Red Sonjaproduction is moving full steam ahead. However, the Millennium Media film has undergone a new bit of casting with the addition of Rhona Mitra amid the departure of Oliver Trevena.
This is not the first time the project has undergone a cast shift. TheRed Sonjafilm was originallyset to be led by Hannah John-Kamenbefore she, too, had to leave the film due to scheduling conflicts. The role of Red Sonja eventually went to actress Matilda Lutz instead. Joining her in the film is Robert Sheehan, who will be portraying Draygan, and Wallis Day, who will be portraying Sonja’s villainous half-sister Dark Annisia. The plot of the movie is currently unknown.
RELATED:Production Begins on Red Sonja Film Starring Matilda Lutz
As reported byDeadline, Trevena, known for his work onWire Room,has had to depart the project due to scheduling conflicts. The role that Trevena would have portrayed is not specified. Meanwhile, actress Mitra, known for her work onHounds of War,has signed on to the film in an unspecified role.Red Sonjarecently released a first-look photothat showcases Lutz’s portrayal of the character. It was the best look at the film so far, but even the photo was shrouded in secrecy and raised more questions than it answered. It seems that Millennium Media is keeping the film under wraps as best it can before it releases.
Fans can only speculate as to whether Trevena’s departure and Mitra’s signing on toRed Sonjaare related. They may be playing entirely separate characters, but it is possible that Mitra may be playing a gender-swapped version of whatever character Trevena would have played. Red Sonja, a creation of Robert E. Howard (and later adapted for comics by Roy Thomas and artist Barry Windsor-Smith) has plenty of supporting characters that can be brought along to the big screen.
Howard constructed an entire world for theRed Sonjafilm to play around in. There had previously been aRed Sonjafilm adaptation back in 1985 that starred Brigitte Nielsen in the title role andArnold Schwarzenegger as the villainous Lord Kalidor, but the film performed poorly and won several Razzie Awards (which are awards given out for films considered to be terrible; basically the antithesis to the Oscars). ThisRed Sonjaadaptation looks like it aims to be more loyal to the source material, but only time can tell if it succeeds on a critical and commercial level.
