‘Red Sonja’ Reportedly Loses Both Its Star And Director, New Filmmaker Already Named

The curse of Red Sonja continues! I won’t get into the issues this film has been having since when Robert Rodriguez and Bryan Singer were trying to get versions off the ground. Millennium Films’ take on the sword-swinging badass looked to be in a good place with Ant-Man actress Hannah John-Kamen set to lead, and Transparent‘s Joey Soloway to direct. But now the film has undergone a major shake-up that leaves it without a star and a new director.

News comes from The Illuminerdi (judge accordingly), that Soloway and John-Kamen have both dropped out of Red Sonja. The search is on for a new lead actress who can handle the physical load, which John-Kamen definitely could, but that decision could turn out to be a pretty simple one. Why? Funny you should ask.

With Soloway out, MJ Bassett has reportedly taken over as director. Bassett is the filmmaker behind action flicks such as Solomon Kane, Rogue, and Endangered Species. She’s also quite close to actress Megan Fox, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Bassett reaches out to her first.

While I do like Bassett’s work (check my interview with her here), her hiring, and the potential casting of Fox, would send this movie into straight-to-VOD land rather than it being a major theatrical release. And that’s a shame given the long wait, the popularity of Red Sonja as a Conan-adjacent character, and the potential as a franchise.

Travis Hopson
Travis Hopson has been reviewing movies before he even knew there was such a thing. Having grown up on a combination of bad '80s movies, pro wrestling, comic books, and hip-hop, Travis is uniquely positioned to geek out on just about everything under the sun. A vampire who walks during the day and refuses to sleep, Travis is the co-creator and lead writer for Punch Drunk Critics. He is also a contributor to Good Morning Washington, WBAL Morning News, and WETA Around Town. In the five minutes a day he's not working, Travis is also a voice actor, podcaster, and Twitch gamer. Travis is a voting member of the Critics Choice Association (CCA), Washington DC Area Film Critics Association (WAFCA), and Late Night programmer for the Lakefront Film Festival.