Summary
- The long-gestating Red Sonja movie has finally debuted a trailer ahead of its August release.
- The movie once had names like Robert Rodriguez and Bryan Singer attached before the current iteration.
- The underwhelming Red Sonja trailer may indicate a continued trend of negative reviews for Conan the Barbarian movies.
The new Red Sonja movie trailer is finally here, and it looks like it may continue an unfortunate trend for the Conan the Barbarian films. The film franchise is based on the fantasy characters first created by Robert E. Howard, with Conan and Red Sonja finding their way into comics, movies, and video games. The Conan the Barbarian film franchise kicked off in 1982, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger in one of his first major roles.
There was a sequel, and even a reboot in 2011 with Jason Momoa playing Conan. Red Sonja also graced the screen in her own movie in 1985, with Brigitte Nielsen bringing the character to life. While Conan has thrived thanks to games like Conan Exiles, the film franchise hasn't found its footing in years. A new Red Sonja film has been bouncing around for decades, with top talent even being attached. But now that the movie is finally on the way, with a trailer to entice fans, there may be more concern than excitement for Red Sonja.
The Upcoming Red Sonja Project Just Nailed One Important Decision
While Red Sonja's return to live action isn't quite here yet, there's one major update that guarantees that fans will be in for a bloody good time.
Red Sonja Once Had The Talents Of Robert Rodriguez And Others Attached
Red Sonja is the type of character that connects with numerous demographics of fans, with various Hollywood talent attached to potential iterations of the project for years. Nearly 20 years ago, Spy Kids and Sin City director Robert Rodriguez was attached to direct a new movie, with Rose McGowan intending to play Red Sonja. Rodriguez's plans eventually fell through, with the project moving over to Bryan Singer, who had seen success with several X-Men releases over the years. However, Singer was removed from development due to the abuse allegations against him in 2019.
Joey Soloway was then attached to write and direct following their work on the Transparent series, but ultimately left the project, which is when M.J. Bassett was brought in to helm the new film. Bassett has found success directing for TV, with episodes of Altered Carbon and Ash vs Evil Dead. However, her history with feature films is a bit spotty, having directed the Megan Fox action film Rogue and the lackluster sequel, Silent Hill: Revelation, which saw that franchise come to an abrupt end for over a decade. While Bassett has proven to thrill TV audiences, her lackluster film track record may be rearing its head once again.
Red Sonja Looks To Disappoint Fans With An Underwhelming Trailer
2025's Red Sonja stars Matilda Lutz as the titular character. Lutz gained notoriety for 2017's Revenge, a disturbing tale that sees her surviving a horrific ordeal and hunting down those responsible. She continued to impress with performances in Reptile and Magpie, leading to the lead in Red Sonja. The other cast members include Robert Sheehan, Katrina Durden, and Rhona Mitra, and the movie was written by Tasha Huo, the scribe behind Netflix's animated Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft. While excitement among fans was high given the development hell Red Sonja has gone through to even see the light of day, the current trailer is underwhelming.
Some of the most glaring problems in the Red Sonja trailer are in some of the VFX shots. Although work on many of the shots may still be in progress, the film's release is just over a month away. There is a chance that the trailer VFX are as good as they get. The budget for Red Sonja is currently unknown, but much of it looks to have gone to green-screen fights, which look more like a straight-to-DVD film from the early 2000s than a new release hitting in 2025. Some sweeping landscapes are visually striking, but action beats, like Sonja flipping over a fence to fire an arrow while falling in midair, have a sloppy feel to the editing and poor VFX tying the elements together.
The movie could succeed with some of the more tongue-in-cheek moments, like the joke about how her outfit protects nothing, but the crowd will love it. However, other scenes look to already be hindering the overall quality of the finished product. The lackluster trailer has many worried and some even upset, especially with names like Robert Rodriguez having previously been attached, leaving fans of the character to wonder what could have been. Red Sonja could still impress upon release, but first impressions are mixed at best.
Conan The Barbarian Movies Have Been Garnering Negative Reviews For Years
The only positively rated Conan the Barbarian film is the 1982 original. Schwarzenegger returned for the 1984 sequel Conan the Destroyer and 1985's spinoff Red Sonja, but both were poorly received, leading the movie franchise to go dormant for a while. During this time, plans for more films kicked around, but nothing materialized until the 2011 reboot starring Momoa, which again failed to impress despite inspired casting. While it seemed like there may never be another decent film in the Conan the Barbarian franchise, many had high hopes for the planned Red Sonja movie.
However, 2025's Red Sonja may have missed the mark, setting fans up for disappointment. The new movie could be poised to continue the trend seen with Conan the Barbarian-related films garnering negative reviews. While Schwarzenegger's 1982 film isn't perfect, it captures the character in a unique light, allowing him to thrive for a new audience. Conan also seems like an easy enough character to get right, but time and again, the source material looks to be underserved by an adaptation. While there is still time before Red Sonja's release, the new movie may be another critical failure for Conan the Barbarian.
Red Sonja
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- August 15, 2025
- Runtime
- 110 Minutes
- Director
- M.J. Bassett
- Writers
- Tasha Huo
Cast
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Matilda LutzRed Sonja -
Robert SheehanDraygan -
Martyn FordGeneral Karlak -
Veronica FerresMother of Red Sonja
