Nicolas Winding Refn is alread reaching back in the history of cinema for a future project with a remake of Logan’s Run in the works with Ryan Gosling attached to star. But now it sounds like the director is reaching further back into the past for a new project, this time for the small screen. Refn is currently working with Martha De Laurentiis, wife of the late great producer Dino De Laurentiis, to turn the classic 1968 sci-fi movie Barbarella starring Jane Fonda into a TV series. The film itself was based on a graphic novel by Jean-Claude Forest and followed a sultry vixen tasked with finding and stopping the evil Durand-Durand, an evil weapon inventor. So how exactly will the director of Drive be involved? Hit the jump to find out.

Before Paul Verhoeven cranked out Total Recall in 1990, producer Dino De Laurentiis approached David Cronenberg to direct the feature.  The project never came to fruition because Cronenberg’s vision never coincided with De Laurentiis’.  The two parted ways, Cronenberg went on to make The Fly, and Verhoeven made a movie where a woman has three boobs.  Wins all around.

But the question of “What If?” is always fascinating, and we’ve never had a chance to see what Cronenberg was planning until now.  Artist Ron Miller and his wife Judith Miller worked at De Laurentiis’ studio outside Rome, and the duo produced concept art and sculptures under the direction of production designer Pierluigi Basile (1982′s Conan the Barbarian).  Ron Miller has now released some of the designs he and his wife created along with some details on how Cronenberg planned to adapt the source material, Philip K. Dick‘s short story “We Can Remember It For You Wholesale”.  Hit the jump for more.

Universal Pictures is teaming up with Dino De Laurentiis Co. to rekindle the flame that was their 1984 sci-fi/horror flick Firestarter.  Based on Stephen King’s 1980 novel of the same name, the original starred Drew Barrymore as Charlie McGee, a young girl who is sought by a government agency for her pyrokinetic abilities.  Mark L. Smith (Vacancy) is currently working on the script with the hopes of getting the project out to directors and into production sometime next year.

According to Variety, the Universal/De Laurentiis production team is looking to make the film a “franchise property” with the latter party citing a “timeless concept” as well as “recent visual effects advances” as key motivators in its reboot.  While plot specifics are limited as of now, it is believed that firebug Charlie McGee will be reinvented with “a little more edge” this time around (apparently starting fires at will isn’t quite enough edge for desensitized 21st century moviegoers).  Although it never received a theatrical follow-up, the original Firestarter was proceeded in 2002 by a Syfy television miniseries entitled Firestarter 2: Rekindled.

Oscar-winning film producer Dino De Laurentiis has passed away in Los Angeles at the age of 91.  De Laurentiis had over 160 credits to his name including such classics as Serpico and La Strada (for which he won the Oscar) as well as more delightfully schlocky fare like Conan the Barbarian and Maximum Overdrive.  He also produced The Silence of the Lambs sequels and prequels, Hannibal, Red Dragon, and Hannibal Rising.

Our deepest condolences go out to Mr. De Laurentiis’ friends and family. [Reuters]

I understand wanting to make Barbarella again.  It’s sexy, it’s in space; what’s not to like?  And Hollywood isn’t exactly starving for hot A-list actresses to cast in the title role.  It seems like it’s one of those movies that people want to remake so badly that it can’t go anywhere at all.  There was an attempt back in 2007 with Robert Rodriguez set to direct and Rose McGowan to star but that fell apart when the studio and Rodriguez couldn’t decide where to shoot (the studio wanted him to shoot on a soundstage and I believe Rodriguez wanted to use his backyard which was made entirely out of green screen).

THR now reports that Joe Gazzam (great name) will write the script with Robert Luketic directing and producer Dino De Laurentiis pushing this project forward with all his might.  I wonder if De Laurentiis wakes up in the morning and says “I will remake ‘Barbarella’ even if it kills me!”  I really hope he says that.