Deadline reported today that Gaumont International's Barbarella television series has landed at Amazon Studios. The project is being produced by Nicolas Refn and Martha De Laurentiis (widow of original producer Dino). Skyfall scribes Neal Purvis and Robert Wade have written the pilot. Apparently the producers are currently looking for a show-runner. The news comes after years of development; even Drew Barrymore was mentioned at one point as a possible star for a big-screen project. Barbarella is based on a sexy sci-spy character created by Jean-Claude Forest in 1962, which was later adapted into a cult-film in 1968 by Roger Vadim and starring Jane Fonda (below), John Phillip Law (Danger Diabolik), David Hemmings (Blow-Up), and Anita Pallenberg (Performance). Like most modern remakes of 1960s properties, I hope the show doesn't become too self-conscious, or worse, a parody. Too often, retro-styled films go out of their way to capture some of the style and sexuality of an old show, but none of the intelligence. In this case, however, the original Barbarella film played like a poor remake and could actually use a little more intelligent writing and direction. If they bring any inspiration from the 1968 movie, I hope it's the playful approach to the costume designs- maybe Paco Rabanne is available. I have great trust in the writers and remain optimistic. To my mind, these guys wrote the smartest Bond screenplay in 50 years (and I'm a die-hard Classic 007/Connery fan). See my review of Skyfall here. Good luck to Gaumont, Amazon, and the creative team! More news as it comes.
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Variety reports that the Barbarella project with 007-writers Neal Purvis and Robert Wade has been revived as a new television series from Gaumont International. Lost in development a few years back as a feature film, the new series, Skein, is based on the original comic character by Jean-Claude Forest that inspired Vadim's 1968 cult classic movie with Jane Fonda. The cast has not been revealed. The executive producer is Nicolas Winding Refn. "I'm excited for the opportunity to reinvent
'Barbarella' with my friends at Gaumont and Martha De Laurentiis," said
Refn. "And I look forward to bringing this unique character to life for a
new generation of fans as I believe she is one of the ultimate counter-cultural
characters." Purvis and Wade are set to write the series. Although I love the costumes of the Vadim film, it was ultimately too static and stagey to work as a movie. In the hands of these very competent writers, I hope to see Barbarella translated as cinematic experience with fresh ideas and dynamic storytelling. See my review of Purvis and Wade's script for Skyfall here.
