita, Sin City) and actress Rose McGowan had once teamed-up to develop a Red Sonja remake after previously working on Planet Terror, but after the disastrous Conan The Barbarian reboot from 2011 those plans vanished.

The latest incarnation of the remake, that mostly shot in Bulgaria, stars Italian actress Matilda Lutz (replacing Hannah John-Kamen) with a supporting cast that features Rhona Mitra (Doomsday, Underworld: Rise of The Lycans), Robert Sheehan (The Umbrella Academy), Martyn Ford (F9: The Fast Saga), Kate Nichols (The Operative), Wallis Day (Infinite), Veronica Ferres (Hector and the Search for Happiness), Michael Bisping (Den of Thieves), Katrina Durden (Shadow and Bone), Oliver Trevena (The Angel), Eliza Matengu (Thor: Love and Thunder), Manal El-Feitury (Hellboy), and Danica Davis (Endangered Species).

During the actual filming of Red Sonja, director M.J. Bassett (Reacher) posted a fantastic set photo on Instagram (See below) giving us a decent teaser of what the world of the fantasy action film will look like. Showcasing the fantastic production design from Clint Wallace, Marvel fans might recognize the name as he’s tackled additional photography for a handful of recent MCU movies.

Now deep into the post-production stage, we’re still waiting on an official release date for Red Sonja.

Posted on in Film News

‘Thor’ Actress Jaimie Alexander Teasing Role In Fantasy Action Flick ‘Red Sonja’?

Are we getting another casting addition to the Red Sonja remake from director Joey Soloway? Red Sonja was a supporting Conan The Barbarian character that was born in the Marvel Comics run, she eventually got her own solo film in 1985 starring Brigitte Nielsen and Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Sonja was created by Roy Thomas and Barry Windsor-Smith for Marvel Comics’ Conan the Barbarian comic in the early 1970s and was an amalgam of several characters from Conan creator Robert E. Howard. The character, fiery and strong enough to go toe-to-toe with Conan while refusing his advances, proved popular enough to get her own book, continuing to this day even as the Howard and Conan licenses have moved through several companies. Millennium is saying their movie is based on the comic published by Dynamite Entertainment

Thor franchise actress Jaimie Alexander has posted an image of herself reading the new Red Sonja script on a flight. The image below was posted on her Instagram stories. Normally, actors don’t humble-brag about reading high-profile scripts unless they’ve joined the project or are at least considering it.

At one time, Jaimie Alexander was in the mix to play Wonder Woman before Gal Gadot ultimately took the part for Batman v Superman. She talked about losing out on the major superhero part to Variety back in 2016.

Fellow Marvel actress Hannah John-Kamen (Resident Evil, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Ant-Man & The Wasp) took the titular role recently, which could mean that Jaimie might be taking a supporting role as either friend or foe.

If I had to guess what the role might be, The Pirate Queen Belit could be an interesting choice for Jaimie Alexander. However, we don’t know if they’re even allowed to use Belit as she is a cohort/lover of Conan The Barbarian.

Speaking of Conan, Netflix secured the rights to make films, series, and animated projects based on the iconic character created by Robert E. Howard. So, it’s possible that Belit might be connected to that package.

It’s more likely an original character crafted by the screenwriters or from the extensive run of comics.

Alexander is best known for her series Blindspot and playing Lady Sif in the MCU. She is reportedly set to appear in both Marvel’s Loki series and Taika Waititi’s Thor: Love & Thunder.

RED SONJA – Power-hungry Queen Gedren (Sandahl Bergman) captures the priestesses guarding the Talisman, a mystical orb that created and can destroy the world. But one of the priestesses escapes and seeks out her warrior sister, Red Sonja (Brigitte Nielsen), to warn her about Gedren’s plan for world domination. Lord Kalidor (Arnold Schwarzenegger), the Talisman’s keeper, insists on helping Sonja, and though she scorns the assistance of any man, she soon gains respect for Kalidor’s fighting prowess.

