The Red Sonja reboot film has officially started principal photography.
Millennium Media has announced that principal photography has commenced on the highly anticipated comic book adaptation. The company also revealed that Matilda Lutz (Revenge, Rings, Medici) has been cast in the titular role, replacing Ant-Man and the Wasp's Hannah John Kamen who had to depart the project over scheduling conflicts. "I’ve wanted to make a Red Sonja movie since I was a teenager - she has been a powerful presence for me and a character that I have always wanted to bring to the screen with my own voice and vision," stated the film's director M.J. Bassett. "When I met Matilda Lutz, I knew she had all the magic I was looking for and could see the complexity and depth she would bring to Sonja."
Red Sonja will be the second live-action film derived from the sword and sorcery comic books of the same name after the 1985 film, which starred Brigitte Nielsen as the title character and Arnold Schwarzenegger in a supporting role. Red Sonja was initially created by writer Roy Thomas and artist Barry Windsor-Smith for Marvel Comics in 1973, but new stories featuring the character have been published by Dynamite Entertainment since 2005.
"This has been a long journey from script to screen and we are excited to go into production after assembling the best creative team, an amazing band of up and coming talent and a fun and fantastical world fueled by the Red Sonja IP," said Millennium Media President Jeffrey Greenstein in a statement. "M.J. is an amazing filmmaker with fantastic vision and Matilda was absolutely brilliant in Revenge that we knew she was right for this role the moment we saw her - making them the perfect duo for Red Sonja."
Red Sonja Has an Impressive Ensemble Cast
Wallis Day (Batwoman) and Robert Sheehan (The Umbrella Academy) will star opposite Lutz in Red Sonja as Annisia and Draygan, respectively. Additional cast includes Michael Bisping (xXx: Return of Xander Cage) as Hawk, Martyn Ford as General Karlak (F9: The Fast Saga), Eliza Matengu (Thor: Love and Thunder) as Amarak, Manal El Feitury (Code Red) as Ayala and Katrina Durden (Doctor Strange) as Saevus.
Production on Red Sonja will start at the Bulgarian Nu Boyana Studio with additional shoots at the Greek Nu Boyana Studio. The film's shooting script was written by Joey Soloway (Transparent) and Tasha Huo (Netflix’s Tomb Raider).
Red Sonja does not have a release date at this time.
Source: Millennium Media