Pamela Anderson is returning to the world of cult classic Barb Wire, as her And-Her-Sons Productions production company—which she runs with sons Brandon Thomas Lee and Dylan Jagger Lee—is developing a TV series version of the Dark Horse Comics property.
According to Deadline, it's too soon to say whether the Playboy icon will appear in the show, but it is expected to have "a different feel" from the critically panned 1996 movie. Eyed as Anderson's big break as a movie star, Barb Wire has 26% on Rotten Tomatoes, and made only $3.8 million on a $23 million budget.
As you might imagine, this reboot will take a new approach to the material as it will follow the tough as nails Barbara Kopetski, aka Barb Wire, the baddest bounty hunter on the mean streets of Steel Harbor. Armed with her arsenal, motorcycle and an attitude that just won’t quit, Barb is willing to right any wrong in Steel Harbor – if the price is right.
The trade adds, "Through the family's new [production company], they will produce projects that reinforce and celebrate Anderson’s legacy and that of other aspirational female figures, both fictional and non-fictional."
Originally published by Dark Horse Comics' imprint "Comics Greatest World," the first Barb Wire comic book series ran for nine issues between 1994 and 1995, with a four-issue miniseries following in 1996 (the same year the Barb Wire movie was released).
In the movie, "a sexy nightclub owner, Barb Wire (Pamela Anderson) moonlights as a mercenary in Steel Harbor, one of the last free zones in the now fascist United States. When scientist Cora Devonshire (Victoria Rowell) wanders into Barb's establishment, she gets roped into a top-secret government plot involving biological weapons."
"Soon Barb is reunited with her old flame Axel Hood (Temuera Morrison), who is now Cora's husband and a guerrilla fighter, resulting in plenty of tense action."
Barb Wire is definitely a property with the potential to be reimagined for a new audience, and should it prove to be a success, then it will be "superhero" redemption, of a sort, for Anderson. The iconic model and actor has recently received critical acclaim for her performances in The Last Showgirl and The Naked Gun.
In her Netflix documentary, Pamela, A Love Story, the Baywatch star recalled, "I have no idea what happened in that movie. I don’t think anyone does. Again, I like the outfit. I like the hair and makeup. A lot of times I’ll go, 'Wait, that really happened? How could that possibly happen? I’m just in shock.'"
It's early days for Barb Wire, as the show doesn't have a confirmed creative team or lead star attached.