Barbarella Remake May Have a New Director

And I stress the word “may”, because frankly, like a lot of movies with Robert Rodriguez’s name attached to it at one point or another, a proposed remake of Jane Fonda’s 1968 cheesy sci-fi flick “Barbarella” has been talked about often, but nothing has ever come off it. Now with Rodriguez declaring that he’s permanently off the remake (a problem with the Germans, apparently), has producer Dino De Laurentiis found a replacement?

Entertainment Weekly thinks so:

Now it seems that director Robert Luketic (Monster-in-Law, Legally Blonde) is working with Dino De Laurentiis’ company (which owns the rights to the original property) to develop the picture with a different studio. “It will be a big intergalactic adventure with a sexy twist,” a source close to the project tells EW.com. Beyond that, details are being kept top secret, including who’ll be cast in Fonda’s old role (Rodriguez’s girlfriend, Rose McGowan, had been attached at one point).

If the remake is to go forward (and I’m one of those people who could care less either way), it’s probably best that Rodriguez is removed from the project. His involvement, and that of maybe-maybe not fiancee Rose McGowan is long and sordid and more than a little sleazy (and chronicled here), and starting fresh on the reboot with a whole new cast and crew is probably the way to go.

Below: “Stay back, or I’ll dry your hair!”