The upcoming Red Sonja reboot from Millennium Films has reportedly lost its lead star, as Ant-Man and the Wasp actress Hannah John-Kamen departs the project. While the Marvel star did assure fans that the Red Sonja movie was still in development as recently as last year, a new report from The Illuminerdi claims John-Kamen has now dropped out.

“Sadly, our sources say that Hannah John-Kamen has fallen out from the film and the production team is looking to cast a new actress for the lead role of Red Sonja,” the report reads. A casting call has now begun, with production “open to anyone from anywhere, and ideally, she is 5′ 8″ or taller. But the most important aspect for the role is the ability to perform action sequences, as action is crucial to the role.”

To add further bad news for Red Sonja, the report goes on to claim that the movie has also lost Joey Soloway as its director, quickly replacing her with Solomon Kane and Rogue filmmaker M.J. Bassett. If this is indeed true, this would make Bassett the third director to step in to helm a new live-action take on the Red Sonja character. Of course, none of this has yet been officially confirmed, but with Red Sonja having been in development for so long, it would not be unusual for some members of the cast and crew to leave the movie behind in favor of other projects.

Related: Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City Director Praises Hannah John-Kamen as Jill Valentine

Red Sonja Will Reboot the Conan the Barbarian Character

Red_Sonja
Dynamite Entertainment

Created by writer Roy Thomas and artist Barry Windsor-Smith for Marvel Comics in 1973, and partially based on Robert E. Howard's character Red Sonya of Rogatino, Red Sonja is a female swashbuckler who first appeared in Marvel's Conan the Barbarian. The character suffers a tragic backstory when a group of mercenaries kills her family and burns down their house. Sonja attempts to defend herself but cannot lift her brother's sword. Her cry for revenge is soon answered by the red goddess Scáthach who imbues her with incredible strength and fighting skills.

After languishing in development hell for years, the Red Sonja reboot finally gained traction last year. Red Sonja comics writer Gail Simone is involved with the reboot, with the project having since been compared to the likes of both Deadpool and The Dark Knight.

Red Sonja has also added Thor: Love and Thunder star Jaimie Alexander to proceedings, with the actress herself revealing that she has joined the movie back in June last year. While it was assumed that she could be playing a villain character, could the Thor star instead be moved into the title role now that Hannah John-Kamen has allegedly dropped out?

If Red Sonja has suffered such an onslaught of setbacks behind-the-scenes, the studio will be eager to find replacements fast, as production on Red Sonja is scheduled to begin in May this year. So, with Hannah John-Kamen now bowing out, who would you like to see in the lead role of the Red Sonja reboot?