Sydney Sweeneyis going intergalactic with her next project:Barbarella. The film marks a continuing working relationship between Sweeney and Sony Pictures following the very successful rom-comAnyone But Youand theless-than-successfulMadame Web. Though it is yet to be confirmed, the newBarbarellamayalso featurethe directorial talents ofEdgar Wright(who’s also slated to direct Sweeney’sAnyone But Youco-starGlen Powellin a remake ofStephen King’sThe Running Man). This isn’t the first time thatBarbarellahas been adopted to the screen, as people are probably familiar with the 1968 adaptationthat starsJane Fondaas the titular bounty hunter. ThoughBarbarellais now thought of as a cult classic,it went through a tumultuous production that put far too much on the shoulders of its leading lady.
Barbarella
Barbarella is a 1968 sci-fi movie based on Jean-Claude Forest’s eponymous comic book. Jane Fonda stars as the titular space adventurer, who goes on a mission to stop the evil scientist Durand Durand in the 41st century.
Jane Fonda Wasn’t the First Choice for ‘Barbarella’
Barbarelladrew inspiration fromJean-Claude Forest’s comic series, which features the title character traveling to various planets…and engaging in sexual escapades with them. Given the risqué subject matter, it’s no surprise that directorRoger Vadimand producerDino de Laurentiiswanted to cast an actress who had sex appeal. In fact,Brigitte BardotandSophia Lorenwere de Laurentiis' first choices, but they both turned down the offer. Vadimthen turned to Fonda,whom he was married to at the time, and attempted to persuade hergiven the reception to science fiction films of the time,including2001: A Space OdysseyandPlanet of the Apes. “I explained to Jane that cinema was evolving and that the time was approaching when science fiction and galactic-style comedies likeBarbarellawould be important. She wasn’t really convinced, but she realized that I had a passion for the project,” he said.
Fonda, however,was dealing with a pair of media scandals at the time. While promoting the filmCircle of Lovein 1965,a billboard featuring her in a provocative pose made headlines, as did leaked photos from the set ofThe Game Is Over, which were promptly sold toPlayboy. Vadim had directed both films, and also had some choice words for his approach to Barbarella. “I am not going to intellectualise her. Although there is going to be a bit of satire about our morals and our ethics, the picture is going to be more of a spectacle than a cerebral exercise for a few way-out intellectuals,“he told theLos Angeles Times.Fonda had a different take: “She is not being promiscuous but she follows the natural reaction of another type of upbringing. She is not a so-called ‘sexually liberated woman’ either. That would mean rebellion against something. She is different. She was born free.”
Sydney Sweeney’s ‘Barbarella’ Remake Enlists ‘Shaun of the Dead’ Director
The remake of the Jane Fonda-led sci-fi classic has also tapped an ‘X-Men’ writer to pen the script.
‘Barbarella’ Was Hampered by Script Rewrites and Rogue Birds
Even with Fonda stepping into the role of Barbarella, production went through ups and downs.A total of 14 writers were hired, includingTerry Southern(Dr. Strangelove) andCharles B. Griffith(Little Shop of Horrors). Southern would reflect on hisBarbarellawork inGail Gerber’snovelTrippin' with Terry Southern: What I Think I Remember:
“Vadim wasn’t particularly interested in the script, but he was a lot of fun, with a discerning eye for the erotic, grotesque, and the absurd. And Jane Fonda was super in all regards.”
Barbarellahad to sharea number of production elements withDanger: Diabolik, which was also based on a comic and produced by de Laurentiis. The producer’s penny-pinching resulted in wholeDanger: Diaboliksets being re-used forBarbarella, alongsideDiabolikscreenwritersBrian DegasandTudorGatespunching up the dialogue. As if that weren’t bad enough,Fonda became sick during a scene involving lovebirds and wrens. Inan interview withRoger Ebertduring the time of filming, Fonda recalled how she stuck birdseed onto her costume to feed the birds, but they wound up losing their appetites and huddling near her for nearly two weeks. Another stunt involving Fonda andMilo O’Sheawent horribly wrong due to misfiring pyrotechnics…and the fact that Vadim had failed to tell them about said pyrotechnics. When all is said and done, it’s a miracle thatBarbarellawrapped filming.
‘Barbarella’ Ended Jane Fonda’s Marriage – But She Grew To Love the Film
In the years followingBarbarella’s release,it reached cult classic status. The band Duran Duran named itself after O’Shea’s antagonist, while otherfilmmakers includingRobert RodriguezandNicolas Winding Refnattempted to do a remakebefore Sweeney and Wright. But the person who had the most struggles with its success was Fonda. She opened up in her autobiography about how Vadim had started drinking heavily on the set, as well as how the film impacted her own health:
“Partway through the filming ofBarbarellahe started drinking at lunch, and we’d never know what to expect after that. He wasn’t falling down, but his words would slur and his decisions about how to shoot scenes often seemed ill-considered…There I was, a young woman who hated her body and suffered from terrible bulimia, playing a scantily clad sometimes naked sexual heroine.”
Fonda alsohas her own thoughts and worries about Sweeney’s upcoming remake. “I try not to [think about it]. Because I worry about what it’s going to be…I had an idea of how to do it that [original producer] Dino De Laurentiis, when he was still alive, wouldn’t listen to. But it could have been a truly feminist movie,” she toldThe Hollywood Reporter.Given everything Fonda went through shooting the originalBarbarella, and the horror stories that have often come out of Hollywood, Fonda’s concerns are justified.
