# Red Sonja to be redone



## Priest_Sidran (Oct 17, 2006)

One of the bestselling indie comic books available is coming to the silver screen. Red Sonja, a sword-and-sorcery comic book from Dynamite Entertainment, has been green lit with a production budget north of $25 million. 

Red Sonja was released on the big screen in 1985 starring Brigitte Nielson and Arnold Schwarzenegger. It will be remade by Millennium Films and Emmett/Furla. 


"The first movie was not a good one -- all the more reason to remake it. It is a great character and a great brand," said Joe Gatta, Head of Millennium Films. 

IMDB says that its in pre production (slated for 2008)


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## MonsterMash (Oct 17, 2006)

Well if they could make something good then I'd see it, but I won't hold my breath waiting.


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## Donovan Morningfire (Oct 17, 2006)

MonsterMash said:
			
		

> Well if they could make something good then I'd see it, but I won't hold my breath waiting.



Well, they'd be hard-pressed to make something worse than the "original," which was Red Sonja in name only.

If they're sticking to the source material for the character (which would mean this film will likely get an R-rating based on her origins alone), then it's already got a good shot at being better than the old Brigette Nielson vehicle.


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## horacethegrey (Oct 17, 2006)

Hope they cast a good actress in the role. One who can handle the physical stuff while being sexy as hell.  

On that note, what outfit would you guys wanna see? A more realistic costume? Or the classic chainmail bikini from the comics?


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## Edena_of_Neith (Oct 17, 2006)

Now *I've* seen everything ...


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## Brakkart (Oct 17, 2006)

horacethegrey said:
			
		

> Hope they cast a good actress in the role. One who can handle the physical stuff while being sexy as hell.
> 
> On that note, what outfit would you guys wanna see? A more realistic costume? Or the classic chainmail bikini from the comics?




Gotta go with the bikini. Stay true to the character and all that! *innocent look*


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## D.Shaffer (Oct 17, 2006)

I hate the chainmail bikini.  If you're going to have someone in armor, at least make it LOOK like it could possibly work. 

In any case, this'll probably be a fun movie to watch, even if it isnt a good one.  But then, it's going to take a lot of work to be worse then the original.


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## Klaus (Oct 17, 2006)

Go with the bikini, just don't say it is supposed to "armor", just plain gladiatorial fare to allow for unimpeded movement. And no offense to the Greg Land picture posted above, THIS is what I want Sonja to look like:






:bows to the glory of Cho:


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## Mark Hope (Oct 17, 2006)

Hey, cool news.  I enjoyed the swordfighting in the original and, umm, not much else.  It would be good to see a kick-ass sword & sorcery movie.


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## horacethegrey (Oct 17, 2006)

Klaus said:
			
		

> Go with the bikini, just don't say it is supposed to "armor", just plain gladiatorial fare to allow for unimpeded movement. And no offense to the Greg Land picture posted above, THIS is what I want Sonja to look like:
> 
> http://www.libertymeadows.com/covers/RedSonja1.jpg
> 
> :bows to the glory of Cho:




Not taking away from Frank Cho (I enjoyed his art in Shanna the She Devil  ), but his muscle bound warrior Sonja isn't what I envisioned the She-Devil to be. I'd rather she be a lean and mean fighting machine, much like how Steve Lightle drew her here:









Let's not have a repeat of Lucy Lawless now shall we?


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## Mark CMG (Oct 17, 2006)

Too obvious?

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0518085/


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## horacethegrey (Oct 17, 2006)

Mark CMG said:
			
		

> Too obvious?
> 
> http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0518085/




I wouldn't mind Loken in the role, provided she get back in the lean shape she had in _Terminator 3_. I thought she looked too chunky in _Bloodrayne_. :\


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## Klaus (Oct 17, 2006)

horacethegrey said:
			
		

> Not taking away from Frank Cho (I enjoyed his art in Shanna the She Devil  ), but his muscle bound warrior Sonja isn't what I envisioned the She-Devil to be. I'd rather she be a lean and mean fighting machine, much like how Steve Lightle drew her here:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



 You say it like it's a bad thing... 

Although Lawless had no breasts (it was all armor).

I wouldn't mind seeing someone like Eva Mendez pumping up for the role.


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## Mouseferatu (Oct 17, 2006)

Point the first: I liked Lucy Lawless. 

Point the second: While I don't want to see a bodybuilder in the roll, a warrior like Red Sonja _has_ to be at least decently muscled. Lean is fine to a point, but it needs to be "lean and muscular," not "anorexic" like most of the current crop of actresses in Hollywood.


