Robert Rodriguez Won't Remake 'Barbarella'

Much like the 8-track and Mussolini, Robert Rodriguez' reboot of Barbarella is very, very dead. The 8-track gave way to the cassette tape and Mussolini was caught trying to flee Italy dressed as a German soldier, executed, hanged upside down in a public square, and stoned. That's not exactly what happened to Barbarella, although Germany did play a part in the downfall of both. Rodriguez' new version of the Roger Vadim cult classic was set to star Rose McGowan (not the best casting choice), and Universal balked at the price tag. The Sin City and Grindhouse co- director tells MTV he did manage to find financing elsewhere, but it just wasn't worth the hassle. “It came to the point where [a company from] Germany offered us a $70 million budget, which would have been by far the biggest budget I ever would have had for a movie,” Rodriguez says, “But I had to shoot it in Germany and post it in Germany." "Nothing against Germany, but I have five kids and I was like, ‘God, I don’t know if we can do that. I don’t know if I can be away that long.’” This is a good idea for a remake, and in general, science fiction works in that arena becuase our science constantly catches up to the fiction. And it's a great role for a woman, though again, I'd be more inclined to go with a Kate Beckinsale or a Charlize Theron over Rose McGowan. I'm not certain I get the Troublemaker Studios vibe for Barbarella, though, especially since Rodriguez is really remake happy at the moment. But regardless of what happens from here, Barbarella appears to be on ice for the time being.

Comments

[Will]

Strange that the director who made the better half of Grindhouse (Rodriguez) is stalling, while his counterpart (Tarantino) who came off looking like a talentless hack in that film, is surging.

I guess the movie gods are weird that way.