SOURCE: JAIMIE ALEXANDER

Posted on in Film News

‘Red Sonja’: Millennium Taps ‘Ant-Man & The Wasp’s Hannah John-Kamen For Their Sword & Sorcery Action Flick

Millennium Films has finally found their new Red Sonja as The Hollywood Reporter reveals that British actress Hannah John-Kamen will be playing the fantasy heroine birthed from the pages of Marvel Comics and inspired by characters from Conan creator Robert E. Howard.

Hannah has been long involved with genre projects with credits that include Ant-Man & The Wasp, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Black Mirror, Misfits, Tomb Raider, Ready Player One, Game of Thrones, and Brave New World. She recently nabbed the Jill Valentine role in the Resident Evil reboot.

Sonya was created by Roy Thomas and Barry Windsor-Smith for Marvel Comics’ Conan the Barbarian comic in the early 1970s and was an amalgam of several characters from Conan creator Robert E. Howard. The character, fiery and strong enough to go toe-to-toe with Conan while refusing his advances, proved popular enough to get her own book, continuing to this day even as the Howard and Conan licenses have moved through several companies. Millennium is saying their movie is based on the comic published by Dynamite Entertainment

The film will be directed by Transparent’s Joey Soloway, after the studio removed X-Men’s Bryan Singer in the wake of multiple sexual assault allegations. Soloway also co-wrote the remake’s script with Tasha Huo.

Danish actress Brigitte Nielsen played the role originally alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger in the 1985 film. A reboot had been previously in the works from producer Robert Rodriguez with Planet Terror’s Rose McGowan set to play the role before things fell apart.

SOURCE: THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

Posted on in Film News

Jason Momoa Wanted Gail Simone To Write A Treatment For A ‘Conan’ & ‘Red Sonja’ Crossover Movie

Comic book writer Gail Simone (Red Sonja, Deadpool, Birds of Prey, Wonder Woman, Domino) has taken to Twitter to reveal that Conan The Barbarian actor Jason Momoa (Aquaman, Game of Thrones) once wanted her to write a treatment for a potential crossover film featuring Jason’s Conan and Rose McGowan’s Red Sonja. The project never actually written but seemed kind of interesting since there were plans for a new Red Sonja film before the Conan reboot was released.

The film rights to both Conan and Red Sonja had been acquired by the same production company Millennium Films (formerly known as Nu Image) around this time, in theory, a crossover could have happened.

At the time, Rose was attached to the Red Sonja reboot with Robert Rodriguez set produce, the project had been promoted at San Diego Comic-Con 2008 with mock-up posters/teaser images. She had recently worked with Robert on the his Grindhouse installment Planet Terror playing the film’s leading heroine Cherry Darling. It played in theaters as a double-feature with Quentin Tarantino’s Death Proof, which also featured Rose in the small supporting role of Pam. McGowan ended up with a role in 2011’s Conan The Barbarian playing a witch villain named Marique in heavy special effects makeup.

SIMONE: “Jason Momoa wanted me to write a Conan/Red Sonja treatment for a movie crossover featuring him as Conan and Rose McGowan as Sonja. Nothing came of it, but it would have been a blast to do. He pitched me the whole idea while we were in a van through a city in New Zealand (can’t remember which). He’s just a very enthusiastic, lovely guy and I liked him immediately.”

Conan The Barbarian didn’t connect with audiences, so there was never sequel made and Jason Momoa eventually landed his supporting part as Khal Drogo in HBO’s hit fantasy series Game of Thrones. That success on television led to him landing the Aquaman role in Warner Bros’ DC Comics franchise. More recently, Netflix has acquired the rights to Robert E. Howard’s Conan allowing them to make films, television shows, and animated projects.

Robert Rodriguez’s incarnation of Red Sonja never actually came together as the filmmaker instead pivoted to producing 20th Century Fox’s Predators and other subsequent things like taking over directing duties on James Cameron’s Alita: Battle Angel. A newer version of Red Sonja had Millennium Films hire disgraced X-Men franchise director Bryan Singer before he was ultimately replaced with Transparent’s Jill Soloway in the summer of 2019. However, it’s been a couple of years since Jill’s announcement and unclear if it will ever get made.

SOURCE: GAIL SIMONE