The long-delayed ‘Red Sonja’ reboot is forging ahead yet again, now with ‘Transparent’ showrunner Jill Soloway stepping in for Bryan Singer to write and direct.
“I can’t wait to bring Red Sonja’s epic world to life,” Soloway said. “Exploring this powerful mythology and evolving what it means to be a heroine is an artistic dream come true.”
Soloway’s Topple Productions will co-produce the film alongside Millennium Films, which will finance the action flick.
The two-time Emmy winner replaces embattled director Singer on the project, which had previously marked Singer’s next big film after his ouster from the Oscar-winning ‘Bohemian Rhapsody.’
Another pause in the film’s progress came in February amid a flurry of misconduct allegations lobbed at the ‘X-Men’ filmmaker in a report in the Atlantic, and as more organisations refused to recognise his work on the Freddie Mercury biopic.
Red Sonja, whose comics are still published through Dynamite Entertainment, was created by sword-and-sorcery master Robert E Howard in the 1930s. The short-story character, who was out to avenge her family, was then adapted for Marvel Comics in 1973 by writer Roy Thomas and artist Barry Windsor-Smith. MGM’s 1985 film starred Brigitte Nielsen as the titular warrior alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Since the script has not yet been written, there’s no word on who will be cast for the lead role this time around. The project, which was previously expected to film in Bulgaria this year, is unlikely to get off the ground for a while.
Soloway earned two Emmys for directing the semiautobiographical Amazon comedy ‘Transparent.’ The groundbreaking series has weathered its fair share of scandal after its star, Jeffrey Tambor, was accused of sexual misconduct, which he denied. The show is expected to wrap its fifth and final season next fall, which Soloway is also directing.
Soloway’s other credits include writing for and producing HBO’s ‘Six Feet Under’ and Showtime’s ‘The United States of Tara.” Soloway previously directed two feature films, the 2013 comedies ‘Afternoon Delight’ and ‘Valencia.’
