If Barbarella were remade today....

[Ziggy Stardust]

Who should write it?

Who should direct it?

Who should star in it?

[K-DoG7p7]

Tarantino
Snyder
Christina Hendricks


and i would not see it

[Ziggy Stardust]

Hendricks as Barbarella?!?!?

*faints

[Patrick Gerard]

I expect contention on every choice here:

Richard Kelly - Script.

Robert Rodriguez - Director.

Katy Perry - Star.

[AndrewCrossett]

Written by Diablo Cody, directed by Guillermo del Toro, and starring Amy Adams.

[Ziggy Stardust]

Could Anne Hathaway pull off the lead role?

[Treacle]

Tarantino
Snyder
Christina Hendricks


and i would not see it

And just like that, I can't imagine anyone else in the role.

[Danimal]

Hendricks as Barbarella?!?!?

*faints
Pretty much my reaction :)

[Tyr]

Don't care about the first two, kinda care about the third (but really quite a few actresses would work) as long as they stay true to the original, ie the movie must start with a zero g striptease.

[Chris Jones]

Tarantino
Snyder
Christina Hendricks


and i would not see it

Swap Snyder for Miike and I am in the front row so fucking fast.

[MacQuarrie]

Snyder? No, I think people would actually prefer to see the thing. All his movies look like they were shot in a coal mine.

Aside from the fact that he can't fucking direct AT ALL. Terrible pacing, too much slow-fast-slow (it's his only trick), and absolutley no feel wof working with actors or dialogue. He makes shiny images, and that's all. And everybody looks like they've been smeared with grease.

SUCKER PUNCH was the worst movie I've wever seen in my life. I didn't think he could do worse than WATCHMEN, but he managed.

[K-DoG7p7]

Terrible pacing, too much slow-fast-slow (it's his only trick), and absolutley no feel wof working with actors or dialogue. He makes shiny images, and that's all. And everybody looks like they've been smeared with grease.

You are literally describing Barbarella!

[Tyr]

You are literally describing Barbarella!

Except with less slow-fast-slow, and more 60's mod.

[michealdark]

Star: Emily Browning
Direct: Ridley Scott
Write: James McQuade

[Kevin T Brown]

Tarantino
Snyder
Christina Hendricks


and i would not see it

Christina Hendricks starring in Babarella??? I don't care who writes and directs it, I'm there!

[Kingsmythe]

Ok, I admit, I had to google who this woman is everyone's on about, but now that I"ve seen her, yeah, I think she'd do well with it. She gets my vote I can't see Amy Adams for the life of me though.

[Spiffy]

Ok, I admit, I had to google who this woman is everyone's on about, but now that I"ve seen her, yeah, I think she'd do well with it. She gets my vote I can't see Amy Adams for the life of me though.
Its a strange idea and seemed just wrong to me at first.

Then again, I believe Jane Fonda was regarded in much the same light as Amy Adams is now. A strange choice for a "sexy" role (Cat Ballou and Barefoot in the Park, her previous big roles, hardly had communicated "sexy").

[MacQuarrie]

Its a strange idea and seemed just wrong to me at first.

Then again, I believe Jane Fonda was regarded in much the same light as Amy Adams is now. A strange choice for a "sexy" role (Cat Ballou and Barefoot in the Park, her previous big roles, hardly had communicated "sexy").

That's very true. Her image prior to Barbarella was very wholesome, all-american beauty queen, a little bit "ice princess" and very much her father's daughter. The role was a huge departure for her.

I'm not sure Amy Adams can pull it off, though. I'm also not sure Christina Hendricks is right for it.

First off, it would need a major rewrite; the character isn't really very "liberated," zero-g striptease notwithstanding. There's a pretty solid "look, but don't touch" message to the movie, and she's actually rather passive in a lot of it.

[Chris Jones]

Barefoot in the Park, her previous big roles, hardly had communicated "sexy").

Wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwhat?

[Morrison_Lad]

Hmm, as much as I love Christina Hendricks -- and I really love Christina Hendricks -- I think she's maybe a bit old for the role now. Part of the appeal of Jane back in the day, even though she was 31, is that she looked young and had an innocence to her face.

I like the idea of either Shailene Woodley or Jennifer Lawrence, personally.

As to a director, I actually think that Almodovar make this work wonderfully.

I'd have to go with Almodovar writing, as well, obviously.

[AndrewCrossett]

That's very true. Her image prior to Barbarella was very wholesome, all-american beauty queen, a little bit "ice princess" and very much her father's daughter. The role was a huge departure for her.

I'm not sure Amy Adams can pull it off, though. I'm also not sure Christina Hendricks is right for it.

