Last May, I asked whether Robert Rodriguez would cast his lovely girlfriend Rose McGowan as the star of Barbarella. Of course, he did just that very thing. But then there was news of turmoil and issues with Universal. "No, no, it's not Rose that's the problem!" Rodriguez then claimed, stating that the whole mess was just a matter of money -- an excuse that seems pretty ridiculous considering what the double R can do with almost no money. Now Rose has assured MTV that she is still the star, and things are moving along quite quickly.Discussing the rumor about her being a troublesome casting choice, she says that it "was really irritating because I know all the people over there and obviously it wasn't true. It was very malicious and there was no proof. Oftentimes these things have basis in truth, but this didn't. I have the contracts to prove it."
From there, McGowan went on to mention how far production has come. She says that they've finished the costumes, half the sets have been made, and she has "even got my spaceships." But the new wrench is casting the rest of the parts. Rose notes that it will be a long shoot that can, in no way, be finished before June, so I imagine they'll wait until a SAG resolution is reached before moving forward. Oh, that sinister, dark strike cloud...
1. No, we do not need another remake, but if one is to be done, I'd rather see McGowan cast as Barbarella with RR as director. With them, I get the feeling that the sexy-goofy-psychedelic tone of Vadim's film will be maintained, while updated and perhaps mutated. A remake of Barbarella can go wrong in so many ways, but with McGowan and RR, I think this flick will be at least entertaining.
Posted at 4:41PM on Apr 11th 2008 by Ivan