I’m sorry, Red Sonja fans. You’ve been waiting literally decades for the crimson-haired warrior to return to the big screen. Following the 1985 film starring Brigitte Nielsen, there have been multiple plagued attempts, with Robert Rodriguez’s version with Rose McGowan the most high-profile effort, followed by others led by Simon West, Bryan Singer, and Joey Soloway. Ultimately, it was MJ Bassett who got it done, with Rings actress Matilda Lutz taking up the sword.
Red Sonja is based on the sword ‘n sorcery comic character created by Conan writer Robert E. Howard, although you won’t find the famous barbarian in this movie. Lutz stars as Red Sonja, a huntress who engages in a bloody war against an evil tyrant bent on destroying her people.
Bassett is best known for directing Silent Hill: Revelations, Solomon Kane, and Endangered Species, for which we interviewed her. The script is by Tasha Huo. Also in the cast are Batwoman actress Wallis Day, Robert Sheehan, Martyn Ford, Michael Bisping, Philip Winchester, Trevor Eve, Luca Pasqualino, and Rhona Mitra.
I love that this looks like a movie right out of the ’80s, and like it could sit on a video store shelf alongside Conan the Barbarian and the original Red Sonja.
Red Sonja hits theaters on August 14th, followed by digital on August 29th from Samuel Goldwyn Films.