First off, it would need a major rewrite; the character isn't really very "liberated," zero-g striptease notwithstanding. There's a pretty solid "look, but don't touch" message to the movie, and she's actually rather passive in a lot of it.

That's why I think Diablo Cody would be a good choice for screenwriter. I think she is well equipped to strike the right balance of sexiness, fun, and coherent story, without it being a shallow T&A fantasy.

I wouldn't attempt a straight remake of the 1968 film. I'd go with either another one of Forest's stories, or something completely original that captures the same feel. And don't even think about trying to nerf it down to a PG-13.

Some may complain that Amy Adams is too old for the part, but I think she'd be perfect. She can play it young enough. She's beautiful and sexy in a girl-next-door way, not the predictable bombshell sex kitten; she's an excellent actress who'd do very well in a whimsical sci-fi/fantasy setting (she was the best thing about Night at the Museum II)... she brings everything to the table that Jane Fonda brought to the original, with the addition of a natural sense of humor that was largely missing from Fonda's rather wooden performance. (A lot of that was due to the fact that in the original, the sets and costumes were so ridiculously low-budget that they had to play it even campier and more awkward than the story called for. Also, that being the 60's, the sex and nudity were treated as more of a novelty than an actual part of the story).

[Kevin T Brown]

Hmm, as much as I love Christina Hendricks -- and I really love Christina Hendricks -- I think she's maybe a bit old for the role now. Part of the appeal of Jane back in the day, even though she was 31, is that she looked young and had an innocence to her face.

I like the idea of either Shailene Woodley or Jennifer Lawrence, personally.

As to a director, I actually think that Almodovar make this work wonderfully.

I'd have to go with Almodovar writing, as well, obviously.

"Old"??? Not in the least....

[Ziggy Stardust]

How old is she?

[Tyr]

That's very true. Her image prior to Barbarella was very wholesome, all-american beauty queen, a little bit "ice princess" and very much her father's daughter. The role was a huge departure for her.

I'm not sure Amy Adams can pull it off, though. I'm also not sure Christina Hendricks is right for it.

First off, it would need a major rewrite; the character isn't really very "liberated," zero-g striptease notwithstanding. There's a pretty solid "look, but don't touch" message to the movie, and she's actually rather passive in a lot of it.

As I understand it, I've heard Jane Fonda is not found of the movie looking back at it.

As for a major rewrite, hell yeah, I believe they had a name for that film given it when it was released so close to Stanley Kubrick's 2001, they dubbed Barbarella "A Space Idiocy" and it fits, that movie was one giant ball of stupid. And I got tired of the constant losing her clothes erotic torture scenes throughout the film.

The only thing I really liked about it was the strip tease. And its not for any desire to see Jane Fonda naked, its just that kind of thing is really is difficult to pull off convincingly, so you really don't see it very often. The only other time I saw it done and done well was in the Kyle Minoque "Put yourself in my place" music video.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i25uZMyjPYs

[Kevin T Brown]

How old is she?

35.

[MacQuarrie]

As I understand it, I've heard Jane Fonda is not found of the movie looking back at it.

As I understand it, she only did the film because her then-husband Roger Vadim directed it and insisted she do it. It was part of his ongoing campaign to try to make her as kinky as he was. He also pushed her into a lot of sexual things in private that she didn't like, group sex and fetish stuff. She finally divorced him.

In that context, it's hard to see the film as a celebration of sexual freedom and liberation; it's more a documentary of the exploitation and oppression of a young woman afraid to stand up for herself, trying to pretend it's what she wants to do in order to maintain some shred of dignity. And it shows in the film, in that Barbarella is almost constantly a victim or at least passively compliant in every encounter.

So yeah, a major rewrite is in order. It should be written by a woman; Cody Diablo is a good choice. The director should be somebody without a history of misogynistic exploitation of women, which lets Snyder out. "Sucker Punch" was relentlessly misogynistic while pretending to be a female empowerment flick (the heroine gets lobotomized so the villain can rape her, while the girl who quits and cooperates with the bad guys gets rescued; the secondary message is that women can only be strong and courageous when dressed like Victoria's Secret ads.) I don't know who should direct it, but again, probably a woman.

Star should be an unknown, or somebody previously known for squeaky clean roles, somebody under 25, and somebody able to do kickass action scenes.

[michealdark]

I'd like to see something more in line with the actual strip itself. As I understand it, in the comic Barbarella still finds herself a damsal in distress quite often, but occasionally manages to kick some butt herself. That's why I went with James McQuade as writer. He did the Misty books, where are basically Sword and Sorcery Barbarella, for 40 something years.