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## Joshua Randall (Oct 17, 2006)

Mark Hope said:
			
		

> I enjoyed the swordfighting in the original



So did I.

It's one of the few movies that depicts a swordfight in which the combatants actually get fatigued by fighting.


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## sniffles (Oct 17, 2006)

I actually like a lot of the visuals in the original movie. But I do hope whoever they get for the lead part can handle a sword like she means it. Brigitte Nielsen always looked like she was scared to swing her blade.


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## Mark CMG (Oct 17, 2006)

horacethegrey said:
			
		

> I wouldn't mind Loken in the role, provided she get back in the lean shape she had in _Terminator 3_. I thought she looked too chunky in _Bloodrayne_. :\





Did you see her as Brunnhild in Ring of the Nibelungs (which aired on the Sci-Fi Channel, and came out on DVD, as Dark Kingdom: The Dragon King)?  She handled a sword very well and seemed suited to the role.  I didn't see anything of Bloodrayne but the posters and trailers.


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## TwistedBishop (Oct 17, 2006)

This would be my perfect look for Sonja.  I think it strikes the right balance.


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## Berandor (Oct 17, 2006)

Gina Torres could fit the role, though I imagine "Red" Sonja is named for her hair, not the blood she lets?


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## Pbartender (Oct 17, 2006)

horacethegrey said:
			
		

> On that note, what outfit would you guys wanna see? A more realistic costume? Or the classic chainmail bikini from the comics?




Honestly, I'd much prefer a more realistic costume...  

So long as the chainmail bikini made a cameo appearance.


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## trancejeremy (Oct 17, 2006)

Granted, I've only read a few of the early Red Sonja comic books. But I thought the movie was pretty true to them, because the early ones were very goofy and cheesy, like the Conan comic book. (Which is also the source of Conan being inarticulate).

Maybe the later versions are less silly than the original. But they didn't exist when the movie was made, AFAIK.


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## Filby (Oct 18, 2006)

Pbartender said:
			
		

> Honestly, I'd much prefer a more realistic costume...
> 
> So long as the chainmail bikini made a cameo appearance.




I concur. I think a kickass woman with realistic armor would go a long way to attracting viewers of both sexes as opposed to just men. But the bikini would _have_ to appear at least once!

Also, I must say that Cho's tall, muscular Sonja is my ideal Sonja as well.


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## Priest_Sidran (Oct 18, 2006)

Wow I didn't expect to see so many replies so soon


Bridgette Neilson is the only one they will officially say is in the movie ( it says she has a cameo appearance) 

Some of the other movies that I found to be coming soon...


Dungeon Siege the Movie (Statham from Transporter series as the lead)
           Game Sucked (My Opinion) but the movie might not

When Worlds Collide (Remake of the 50's classic) 
            Despite the sermon sounding orriginal I love this story, and hope that the remak does justice to the books


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## horacethegrey (Oct 18, 2006)

Priest_Sidran said:
			
		

> Dungeon Siege the Movie (Statham from Transporter series as the lead)
> Game Sucked (My Opinion) but the movie might not




I'll not watch this not just because it's directed by Uwe Boll, but the fact that he cheated in that stinking boxing challenge of his. Raging Boll my ass.


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## David Howery (Oct 18, 2006)

actually, the Red Sonja film I'd like to see would be about Red Sonya, the original character from REH's story about the siege of Vienna by the Turks.... that'd be better than anything done in the comic...


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## Xyanthon (Oct 18, 2006)

I think this could be a cool movie.  I saw the original back in the day although I don't remember anything about it really (which from everyone elses reviews that may be a good thing).  I'll remain optomistic about this one and hope that more good Sword and Sorcery flicks are going to be released.


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## Taelorn76 (Oct 18, 2006)

I liked the first one and I would likely see the remake. Though I can't picture anyone in Hollywood that would be good for the role. Loken would be the closest, but I am not sold on her.

What bugs me is that this is getting made and possibly released before another Conan movie comes out.


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## Ranger REG (Oct 19, 2006)

Taelorn76 said:
			
		

> What bugs me is that this is getting made and possibly released before another Conan movie comes out.



I did not realize that there is a mandate to release _Conan_ film before _Red Sonja._


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## David Howery (Oct 19, 2006)

whatever happened to that animated film of "Red Nails" that was coming out?  Was it ever released?


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## Steel_Wind (Oct 19, 2006)

It always amazes me how something like Red Sonja could be green lit, yet something with true cinematic franchise possibilities like "_Ill met in Lankhmar_" is lost in the dust history of Swords and Sorcery literature.

