The last few years have seen pop culture have one of those moments where it looks at itself, gets a little sheepish, and admits something like “We were really not great to Pamela Anderson, huh?” (Culminating, possibly, in the not wholly respectful treatment she was given in “sex tape heist show” Pam & Tommy.) Anderson is now, at least, on a career upswing: She got strong reviews for her performance last year in The Last Showgirl, and was praised for her comedy work in this year’s Naked Gun revival. Now, she’s apparently dipping back into her filmography to try to revive at least one project that got a serious pummeling at the time: 1996 comic book feature Barb Wire.
Specifically, Deadline notes that Anderson is teaming up with Dark Horse Comics (which published the original Barb Wire books) and UCP to produce a TV version of the film with her sons, Brandon Thomas Lee and Dylan Jagger Lee. (The show is being produced by Anderson’s new production company, punningly called And-Her-Sons Productions.)
Barb Wire was an infamous critical and commercial flop when it came out nearly 30 years ago; some critics (notably Roger Ebert) praised Anderson for bringing some energy to the proceedings, but others came away unimpressed by her delivery, and pretty much everyone agreed that the movie’s Casablanca-but-with-dystopias-and-motorcycle-chases plot was inconsequential and poorly shot. (The film has since taken on something of a cult following.) The TV series will still center on Barbara “Barb Wire” Kopetski, a bounty hunter and nightclub owner in “the last free city” in America, but is promised to feature “a different feel” from the movie.
Meanwhile, Anderson—who won’t star in the show, with no word on a cameo—is keeping busy making the most of her newfound appreciation: She recently completed films with directors Karim Aïnouz and Kornél Mundruczó, and is on the hook for several others, including Michael Cera directorial debut Love Is Not The Answer.
