Cast This: Red Sonja, the She-Devil with a Sword

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

Created by Roy Thomas and Barry Windsor-Smith and partially based on a Robert E. Howard character, Red Sonja is known as the "She-Devil with a Sword," one of the greatest swords-women of the Hyborean Age and more than a match for any man in combat. She's also known for her impractically skimpy bikini armour which can't offer all that much protection.

Red Sonja made it to the big-screen for the first time in 1985 with Brigitte Nielsen taking on the title role, but since then, any further projects have been remained stuck in development hell. Robert Rodriquez (ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL) began developing a new RED SONJA film over a decade ago with Rose McGowan (GRINDHOUSE) set to star, but the project was later scrapped and the rights passed to Millennium Films. There was talk of Amber Heard (AQUAMAN) taking on the role for a movie which would exist in their rebooted CONAN THE BARBARIAN franchise, but after the failure of that film, the project was again scrapped. It would take WONDER WOMAN in 2017 to get the ball rolling on RED SONJA once more, with Millennium Films CEO Avi Lerner saying, "We have been waiting for the right time for this remake, and with the success of Wonder Woman, the audience has spoken. They want female heroes." BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY director Bryan Singer was tapped to helm the RED SONJA remake, but after fresh allegations of sexual assault emerged against Singer, he was dropped from the project.

Finally, just last week, Transparent creator Jill Soloway signed on to write and direct a "bold new take" on RED SONJA. "I can’t wait to bring Red Sonja’s epic world to life," said Soloway. "Exploring this powerful mythology and evolving what it means to be a heroine is an artistic dream come true." When Bryan Singer was still involved, Avi Lerner initially defended the director from the sexual assault allegations, but it seemed that distributors wanted nothing to do with the project and it was thought that it would be a challenge to sign on an actress to play the role. With Soloway now running the show, Millennium Films reportedly has several studios already approaching them about the project.

There have been several versions of Red Sonja in the comics over the years, but the original story from Marvel gave the character a brutal beginning, with her entire family being killed by a group of mercenaries, her house being burnt down, and Sonja finding herself as the victim of a rape by the mercenary leader. The goddess Scáthach appeared to Sonja, answering her cry for vengeance, and bestowed upon her incredible fighting skills on the condition that she would never lay with a man unless he defeated her in fair combat.

Now, when it comes to who should portray the She-Devil with a Sword in RED SONJA, Hollywood thankfully has no shortage of bad-ass women. For my first pick, I'll go with Katheryn Winnick, who has more than proven her warrior skills as Lagertha on History's Vikings series. Another popular actress who is frequently brought up in regards to Red Sonja has been Karen Gillan (JUMANJI: WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE), and for my final chioce, I'll go with the fantastic Eva Green (DUMBO).

Remember, you're free to suggest anyone in the comments, so let your inner casting director run wild!

Previously on Cast This, you were asked to fill the role of Grand Admiral Thrawn, one of the most popular characters in the Star Wars Extended Universe. Now that Thrawn has officially re-joined STAR WARS canon once again thanks to his role in Star Wars: Rebels, we may get to see Thrawn enter the realm of live-action at some point in the future. As usual, you came through with plenty of great suggestions for the role, including Jason Isaacs (Star Trek Discovery), Benedict Cumberbatch (AVENGERS: ENDGAME), and Jon Hamm (TOP GUN: MAVERICK).