Interview: Director M.J. Bassett On Bringing Red Sonja Back After 40 Years
With the release of Red Sonja being a few weeks away, we got the chance to speak with the director, M.J. Bennett, to talk about her vision for this brand-new iteration of the classic character. We got to discuss how she was finally able to bring Sonja back to screens after 40 long years, her take on the world and why the male gaze had to go.
Red Sonja follows the barbarian huntress of the same name (Matilda Lutz), who has been enslaved by an evil tyrant and wishes to free her people. To do this, she must unite a group of unlikely warriors to face off against Dragan (Robert Sheehan) and his deadly bride, Dark Annisia (Wallis Day).
The film also stars Michael Bisping, Martyn Ford, Eliza Matengu, Veronica Ferres, Katrina Durden, Rhona Mitra, and Minal El-Feitury. It’s based on the characters created by Robert E. Howard and the Red Sonja comic adaptation by Roy Thomas.
The original film was released in 1985 and starred Brigitte Nielsen (Rocky IV) in the lead role alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger (Terminator 2: Judgment Day, True Lies), who played Lord Kalidor, loosely based on his Conan the Barbarian, with the film made in a similar universe. Sandahl Bergman, Paul Smith and Ronald Lacey co-starred in the cult fantasy, which was directed by Richard Fleischer (Conan The Destroyer, The Jazz Singer).
Official Synopsis:
A young girl rises from the ashes of tragedy to become the most feared warrior woman of all time: the She-Devil with a Sword.
You can watch the full interview below:
Red Sonja is available on Digital HD August 18th and DVD & Blu-ray on September 8th.
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