[AndrewCrossett]

As I understand it, she only did the film because her then-husband Roger Vadim directed it and insisted she do it. It was part of his ongoing campaign to try to make her as kinky as he was. He also pushed her into a lot of sexual things in private that she didn't like, group sex and fetish stuff. She finally divorced him.

In that context, it's hard to see the film as a celebration of sexual freedom and liberation; it's more a documentary of the exploitation and oppression of a young woman afraid to stand up for herself, trying to pretend it's what she wants to do in order to maintain some shred of dignity. And it shows in the film, in that Barbarella is almost constantly a victim or at least passively compliant in every encounter.

So yeah, a major rewrite is in order. It should be written by a woman; Cody Diablo is a good choice. The director should be somebody without a history of misogynistic exploitation of women, which lets Snyder out. "Sucker Punch" was relentlessly misogynistic while pretending to be a female empowerment flick (the heroine gets lobotomized so the villain can rape her, while the girl who quits and cooperates with the bad guys gets rescued; the secondary message is that women can only be strong and courageous when dressed like Victoria's Secret ads.) I don't know who should direct it, but again, probably a woman.

Star should be an unknown, or somebody previously known for squeaky clean roles, somebody under 25, and somebody able to do kickass action scenes.

I agree with most of that, but I don't think "under 25" is necessary. The character's age isn't that vital a character trait in this case, within reason. Over 18 and younger than middle-aged will do, IMO.

I don't really see Barbarella as yet another Martial Arts Action Chick. She should rely more on weapons than on unarmed combat. (This being science fiction, supposedly.) Think Lara Croft with ray guns. She should also be very smart... much smarter than the Vadim/Fonda version, though still somewhat naive.

I don't want a repeat of the passive sex toy of the '68 movie, whose "action" scenes were just excuses to watch her wiggle... but to be Barbarella, she should still be unapologetically sexy, coming across more innocent than gritty, and accomplishing more through character interaction (both broad and intimate) than through spinning roundhouse kicks or judo throws.

[michealdark]

Blasters are a must. She was a good marksman in the comics IIRC. I think it's smart for her to have some unarmed training, but the majority of her fighting skills are based on marksmanship with sci-fi style weapons.

[Tyr]

As I understand it, she only did the film because her then-husband Roger Vadim directed it and insisted she do it. It was part of his ongoing campaign to try to make her as kinky as he was. He also pushed her into a lot of sexual things in private that she didn't like, group sex and fetish stuff. She finally divorced him.

In that context, it's hard to see the film as a celebration of sexual freedom and liberation; it's more a documentary of the exploitation and oppression of a young woman afraid to stand up for herself, trying to pretend it's what she wants to do in order to maintain some shred of dignity. And it shows in the film, in that Barbarella is almost constantly a victim or at least passively compliant in every encounter.

So yeah, a major rewrite is in order. It should be written by a woman; Cody Diablo is a good choice. The director should be somebody without a history of misogynistic exploitation of women, which lets Snyder out. "Sucker Punch" was relentlessly misogynistic while pretending to be a female empowerment flick (the heroine gets lobotomized so the villain can rape her, while the girl who quits and cooperates with the bad guys gets rescued; the secondary message is that women can only be strong and courageous when dressed like Victoria's Secret ads.) I don't know who should direct it, but again, probably a woman.

Star should be an unknown, or somebody previously known for squeaky clean roles, somebody under 25, and somebody able to do kickass action scenes.

I don't think the gender of the writer/director should be an issue Mac, I've seen women write some really horrible female characters. What about Josh Whedon as the writer? I mean I know he's real good at writing female characters, though I'm not sure if he up for the brand of 60's kookiness that a film like Barbarella should still have to a certain degree.

Actually you know who I'm starting to think would be good for this writer/director wise? Mike Myers and James Roach, I think they would have a good flair for this sort of thing.

[MacQuarrie]

Gender doesn't have to be a factor, but I think you're a lot less likely to get the sleazy sex toy character from a female creator.

That said, Joss Whedin would be great.

[AndrewCrossett]

I'd rather see Whedon as the director than the writer.

[CutterMike]

(...)
I don't really see Barbarella as yet another Martial Arts Action Chick. She should rely more on weapons than on unarmed combat. (This being science fiction, supposedly.) Think Lara Croft with ray guns. She should also be very smart... much smarter than the Vadim/Fonda version, though still somewhat naive.

I don't want a repeat of the passive sex toy of the '68 movie, whose "action" scenes were just excuses to watch her wiggle... but to be Barbarella, she should still be unapologetically sexy, coming across more innocent than gritty, and accomplishing more through character interaction (both broad and intimate) than through spinning roundhouse kicks or judo throws.

