Sydney Sweeney will be starring in a remake of cult classic Barbarella for Sony Pictures.

The film is still in the early stages of development and the writer and director are still to be confirmed. But Sweeney nodded to her involvement in the project yesterday afternoon (October 11), posting artwork from the original film on her Instagram with the caption “time to save the world”.

Adapted from a sci-fi comic series, the original Barbarella (1968) starred Jane Fonda as the eponymous space traveller, who must venture across the universe to find a scientist who has created a weapon with the potential to destroy humanity.

It did badly at the box office and was met with mostly negative reviews, but in the years since has enjoyed a revival as a campy cult classic, earning retrospective praise for its set design and visual imagination. Reportedly described by the New York Times as “the most iconic sex goddess of the 60s”, the character has inspired fashion designers like Jean-Paul Gaultier and music videos by Kylie Minogue, Katy Perry and Ariana Grande. 

Best known for her roles in prestige dramas like The Handmaid’s Tale, Euphoria and The White Lotus, Sweeney looks to become just as big a presence in the world of film. Alongside Barbarella, she has another high-profile picture lined up with Sony Pictures, co-starring alongside Dakota Johnson in the forthcoming Marvel adaptation Madame Web.