Red Sonja (2024 film)

Red Sonja is an upcoming American sword and sorcery film directed by M. J. Bassett and written by Tasha Huo and M.J. Bassett, based on the character of the same name. The film stars Matilda Lutz as the title character, alongside Wallis Day, Robert Sheehan, Michael Bisping, Martyn Ford, Eliza Matengu, Rhona Mitra, and Veronica Ferres.

The film is set to be theatrically released in 2024.

Premise
Enslaved by an evil tyrant who wishes to destroy her people, barbarian huntress Red Sonja must unite a group of unlikely warriors to face off against Dragan The Magnificent and his deadly bride, Dark Annisia.

Cast

 * Matilda Lutz as Red Sonja
 * Wallis Day as Annisia
 * Robert Sheehan as Dragan
 * Michael Bisping as Hawk
 * Martyn Ford as General Karlak
 * Eliza Matengu as Amarak
 * Veronica Ferres as Ashera and the mother of Red Sonja
 * Katrina Durden as Saevus
 * Manal El-Feitury as Ayala

Additionally, Rhona Mitra, Kate Nichols, and Danica Davis were cast in undisclosed roles.

Production
A second Red Sonja film has been in development for some years. In 2008, Robert Rodriguez and his production company Troublemaker Studios were working on a version that would have starred Rose McGowan as the titular character. By 2009 however, the Rodriguez project had been scrapped, and in February 2010, rights holders Nu Image announced they were moving forward with another projected new film to be directed by Simon West. Producer Avi Lerner said he would like to see Amber Heard take the role of Sonja, after having worked with her on Drive Angry. Lerner said the film would shoot before the sequel to Conan the Barbarian.

In August 2012, at the premiere of The Expendables 2, West said that the film was still a go and would be out soon. On February 26, 2015, Christopher Cosmos was set to write the screenplay from scrap. According to Deadline, Millennium Films would finance and produce a new Red Sonja movie with Lerner and Joe Gatta producing alongside Cinelou Films' Mark Canton and Courtney Solomon and writing by Ashley Miller.

In October 2018, Bryan Singer was confirmed to direct the film. After multiple men accused Singer of sexual assault in January 2019, Lerner released a statement in defense of Singer, praising his "remarkable vision and acumen" and saying that he knew "the difference between agenda driven [sic] fake news and reality". The following month, Millennium Films announced Red Sonja was no longer on their slate of films due to the allegations against Singer. In March 2019, Lerner dropped Singer from the project because he was unable to secure a domestic distributor. In June 2019, Joey Soloway signed on to write, direct and produce the film.

In February 2021, Tasha Huo was hired to write the script with Soloway, and casting was set to begin. By May, Hannah John-Kamen was cast in the titular role. In March 2022, John-Kamen and Soloway left, with M. J. Bassett replacing Soloway as director. M.J. Bassett rewrote the script by Tasha Huo. That August, Millennium confirmed that the film had begun production in Sofia, Bulgaria, with Matilda Lutz playing the title role. In September 2022, Oliver Trevena was set to appear as Tr'aal.

In October 2022, Rhona Mitra was cast in an undisclosed role, while Trevena exited the film due to scheduling conflicts. In November 2022, Veronica Ferres was cast as Ashera and the mother of Red Sonja. On 12 November 2022, it was reported that filming had been underway for two weeks at studios in the Thermi suburb of Thessaloniki, Greece, with post-production to be completed there as well. By February 2023, Kate Nichols, Katrina Durden, Manal El-Feitury, and Danica Davis were cast in undisclosed roles, while Alison McCosh and Clint Wallace were revealed to be the costume designer and production designer, respectively.

The film is based on the Dynamite Entertainment version of the character. These comics introduced a concept where the original Marvel Comics Sonja was killed and replaced by Dynamite's "reincarnation". Luke Lieberman will serve as a producer under Red Sonja LLC, while Nick Barrucci will serve as an executive producer for Dynamite Entertainment.

Adaptation
Lutz said the film will differ in tone from the "male gaze" of the comics, and present "a completely different story". Nevertheless, the character's trademark bikini will remain the main costume for the film.

Release
In July 2023, the film's producer Luke Lieberman was quoted saying the film was expected to be "out in the first or second quarter of 2024". A teaser trailer debuted at the 2023 San Diego Comic-Con, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the character.