‘Red Sonja’: Director M.J. Bassett Replaces Joey Soloway, Matilda Lutz Takes Over Titular Role

A remake of the 1985 sword and sorcery film “Red Sonja” had been in the works for ages at Millennium Media. One incarnation had Robert Rodriguez producing with “Planet Terror” star Rose McGowan attached to play the comic book heroine. However, that project never saw the light of day, and they tried again with a version that had British actress Hannah John-Kamen (“Ant-Man & The Wasp”) playing Sonja and Joey Soloway (“Transparent”) set to co-write/direct. 

According to Millennium Media, production has begun on “Red Sonja” in Bulgaria with plans to also shoot scenes in Greece but with a huge caveat, they’ve quietly hired a new lead actress and director.

Action director M.J. Bassett (“Solomon Kane,” “Silent Hill: Revelation”), who had recently worked with Megan Fox on the thriller “Rogue” has been tapped to take over for Soloway. She is one of the more high-profile trans directors working in both film and television. Bassett also worked on shows such as “Reacher,” “Nightflyers,” “Iron Fist,” “Strike Back,” and “Ash vs Evil Dead.” Perhaps, the studio felt more comfortable with a helmer that has more of an action background. 

READ MORE: Jason Momoa On His ‘Conan The Barbarian’ Remake: It Was “Turned Into A Big Pile Of Sh*t”

They’ve also replaced John-Kamen with Italian-American actress Matilda Lutz (“Revenge”) as Red Sonja. The rest of the cast consists of Wallis Day, Robert Sheehan, Michael Bisping, Martyn Ford, Eliza Matengu, Manal El-Feitury and Katrina Durden.

“I’ve wanted to make a ‘Red Sonja’ movie since I was a teenager – she has been a powerful presence for me and a character that I have always wanted to bring to the screen with my own voice and vision,” said Bassett. “When I met Matilda Lutz, I knew she had all the magic I was looking for and could see the complexity and depth she would bring to Sonja.”

“Red Sonja” was born in the pages of Marvel Comics, a character that was loosely inspired by author Robert E. Howard’s Red Sonya of Rogatino. In the comics, the female warrior inhabits the same fantasy world as “Conan The Barbarian” as there have been multiple comic book crossovers over the decades. That 1985 movie originally starred Brigitte Nielsen and Arnold Schwarzenegger, the latter played an entirely different character from Conan. 

You might remember that Millennium Media was previously behind the Jason Momoa-led “Conan The Barbarian” remake from 2011, hopefully, this fantasy action pic turns out a little better. Then again, the original “Red Sonja” was a notorious flop and there is plenty of room for improvements. A release date hasn’t been announced but given a 2022 start we could end up seeing “Red Sonja” ready to be released sometime in 2023.