Robert Rodriguez lands Barbarella

Things have been moving apace since we reported last month that producer Dino De Laurentiis had dragged the rights to Barbarella out of the mire of development hell and assigned Bond scribblers Neal Purvis and Robert Wade to crank out a script.

And now the film boasts a director in the form of Robert Rodriguez, who has just jumped aboard. Since the current plan is to go right back to Jean-Claude Forest’s 1961 comic book and not the ’68 Jane Fonda-starring campest flick, Rodriguez would seem to be a good choice. "I love this iconic character and all that she represents, and I'm truly excited by the challenge of inviting a new audience into her universe," the director blabbed to Variety .

And De Laurentiis let the trade mag in on what he sees as the idea for the new film: “In our vision, the future is female, and I can't wait to introduce Barbarella to a new generation of moviegoers.”

No casting has been announced yet, though we bet RR is considering his Grindhouse muse and – ahem – “lady friend” Rose McGowan for the lead.

Rodriguez aims to have the movie in cinemas next year. Let’s hope more people turn up to this than the last time they worked together.

Source: ( Variety )

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