Barbarella to hit TV screens

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Posted by Gerry Kiernan

Online content editor

July 9th 2012 at 12:00

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Barbarella Jane Fonda

Sixties sci-fi siren Barbarella is to return to the small screen.

Nicolas Winding Refn, the director of critically acclaimed thriller Drive starring Ryan Gosling, is adapting Barbarella for TV.

There’s no indication yet as to who might play the iconic character made famous by Jane Fonda in the 1968 film.

Based on Jean-Claude Forest’s cult French comic strip, Barbarella follows the eponymous femme fatale who travels from planet to planet fighting galactic battles and enjoying erotic adventures.

In a recent interview, Refn called Barbarella “one of the ultimate counter-cultural characters” and stated that he “looked forward to bringing this unique character to life for a new generation of fans.”

With Refn’s gravitas (he won best director for Drive at Cannes last year), Barbarella may not go the way of most cult sci-fi screen characters resurrected when they should have been left well alone (think ex-EastEnder Michelle Ryan in the dreadful Bionic Woman remake).

No word yet as to which channel will pick it up in the US but we can be sure it’ll find its way over to UK TV screens soon after. Given Barbarella’s ground-breaking cinematic sexuality at the time, it will be interesting to see how Refn will make it relevant to modern audiences.

Picture © Everett collection/Rex features

Should Barbarella be left in the 60s? Which sci-fi film or TV character would you most like to see back on TV and why? Let us know below

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