New Barbarella Movie To Star Spokane Actress Sydney Sweeney

Sydney Sweeney is set to step into the shoes - or GoGo boots - once occupied by screen legend Jane Fonda, in a new Barbarella movie from Sony Pictures. Sweeney will also serve as executive producer. No writer or director has been announced as of yet.

The Spokane born actress teased the big news on Instagram yesterday with Boris Valejo's poster art from the 1977 re-release of Barbarella, now subtitled "Queen of the Galaxy."

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Adding the caption, "time to save the Universe."

What Will Sydney Sweeney's Barbarella Look Like?

No one knows what Sydney Sweeney's Barbarella will look like aesthetically, nor feel like in tone. But there are many possibilities.

• It could be a straight remake of the original.
• It could be based on the recent comic-book reboot, instead of the Jean-Claude Forest penned original.
• It could be an adaptation of the Barbarella stage musical. Yes, that's a thing.
• It could be a send-up/tribute ala Austin Powers. This would be a great way to embrace all the kitsch and camp of the late 60s original while winking at the audience.
• It could be a darker, grittier update - but who wants that from Barbarella?
• A split between remake and biopic "making of" Barbarella would be interesting.

Who is Barbarella?

Barbarella is a sexy sci-fi heroine who roams the 41st Century galaxy with her blind guardian angel in search of Dr. Durand Durand*, maker of the "positronic ray," a powerful weapon that threatens all mankind.

* Yes, that's where Duran Duran got their name.

Who Created Barbarella?

Barbarella is the creation of French writer/cartoonist Jean-Claude Forest. She first appeared in the pages of V magazine in 1962. The strip was an immediate sensation and was soon translated into a dozen languages.

Is the Original Barbarella Movie Any Good?

Barbarella, starring Jane Fonda, has a strange and campy 60s charm to it. The film did well in North America and was the second most popular movie of the year in the U.K.

Critical reception was mixed upon its release, but over time the movie has developed a cult-following which may explain its 74% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Was Barbarella Controversial?

Both the comic and movie versions of Barbarella raised eyebrows.

A book collecting all of the Barbarella magazine strips to date was published in 1964. This is considered the first mainstream adult/erotic comic-book.

The movie Barbarella, released in 1968, received a "condemned" rating from the National Catholic Office for Motion Pictures, a/k/a National League of Decency, a/k/a Catholic Legion of Decency. The group called the film a "sick, heavy-handed fantasy with nudity and graphic representations of sadism."

Is Sydney Sweeney's Barbarella Movie a Good Idea?

This is a good question. There is certainly interest in the property, with attempts at new small and big-screen versions since at least 2013, though none made it past the development stage.

Done right, it could be a new franchise for Sony and Sweeney. But what's right?

Done wrong, it could be an albatross around Sweeney's neck, just as Showgirls was for Elizabeth Berkley. Of course, that film eventually found its audience, So...

Long live the cult film! Long live Barbarella!