You’d be hard-pressed to find a bigger star in the ’80s than Arnold Schwarzenegger, both literally and figuratively. In the ’70s, he built a reputation for himself courtesy of his impressive physique, with one of his earliest cinematic roles being as Hercules in Hercules in New York. However, all of his lines were dubbed by another actor, so he didn’t get to showcase much more than his looks. Then, in 1982, he debuted as the titular character in Conan the Barbarian, which more adequately demonstrated his screen presence. He went on to reprise the role for the sequel Conan the Destroyer.
Technically speaking, that 1984 Conan sequel marks the last official appearance of Schwarzenegger’s character, though it was confirmed earlier this year that the actor was set to reprise the role in an upcoming sequel from Christopher McQuarrie. However, in 1985, we did get an unofficial appearance from Schwarzenegger’s Conan in the fantasy adventure Red Sonja. As any current comic book fan can tell you, just because characters are owned by the same publisher, different studios can secure different rights that prevent crossovers. In Red Sonja, Schwarzenegger technically plays the character “Lord Kalidor,” with the figure largely serving as a Conan surrogate, as Universal Pictures held the rights to Conan and Red Sonja was produced by Dino De Laurentiis Corporation.
Schwarzenegger wasn’t the only impressive on-screen force, as the titular character was played by Brigitte Nielsen in her debut role. The original Red Sonja is getting an all-new 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release from Imprint Films. While the movie has previously been available on 4K Ultra HD, this new release comes with limited edition packaging, including a poster and 3D lenticular artwork.
Imprint Films describes Red Sonja, “The peaceful life of Sonja is shattered when her parents are murdered by Queen Gedren, who rules by terror and carries a talisman with which she can annihilate the planet. Sonja sets out to avenge her parents’ death and is granted extraordinary powers by a mysterious vision. But she must vow never to fall in love with a man unless he is stronger than her. On her way to find Queen Gedren, she meets Kalidor – a stranger gifted with unusual strength…” Also starring in the movie are Sandahl Bergman, Paul Smith, and Ronald Lacey.
Imprint confirms the release includes the following special features:
Disc One: 4K UHD
- 2160p Ultra-high-definition presentation on 4K UHD (Dolby Vision / HDR10)
- Theatrical Trailer
- Restoration Trailer
- Aspect Ratio 2.35:1
- Audio: English DTS-HD 5.1 Surround + LPCM 2.0 Mono
- Optional English HOH Subtitles
Disc Two: Blu-ray
- 1080p High-definition presentation on Blu-ray of the 4K restoration
- Arnold Schwarzenegger: The Man Who Raised Hollywood – featurette
- Red Sonja vs Kalidor: The Making of a Misunderstanding – featurette
- Renato Casaro: The Last Movie Painter – featurette
- Richard Fleischer: Souvenirs (Memories) – featurette
- Gallery: Renato Casaro Artwork
- Theatrical Trailer
- Restoration Trailer
- Aspect Ratio 2.35:1
- Audio: English DTS-HD 5.1 Surround + LPCM 2.0 Mono
- Optional English HOH Subtitles
News of this latest release comes a year after the last attempt to revive the hero. In 2018, it was announced that Bryan Singer was developing a new take on the character, though after multiple accusations of sexual assault, he was dropped from the project. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the project largely languished until Joey Soloway came on board the project with Hannah John-Kamen attached to star. By 2022, Soloway was replaced by M. J. Bassett and John-Kamen was replaced by Matilda Lutz. After years of development and production delays, Red Sonja was released in 2025 and sits at 56% positive reviews on aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes.
Pre-orders for Red Sonja will launch on Aug. 18.
Red Sonja
- Release Date
-
July 3, 1985
- Runtime
-
89 Minutes
- Director
-
Richard Fleischer
- Writers
-
Robert E. Howard, Clive Exton, George MacDonald Fraser, Roy Thomas, Barry Windsor-Smith
