With a Sydney Sweeney-starring remake of Barbarellaon the horizon, there's never been a better time to watch the psychedelic 1968 original. This month, Paramount+ has you covered. The streamer will add the Jane Fonda cult classic to its library starting January 1, 2025.
Based on the French comics character created by Jean-Claude Forest in 1962, Barbarella was directed by Roger Vadim (And God Created Woman), Fonda's then-husband. She wasn't the first choice for the part, which was offered to Brigitte Bardot and Sophia Lorenfirst. The film's production was chaotic; a total of fourteen writers worked on the script, while Vadim started drinking heavily, which eventually led to the breakup of his marriage with Fonda. The film was also shot concurrently with Danger: Diabolik, another European comics adaptation produced by Dino De Laurentiis. However, despite the tumult of its production, the film became a hit thanks to its carefree sexuality, its eye-popping production design, and Fonda's bewitching performance as the titular galactic ingénue.
What Is 'Barbarella' About?
Set in the distant future, Fonda plays Barbarella, a space-faring adventurer. The President of Earth sends her to a distant planet to find Durand Durand (Milo O'Shea, Theatre of Blood), a scientist who created the deadly positronic ray – and yes, Durand Durand is the namesake of 1980s pop superstars Duran Duran. Along the way, she encounters a number of bizarre characters, including the tyrannical Black Queen (Anita Pallenberg, a model and longtime associate of the Rolling Stones); Pygar (John Phillip Law, The Golden Voyage of Sinbad), a blind angel who can no longer fly; and the brilliant Professor Ping (famous mime Marcel Marceau, in his first speaking role). After escaping Durand Durand's Excessive Machine – a contraption designed to kill her with pleasure – Barbarella gets drawn into a planetary rebellion. Of course, the plot of the film doesn't matter all that much – the film kicks off with a zero-gravity striptease, setting the tone for a wild, campy ride into an extremely 1960s vision of the far future.
There have been numerous attempts to remake Barbarella in the intervening years. Robert Rodriguez was attached to the project for several years, with Rose McGowan set to star in the title role. Eventually, they both left the project and Robert Luketic (Legally Blonde) came aboard, with Anne Hathaway rumored for the lead; however, nothing came of that, either. A TV series directed by Nicholas Winding Refn was also mooted. However, the current remake seems to be on track, with the ubiquitous Sweeney set to star, and Edgar Wright signed to direct from a script by Blake Northcott.
Barbarella will stream on Paramount+ starting January 1, 2025. Stay tuned to Collider for future updates.
Image via Paramount Pictures
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