OTOH, since it IS a science-fiction/fantasy film, has anyone ever DONE a convincing zero-G hand-to-hand fight scene? What would you drop/what would you keep from judo/kung-fu...? It could be an interesting thing to use to pull the movie away from being a "more of the same" T&A or generic action flick.

[Morrison_Lad]

"Old"??? Not in the least....


How old is she?


35.

Well, she was born in May '75, so she's nearly 37.

And again, not to take anything away from her, because I really do find her amazingly attractive and sexy, but she sometimes looks her age. That's why I think someone like Woodley or Lawrence would be better. But that's just my vision of it.

[Shurato2099]

OTOH, since it IS a science-fiction/fantasy film, has anyone ever DONE a convincing zero-G hand-to-hand fight scene? What would you drop/what would you keep from judo/kung-fu...? It could be an interesting thing to use to pull the movie away from being a "more of the same" T&A or generic action flick.

For zero-g momentum control is everything. A full kick or a punch can send you spinning out of control and that whole action-reaction thing can really mess you up if you aren't careful. For hand-to-hand, grappling is a good option since it keeps your target in range, as well as low energy attacks (such as deft vitals shots) or close-in weapons like knives. If it's happening in space suits, one rip could be the end of you if you can't get a patch on it quickly and air-hoses make great targets.

[Tyr]

Zero G Martial Arts Striptease? I think my head just exploded....

[Spiffy]

Well, she was born in May '75, so she's nearly 37.

And again, not to take anything away from her, because I really do find her amazingly attractive and sexy, but she sometimes looks her age. That's why I think someone like Woodley or Lawrence would be better. But that's just my vision of it.
If we need someone with the same hair color, but very young, we could pull the Emma Stone card. A BIT too young (at 23), but not too far.


I like the idea of either Shailene Woodley or Jennifer Lawrence, personally.
I know these two aren't much younger than Stone, but I think they both LOOK much younger. It ventures a bit into creepy territory.

If we need someone more... built... and who looks age appropriate without being TOO old, there's always 28 year old Scarlett Johansson.

[michealdark]

Scarlett would be a great choice. She's proven she can do action, has been in a few comic book inspired films now, has the right body, the right face, the blonde hair, is a fantastic actress (I think one of this generation's best), but has a natural innocence and naivety to her

[CutterMike]

For zero-g momentum control is everything. A full kick or a punch can send you spinning out of control and that whole action-reaction thing can really mess you up if you aren't careful. For hand-to-hand, grappling is a good option since it keeps your target in range, as well as low energy attacks (such as deft vitals shots) or close-in weapons like knives. If it's happening in space suits, one rip could be the end of you if you can't get a patch on it quickly and air-hoses make great targets.

Exactly -- a lot of the standard techniques would have to be modified. In an enclosed space, straight-line kicks and the like might be useful in that the goal would not be to knock your opponent out with the kick, but with what you could send him slamming into. Reaction time and agility -- who could most quickly and accurately ricochet off of walls and fixed objects while sending the opponent crashing uncontrollably into those same objects -- would become vital.

It would make for an interesting and very different action scene in a movie but I'd hate to be the fight choreographer!

Then again, I wonder if they could make the interior of the "Vomit Comet" into a green-screen set and actually string together a fight scene made in quick shots? I know that, before her death, choreographer and co-author of the "Stardance" trilogy Jeanne Robinson and dancer Kathleen McDonough went up in one and shot some zero-g dance footage. No reason that a fight scene couldn't be done.


http://youtu.be/K7sk9dU5pvM

[Ziggy Stardust]

Scarlett has seemed.... skinny in some pictures I've seen of her lately. Hope she's not falling into the Hollywood trap that has ensnared so many, like Jessica Alba....

[Ziggy Stardust]

Can Lauren Bennett act?

She looks good in the Party Rock vid by LMFAO. :)

[michealdark]

Scarlett has seemed.... skinny in some pictures I've seen of her lately. Hope she's not falling into the Hollywood trap that has ensnared so many, like Jessica Alba....

Same here. Angelina has done the same thing and I don't like it.

[Tyr]

If they do a rewrite on the script then I think they should make Duran Duran a dude. And that they should get either Mike Meyers to play him, going with my Mike Meyers kick for the rewrite, or a delightfully over the top Tim Curry.

[AndrewCrossett]

If they do a rewrite on the script then I think they should make Duran Duran a dude. And that they should get either Mike Meyers to play him, going with my Mike Meyers kick for the rewrite, or a delightfully over the top Tim Curry.

He was a male in the original. And Tim Curry would definitely get my vote.

There was a move a few years ago to do a remake with Rose McGowan as Barbarella. I really can't see it, but I think she would do well in the Anita Pallenberg role.