Ah well. I'll go see it all the same. It cannot be worse than that steaming pile of crap with Brigitte Neilson and Schwarzenegger in the cameo.


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## Angel Tarragon (Oct 19, 2006)

Egad. The original was bad enough. I'd only see a remake if some paid me to, and then only for a decent amount of $.


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## Ranger REG (Oct 19, 2006)

Frukathka said:
			
		

> Egad. The original was bad enough. I'd only see a remake if some paid me to, and then only for a decent amount of $.



You want a tease (1-minute trailer), a quickie (5 minutes), or go all the way (the whole film's time length)?


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## horacethegrey (Oct 19, 2006)

Ranger REG said:
			
		

> You want a tease (1-minute trailer), a quickie (5 minutes), or go all the way (the whole film's time length)?




My good man, must everything be about sex to you?


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## Angel Tarragon (Oct 19, 2006)

Ranger REG said:
			
		

> You want a tease (1-minute trailer), a quickie (5 minutes), or go all the way (the whole film's time length)?



A quickie would be just fine.    I wouldn't have to throw up afterwards.


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## Taelorn76 (Oct 19, 2006)

Ranger REG said:
			
		

> I did not realize that there is a mandate to release _Conan_ film before _Red Sonja._




There is no mandate. I would just rather see the next Conan movie before I see a crappy remake of an ok Red Sonja movie. Also I would think Conan would be easier to greenlight, more people know Conan than they do Red Sonja.


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## Farganger (Oct 19, 2006)

Mark CMG said:
			
		

> Did you see her as Brunnhild in Ring of the Nibelungs (which aired on the Sci-Fi Channel, and came out on DVD, as Dark Kingdom: The Dragon King)?  She handled a sword very well and seemed suited to the role.  I didn't see anything of Bloodrayne but the posters and trailers.




Interesting - she then relies, as I suppose all actors do, on her director. My wife's a film-maker (J.G.), and we both agreed she looked ungainly and almost painfully awkward in the fight scenes in Bloodrayne. 

Physically, she looks the part. I would disagree that she looked chunky in Bloodrayne (as someone else commented), although she's certainly not skinny . . .


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## Ranger REG (Oct 19, 2006)

Taelorn76 said:
			
		

> There is no mandate. I would just rather see the next Conan movie before I see a crappy remake of an ok Red Sonja movie. Also I would think Conan would be easier to greenlight, more people know Conan than they do Red Sonja.



Meh.

That would assume the same film production studio is going to do both of them. Better to let one studio do _Conan_ and another do _Red Sonja_ (without having to wait for the other studio finish _Conan_).


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## Ranger REG (Oct 19, 2006)

horacethegrey said:
			
		

> My good man, must everything be about sex to you?



Honestly, where in my statement above did I specifically mention the three-letter "S" word?


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## Taelorn76 (Oct 20, 2006)

I never said anything about it having to come from the same studio. I just think that Conan would be commercially succesfull, therefore a studio would be more inclined to get behind it.


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## Priest_Sidran (Oct 20, 2006)

Well this generated a lot more of a discussion than I was expecting, Personally I loved the orrignal (perhaps not for its quality), and wouldn't need to be paid to see a remake (so long as it is done well). 

Conan on the other hand has lost any hope of a remake (at least until they can find an actor worthy of the part). 

I second the idea of a Lankhmar movie, and hope for a Shannara movie, and perhaps a Pern movie. 

Though the adaption of comics to movies is far more prevelent these days among the good fillm studios. 

 I wouldn't mind seeing Loken in the part of Sonja as long as the studio took more time and effort into providing her with a good surrounding cast and story.


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## Taelorn76 (Oct 20, 2006)

Priest_Sidran said:
			
		

> Conan on the other hand has lost any hope of a remake (at least until they can find an actor worthy of the part).




I thought Triple H of WWE had the nod for a while. Hell I thought they had some pre-production going on it.


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## Mark CMG (Oct 20, 2006)

Priest_Sidran said:
			
		

> Conan on the other hand has lost any hope of a remake (at least until they can find an actor worthy of the part).





I check in here once in a while to see if there have been any developments -

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0816462/

Is there a better place?


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## Ranger REG (Oct 20, 2006)

Taelorn76 said:
			
		

> I thought Triple H of WWE had the nod for a while. Hell I thought they had some pre-production going on it.



So _Conan_ will be financed by his father-in-law and WWE Films company?


