Rodriguez is P-Whipped: 'Barbarella' Goes Bye Bye
Filed under: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Deals, Universal, RumorMonger, Celebrities and Controversy, Fandom, DIY/Filmmaking, Newsstand, Remakes and Sequels
If there's one thing I've ever learned in life it's that you should try to keep your personal life and business life separate. Once they collide, sh*t almost always hits the fan, and it will only be a matter of days before that big $100 million picture you were supposed to direct gets the shaft. Yes, I'm talking to you Mr. Robert Rodriguez. According to The New York Observer, Universal will no longer back Rodriguez's planned Barbarella remake because the director insists on placing his woman, Rose McGowan, in the lead role. Here's how their source describes the scene: "It's sort of embarrassing for everyone involved. No one thinks Rose can carry the movie, but Robert won't listen." (I can hear the sounds of the whip in the background as we speak.)
Other names that have lingered around the role include Nicole Kidman, Halle Berry and Jessica Alba. However, Rodriguez wants McGowan, and it doesn't appear Universal wants to shell out $100 million for a director who's whose last film bombed and a girl who's never amounted to anything more than playing "the hot slutty girl" in each of her films. Funnily enough, the original Barbarella starred Jane Fonda and was directed by her husband (at the time) Roger Vadim. Since Rodriguez and McGowan are engaged, I suppose it only makes sense to keep things in line with the source material. Apparently, Universal will still fund the film, but not at $100 million. They'll do $60 million, yet Rodriguez is said to be shopping the project around to other studios in the hopes of securing more money. Here's my question to you: If you were Universal, would you stick with the $100 million budget and take a chance on McGowan? Or do you think Rodriguez is too whipped to see there are better actresses out there?
Ron Weaseley Has Swine Flu
Quick List: Romance for Boys
Christian Bale's Rollercoaster Career_thumbnail.jpg)
Michael Bay Trashes Megan Fox, Talks 'Transformers 3' and 3D_thumbnail.jpg)
First Look: Stewart, Fanning and More Are 'The Runaways'
_thumbnail.jpg){kind=spacer}
_thumbnail.jpg)
_thumbnail.jpg){kind=spacer}
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
10-18-2007 @ 11:33AM
MB said...
Eh.. Sounds fishy to me. If anyone can pull it off and has proven capable of similar roles, it's Rose. She might not be a huge, mainstream name, but this isn't your typical mainstream movie.
What would be embarrassing is a Barbarella remake with Alba or Kidman. One would get Rocchi ranting, and the other would make this a ridiculous Bewitched sort of picture.
Reply
10-18-2007 @ 11:38AM
YouFaceTheTick said...
Wow, I'd pay to see Rose in a movie over any of the old has-beens listed in this column.
Reply
10-18-2007 @ 11:40AM
Erik Davis said...
Sure, if the film's price tag was, say, $20 million. But if you were Universal, would you seriously spend $100 million on a Rose McGowan film? Seriously now.
Reply
10-18-2007 @ 11:41AM
Rich said...
Jessica Alba couldn't act her way out of a paperbag... At least Rose McGowen is nice to look at!
Reply
10-18-2007 @ 11:42AM
dana said...
I'm definitely with MB all the way on this one. McGowan seems perfect to me, somehow. Rodriguez had to know that he would have problems getting $100 million, though. Go with the $60 million, Robert!
Reply
10-18-2007 @ 11:50AM
Niviche said...
I think RMG could probably be fine in this movie, but wouldn't an acress that actually looks more like the original Barbarelle fits better?
I haven't seen any of her movies, but browsing IMDB, it would seem that Diora Baird (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1401531) would actually look more like Jane Fonda. This said, I don't know how good or bad an actress she is.
Reply
10-18-2007 @ 11:54AM
Big Mike said...
Are you kidding? Rose McGowan is one hot piece of ass! I'm all for it!
Reply
10-18-2007 @ 11:56AM
Sam H. said...
I suspect Universal was already nervous about backing a $100 million remake of a campy '60s movie based on a comic no one's ever heard of, particularly one directed by Robert Rodriguez, whose glory days are already long behind him. In that circumstance, insisting on a non-star like McGowan in the lead gave Universal an easy out.
Reply
10-18-2007 @ 12:19PM
E said...
I think Rose McGowan is perfect. They don't need someone who looks like Jane Fonda, Rose McGowan would bring something different . . . .
