Robert Rodriguez has signed on to direct Universal's new adaptation of the classic sci-fi comic book "Barbarella."

Immortalized in the famous campy 1968 movie starring Jane Fonda, plans are to rush the new film out in time for a release sometime next year - coinciding with the original's 40th anniversary.

"Barbarella" tells the story of a female mercenary who roams across the universe of a distant future, undertaking missions that require physical fearlessness, ingenuity and sensuality.

Scribes Neal Purvis and Robert Wade ("Casino Royale") are penning a completely new adventure for the galactic heroinne.