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## Milkman Dan (Oct 20, 2006)

If they are going to mine REH's work again, I'd rather they did *Solomon Kane*.  And hopefully, make it better than, say, *Van Helsing* (no offense meant to those who have enjoyed that movie).


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## nikolai (Oct 21, 2006)

I posted on this a while back. For a moment after Lord of the Rings I though its only effect would be to put into production lots of kiddie fantasy films. But it seems like it has had an effect on S&S too, and plenty of studios are trying to grab one. <b>Red Sonja</b> has been picked up by Millenium films, <b>Bran Mac Morn</b> by Working Title, Warners are finally doing another <b>Conan</b>, and Universal has <b>Elric</b> in preproduction. If these do come to fruition we're in for a great time.


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## Klaus (Oct 21, 2006)

I still hope someone will be smart enough to put together a Fafhrd & Grey Mouser movie. I mean, c´mon! It's a buddy flick, it's *supposed* to be funny (at times) and special effects are limited to a minimum!


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## nikolai (Oct 21, 2006)

Dark Horse have recently bought the <b>Fafhrd & Grey Mouser</b> film rights. They're working on a treatment and concept art with a view on pitching it to studios.

http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire/index.php?id=35790

The owners of the <b>Kull</b> and <b>Solomon Kane</b> rights have worked up scripts and have been pitching them about. They managed to get the Bran script sold, but these two haven't been picked up.


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## Klaus (Oct 22, 2006)

Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy!

Thanks, nikolai!


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## Ranger REG (Oct 22, 2006)

nikolai said:
			
		

> I posted on this a while back. For a moment after Lord of the Rings I though its only effect would be to put into production lots of kiddie fantasy films.



"Kiddie fantasy"???   

I think we've already have a fair share of "family-friendly" fantasy films since 2000. It's only natural the FX would expand to more adult-oriented films (not necessarily NC-17, nor do I see such budget would be spent on XXX films).

But _Red Sonja_ has to be at least rated R.


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## nikolai (Oct 22, 2006)

> "Kiddie fantasy"???




I mean stuff like Narnia, Eragon, His Dark Materials, Peter Pan and so on where the heroes are literally kids. That's obviously very different in tone even to Lord of the Rings, let alone blood-drenched Howardian S&S.


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## Mark CMG (Oct 22, 2006)

Well, what sorts of things have been produced on both sides of the kiddie/non-kiddie fantasy coin since a the first of the live-action LotR feature film was first on the realistic horizon?  Using the "power search" feature on IMDb and the parameters of "Fantasy" for the genre with the years "2000-2009" I received this result.  I could only filter out a few things, given their interface, like tv episodes.  I couldn't remove video games or other things that I wouldn't think are pertinent to this discussion, but perhaps they are of some interest.


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## horacethegrey (Oct 22, 2006)

Looking at that IMDB list, I'm more than a little frustrated. Honestly, can't we exclude superheroes and anything involving scifi from fantasy? It makes it even harder to define the genre if people are willing to lump other things under it. 

Also, I agree with Nikolai. While I've enjoyed all the kiddie fantasy that's come out in the wake of _Harry Potter_, it's time to make room for the fantasy stuff for adults (no I don't mean that kind  ) that can follow _The Lord of the Rings_. If this _Red Sonja_ remake pulls through, it could be the harbinger of things to come. LIke I don't know, _A Song and Ice and Fire _ miniseries?  A new _Conan _ movie finally? _Elric _ finally put on screen? The possiblities are endless.  

Of course, that doesn't mean fantasy for kids should be left on the wayside, as I feel there's a lot more enjoyment that can still be gained here. I loved the first _Narnia _ film, and am anxiously awaiting _Prince Caspian _ when it comes out. The Harry Potter movies have been steadily getting better for me since the third one, and I'm looking forward to _Order of the Phoenix_. I'm not sold on _Eragon _ though, as I felt the trailer was a bit lackluster, but I'm looking forward to _His Dark Materials_, despite my issues with Phillip Pullman.


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## Emirikol (Oct 28, 2006)

I'm up for a remake.  ANY movie is better than the original..and ANY movie is better than no move (unless the SciFi channel does it and it's just another movie to help cure my insomnia).

jh


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## Ranger REG (Oct 28, 2006)

Emirikol said:
			
		

> I'm up for a remake.  ANY movie is better than the original..and ANY movie is better than no move (unless the SciFi channel does it and it's just another movie to help cure my insomnia).



I don't they hit botom with the original film starring Brigitte Nielsen.


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