Reply
10-18-2007 @ 12:20PM
techstar25 said...
They seem to be forgetting that Rose was already in a pretty successful TV show (Charmed), which garnered her a legion of female fans (my wife watched that show religiously). I know that Rose would attract all those female fans to the theatres. Obviously, men will want to see Barbarella, but how will they get women to go? I know for a fact that most women don't want to see Alba, in fact she's probably hated.
Reply
10-18-2007 @ 12:22PM
Jeff N. said...
You should be able to do a good job of making this movie with $60 Million. Personally I think it will flop not matter who stars in it. I doubt it will be a big grossing movie.
Reply
10-18-2007 @ 12:27PM
Noam Sane said...
It's 'whose' - not 'who's'. You do this a lot and it's starting to bug me. Thank you.
Reply
10-18-2007 @ 12:40PM
seraphflux said...
Since Rose McGowan has certainly what it takes to make an interesting Barbarella (not only hotness, but also a certain sense of humour), and since I can't think of an actress who can open for sure a $100 mil. priced sci-fi extravaganza, which will probably be surreal and campy (not to mention R rated, at least according to an early report from the AICN.com guys, who are usually pretty well informed and in the loop on all things Rodriguez), I'd say Universal is a bit crazy in getting cold feet over Rose's name.
If they decided to back it, they should have known that they're probably in for a cult movie (if things goes well) and not a blockbuster.
All I know is that Planet Terror made me excited on the prospect of the Rodriguez/McGowan duo tackling Barbarella, and I hope they managed to find the remaining $40 mil.
Oh, and the other actresses on the list...Give me a break...
Reply
10-18-2007 @ 12:51PM
seraphflux said...
I think Rose McGowan would make a pretty interesting Barbarella, not only for her hotness, but for her sense of humour too (which is fundamental for the character).
And I can't think of a single actress who could open for sure a $100 mil. sci-fi extravaganza, which would probably be surreal and campy in feel (not to mention R rated, according to a report a while back from the AICN.com guys, who are usually pretty in the loop for everything concerning Rodriguez), so I have to say that the idea of Universal getting cold feet over McGowan's name seems prety ridiculous.
Personally, after watching Planet Terror, I'm very excited at the prospect of the Rodriguez/McGowan duo tackling Barbarella, and I hope they can find somehow the remaining $40 mil.
Oh, and about the other actresses listed for the role...Give me a break...
Reply
10-18-2007 @ 1:18PM
tikirob said...
Fine I have no problem with this...but 100 mil ouch. Take the 60 and keep the cheesy feel of the movie, I am afraid they might FX the hell out of the film.
Rob
http://www.movie.cat.com
Reply
10-18-2007 @ 2:10PM
Chris said...
Personally I think Rose is fine, but I question if she can do the right type of campiness for the role. Don't get me wrong, I've seen her do camp, but she always seems to have a fair bit of vamp with it.
Fonda was light-hearted, innocent, and the whole thing was goofy.
For some reason, in my mind, Anne Hathaway seems to fit. I have no idea why.
Reply
10-18-2007 @ 2:18PM
Travis Johnson said...
I agree with tikirob, take the 60million and go go go !!!
And as for the decision of using Rose, I completely and utterly agree with Rodriguez. McGowan to me has always been one of the most under-rated actresses. She's so much more real, both physically, and with her acting.
Reply
10-18-2007 @ 2:59PM
mike said...
nicole kidman? invasion tanked...
halle berry? hotness is over by now, no way she could open with big boxoffice numbers
jessica alba? women hate her! 100 mill? noway.
Reply
10-18-2007 @ 4:21PM
Ron Moses said...
I think the bigger question is, why does Robert Rodriguez, of ALL people, need $100m to remake Barbarella? He made Spy Kids 2 for $30m. This movie's really going to be more than three times as awesome? You don't hire RR to make a $100m movie. You hire him to make a $60m movie for $30m and pocket the difference.
Reply
10-19-2007 @ 7:00PM
stormko said...
For me, the thing that stands out the most is this thinking that only a handful of stars can validate a budget. And if that's true, then what does that say for our culture when it's not the story, but the celebrity we are conditioned to love, that inspires us to want to see a story?
"I can't tell if I want to see that story, but since it has that guy/girl..."
Reply