BARBARELLA (2025)
Sydney Sweeney | Paramount Pictures
Sydney Sweeney is heading to outer space in a new “Barbarella” movie. The actor confirmed the news on Instagram on Oct. 11, writing, “time to save the universe” alongside a screenshot of Deadline’s announcement of the project. According to the outlet, the “White Lotus” actor is set to star as the title hero and executive produce. The film is in development, with no writer or producer attached.
Jane Fonda famously played Barbarella in a 1968 film directed by Roger Vadim. The character first appeared in a French comic series by Jean-Claude Forest. The film ultimately became a cult classic and is considered one of Fonda’s most impactful roles. Fonda reflected on her character’s legacy in an April interview with Vanity Fair, saying, “All these young men later kept telling me it was the first erection they had, watching ‘Barbarella.’ And I thought, I’ll take that. That’s a good thing to be responsible for.
A remake of the 1960s cult classic Barbarella is currently in the works with Sydney Sweeney set to star, and there are already a ton of exciting updates about the new movie. Based on the French comic series by artist Jean-Claude Forest, 1968’s Barbarella stars Jane Fonda as the titular space traveler who is dispatched on a dangerous mission to find the evil scientist Durand Durand who has created a weapon that could destroy all humanity. Though not as famous as contemporaries like 2001: A Space Odyssey, Barbarella helped shape the face of science fiction for decades to come.
Critics weren’t fond of the film when it debuted, and it wasn’t the box office bonanza that producers had hoped it would be. Nevertheless, Barbarella immediately became a cult classic and saw an explosion of popularity as subsequent generations enjoyed the campy space comedy. What the movie did so well was capture the burgeoning sexual revolution and put it through the lens of sci-fi cheese, and it has stood the test of time. Now, a remake is in the works that could finally bring a current spin to Barbarella, and modern-day megastar Sydney Sweeney is attached to star.
