Deadline is reporting that Sony Pictures has enlisted 2x Primetime Emmy-nominee Sydney Sweeney (Madame Web; Euphoria) to star and executive produce a new Barbarella movie. The film will be based on Jean Claude Forest's French comic book series of the same name, which was previously turned into a movie in 1968 starring Jane Fonda.
No writer or director is currently attached to the project, but with Sweeney signing on, expect her to be heavily involved in the search for both.
The in-demand actress has become a Sony favorite, and is currently filming their Spider-Man adjacent Marvel adventure Madame Web, where she'll star opposite Dakota Johnson and a talented ensemble cast. The studio also recently acquired The Registration, another project set to star Sweeney.
Sweeney is best known for her role as Cassie Howard on the HBO drama Euphoria and for playing Olivia Mossbacher in HBO's The White Lotus. She earned Primetime Emmy nominations for both parts. Her most recent releases include Prime Video's The Voyeurs and Netflix's Night Teeth.
Roger Vadim's original Barbarella movie was no box office success, but has earned cult classic status in the decades since. Its synopsis reads, "Barbarella, an astronaut from the 41st century, sets out to find and stop the evil scientist Durand Durand, whose Positronic Ray threatens to bring evil back into the galaxy."
No idea which direction the new film will take, but it's likely to receive a modern spin, and with Sweeney attached, draw quite a bit of attention whenever it makes its way to theaters or streaming.