Red Sonja is one of those development hell projects that never seemed to get off of the ground no matter how hard anyone tried. However, it looks like this time might be the actual time this character makes it to the big screen. This project has been in some movement since June 2019, when Joey Soloway replaced Bryan Singer as the director, but there was nothing for a year and a half until February 2021, when Tasha Huo came on as the writer. Finally, in May 2021, Hannah John Kamen was cast as the lead, but that wasn't the end of the bumps in the road. We got some more casting today from Deadline, including the reveal that John Kamen had to step aside due to scheduling conflicts, and Matilda Lutz will now play the lead role as Red Sonja with M.J. Basset now directing. However, Soloway will still have a writer's credit. Wallis Day has also been cast as her half-sister Annisia, and Robert Sheehan will play Draygun. This is on top of the already cast Michael Bisping, Martyn Ford, Eliza Matengu, Manal El-Feitury, and Katrina Durden.
"I've wanted to make a Red Sonja movie since I was a teenager – she has been a powerful presence for me and a character that I have always wanted to bring to the screen with my own voice and vision," said Bassett. "When I met Matilda Lutz, I knew she had all the magic I was looking for and could see the complexity and depth she would bring to Sonja."
"This has been a long journey from script to screen and we are excited to go into production after assembling the best creative team, an amazing band of up and coming talent and a fun and fantastical world fueled by the Red Sonja IP," said Millennium Media's President, Greenstein. "M.J. is an amazing filmmaker with fantastic vision and Matilda was absolutely brilliant in Revenge that we knew she was right for this role the moment we saw her – making them the perfect duo for Red Sonja."
"I've been working with the Millennium production team on adapting this extraordinary graphic novel since Luke Lieberman brought it to us seven years ago," added producer Mark Canton. "M.J. is a fantastic filmmaker who truly understands the power of this story that will ignite audiences everywhere. In the realm of fantasy and graphic novels, there is no greater, more empowered female character who has stood the test of time. Courtney Solomon and I are privileged to be a part of this fabulous producing team."
L-R: Matilda Lutz at Giffoni Film Festival 50 Plus – on July 29, 2021 in Giffoni Valle Piana, Italy. Editorial credit: GIO_LE / Shutterstock.com | Wallis Day at the "Krypton" Press Line at the Comic-Con International on July 21, 2018 in San Diego, CA. Editorial credit: Kathy Hutchins / Shutterstock.com | Robert Sheehan arrives for the Netflix's 'The Umbrella Academy' Premiere – Season 1 on February 12, 2019 in Hollywood, CA. Editorial credit: DFree / Shutterstock.com
What will be extremely interesting will be seeing Red Sonja, who is kind of the epitome of the hyper-sexualized female warrior, through the eyes of a woman like Huo as the writer and directed by Bassett. The costume is the thing I'm the most interested in. Red Sonja is kind of the epitome of a sexualized female heroine, but that sort of thing isn't as accepted these days. So walking the line between being faithful to the source material and modernizing it will be something Bassett, Huo, and the rest of the cast will be walking very carefully. We'll have to see how it all turns out in the end. Currently, there isn't a release date, but as previously stated, production has started, which is always a good sign.
Kaitlyn is the Editor-in-Chief at Bleeding Cool. She loves movies, television, and comics. She's a member of the UFCA and the GALECA. Feminist. Writer. Nerd. Follow her on Twitter @katiesmovies and @safaiagem on Instagram.
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