Entertainment Swindon

It’s been official! The long awaited announcement of the Red Sonja reboot is here… Although an exact date has not been announced, we do know that the movie will be released in the UK in 2025.

It was Robert E Howard, best known for creating Conan the Barbarian, who also created the character Red Sonja. Plot details are still under wraps, but the film will revolve around Red Sonja as she leads a group of warriors to free their people from tyranny of the malevolent Dragon The Magnificent and his wife Dark Annisia. The reboot will be based on the comic book series by Dynamite Entertainment and directed by M J Bassett, starring Matilda Lutz in the lead role as Red Sonja. We also know that Robert Sheehan will be Draygan, Wallis Day will be Annisia and Martyn Ford will play the part as General Karlak.

According to Deadline, Begüm Kayacan Parodi, the Acquisitions Manager of Signature Entertainment which picked up the UK and Irish distribution rights, said, “Red Sonja epitomises the kind of film we’re looking for at Signature – an epic story in a fantasy-laden world with a strong commercial feel to its execution, which made it immediately appealing to us. We’re looking forward to introducing UK and Irish audiences to Matilda Lutz’s sword-swinging huntress later this year.”

Red Sonja was first brought to the big screen in 1985, aiming to capitalise on the success of the Arnold Schwarzenegger starring hits, Conan the Barbarian and Conan the Destroyer, but unfortunately, the film was a big flop, putting an end to any ideas for sequels down the line.

Red Sonja is one of those movies that has been begging for a reboot for a very long time, and thanks to Robert Rodriguez in 2008 reviving the barbarian heroin, the Red Sonja was revived from the ashes of movie flop land, it was intended to star Rodriguez then-girlfriend Rose McGowan in the lead role. However, that project fell apart, with various other filmmakers and studios attached to it over the next several years. There were even initial plans to shoot the film before the release of the sequel to 2011’s Conan the Barbarian reboot, though that never happened.

One of the biggest signs that a Red Sonja film was finally happening was in 2018 when it was announced that X-Men and Superman Returns director Bryan Singer had signed on to direct. However, after Singer was accused of sexual assault by multiple men, this project also fell through.

Finally, in 2021, Tasha Huo was brought on as the screenwriter with filming kicking off the following year.  Red Sonja was in post-production for nearly two years before its production company Millennium Media reached the distribution deal with Signature. J.J. Nugent, the President of International Sales and Distribution of Millennium Media, said in a statement released to Deadline, “We’re thrilled to be teaming up with Signature Entertainment to bring Red Sonja to audiences in the UK. This franchise has a passionate global fanbase, and we can’t wait to deliver a film that honours its legacy while introducing the iconic characters to a new generation.”

There are few films we like seeing news about reboots, but this one, we are excited about. What do you think? Comment below.