While the notion of a Red Sonja reboot hasn’t always been the most exciting thing, this one big piece of news changes all that. Hannah John-Kamen, who kicked all kinds of ass in Killjoys and Ant-Man and the Wasp, has been cast as the fearsome warrior.
“Hannah is a very talented actress who we’ve been following for years and she IS Red Sonja,” director Joey Soloway said in a statement to the Hollywood Reporter. “Her range, sensibilities and strength are all qualities we have been looking for and we couldn’t be more excited to embark on this journey together.” Soloway, best known for their work on Transparent, is directing from a script they co-wrote with Tasha Huo, who is showrunning Netflix’s upcoming Tomb Raider animated show. All of which just feels so much better from the person who was originally going to make the film.
For Kamen, who’ll soon be seen in Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City, this feels like the right role at the right time. She’s already stood toe to toe with some of the best in the business, be it Steven Spielberg or Michael Douglas, but was always a few names down from the top of the call sheet. Now she’s got her own franchise—putting her own spin on a powerful character last seen headlining a movie in 1985, as played by Brigitte Nielsen—and it’s likely to make her the household name she deserves to be. (Also, if she’s not in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, we riot.)
No word on when the trio might finally roll cameras to bring Roy Thomas and artist Barry Windsor-Smith’s sword-wielding Marvel Comics creation to life, but this previous statement from Soloway makes us incredibly excited for that to happen. “I have loved Red Sonja forever and I feel so honored to help shepherd her story and start this cinematic journey,” they said earlier this year. “There could not be a greater moment in our world for Red Sonja’s ways of wielding power and her connection with nature and our planet. She is an ancient heroine with an epic calling, and translating that to the screen is a dream come true for me as a filmmaker. I can’t wait to collaborate with Tasha on this vision.”
Tasha and, now, Hannah too.
For more, make sure you’re following us on our Instagram @io9dotcom.