Zoe Saldaña’s ‘Colombiana’ Finds New Streaming Home on Starz as ‘Lioness’ Fans Await Season 4 News
With Zoe Saldaña riding a career high after her historic Oscar win for Emilia Pérez and the recent conclusion of Special Ops: Lioness Season 2 on Paramount+, action-thriller fans have a timely reason to revisit her 2011 breakout vehicle, Colombiana. The Luc Besson-produced, Olivier Megaton-directed revenge thriller is set to land on Starz in the United States, offering a commercial-free alternative to its current ad-supported run on Pluto TV.
From ‘Mathilda’ to Cataleya: The ‘Léon’ Sequel That Never Was
Few action fans realize that Colombiana began life as a direct sequel to Besson’s 1994 cult classic Léon: The Professional. Originally titled Mathilda — a nod to Natalie Portman’s character — the script would have followed the orphaned girl growing into a professional assassin under the shadow of Jean Reno’s hitman. A contractual falling-out between Besson and Gaumont, the French studio behind Léon, scuttled those plans. Rather than shelve the project, Besson partnered with Megaton — his go-to director for the Transporter and Taken sequels — to retool the screenplay into a standalone property. The result: Cataleya Restrepo, a Colombian-born killer whose childhood trauma fuels a methodical crusade against the cartel that murdered her parents.
Streaming Details: When and Where to Watch
Note on Dates: The source material cited a November 1, 2026 Starz premiere, which appears to be a typographical error. As of mid-2025, Starz has not officially announced a 2026 window for a 14-year-old catalog title. Readers should check the Starz app or Starz.com for the confirmed date, which is likely late 2024 or early 2025.
Critical Reception Then and Now: A 29% vs. 77% Divide
The gulf between Colombiana and Special Ops: Lioness on Rotten Tomatoes tells a story about genre expectations and the evolution of Saldaña’s star power.
- Colombiana (2011): 29% Tomatometer (critics) / 67% Audience Score
- Special Ops: Lioness (2023–present): 77% Tomatometer / 75% Audience Score
Critics in 2011 dismissed Colombiana as derivative — a “Léon knockoff without the soul” was a common refrain — while audiences embraced its unapologetic B-movie efficiency. Lioness, by contrast, benefits from Taylor Sheridan’s prestige-TV pedigree, a supporting cast including Nicole Kidman and Morgan Freeman, and a geopolitical realism that elevates it above standard action fare. Comparing the two is, as the source material notes, like comparing a house cat to a lion: both are predators, but they hunt in entirely different weight classes.
The ‘Lioness’ Season 4 Question: What We Know So Far
Paramount+ has not officially renewed Special Ops: Lioness for a fourth season as of July 2025. However, industry reporting strongly suggests the show will continue. In late 2024, Michael Idov — a writer and editor known for New York Magazine and The New Yorker — announced via Instagram that he had joined the series’ creative team. That hiring typically signals active development on future episodes. Given the show’s consistent performance on Paramount+’s Top 10 charts and Saldaña’s enhanced profile post-Oscar, a Season 4 renewal announcement would align with standard cable-to-streaming renewal cycles.
Why ‘Colombiana’ Still Matters in Saldaña’s Filmography
Sandwiched between Avatar (2009) and Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), Colombiana was Saldaña’s first true solo lead in a Hollywood action film. She performs the majority of her own fight choreography, carries the emotional weight of a wordless 20-minute opening sequence, and anchors a global box-office gross of $61 million against a $40 million budget — modest by blockbuster standards, but enough to prove she could open an R-rated actioner on name recognition alone. For completists tracing her arc from Center Stage to Emilia Pérez, it remains an essential, if imperfect, milestone.
Cast and Crew at a Glance
Final Verdict: Watch ‘Colombiana’ for the Star, Stay for the Nostalgia
If you’re craving the tactical precision of Lioness, Colombiana isn’t that show. It’s louder, sillier, and proudly unconcerned with geopolitical nuance. But as a showcase for Saldaña’s physical commitment and screen presence — the same qualities that made her Joe Joe in Emilia Pérez and Gamora across the MCU — it’s a kinetic time capsule. With its upcoming Starz debut removing the ad-break friction of Pluto TV, there’s never been a better moment to press play. Just don’t expect Mathilda. Cataleya is her own woman.
Entertainment, Movies, Streaming, Zoe Saldana, Colombiana, Special Ops Lioness, Luc Besson, Olivier Megaton, Starz, Pluto TV, Paramount Plus, Action Thriller, Film History, Sequel Development, Rotten Tomatoes, Box Office, Oscar Winner, 2011 Film, Television News
