‘Basic Instinct’ to receive “anti-woke” reboot from original writer
Amazon MGM Studios’ United Artists and Scott Stuber acquire the rights to the 1992 erotic thriller Basic Instinct, and reveal that the original writer, Joe Eszterhas, will return to pen an “anti-woke” reboot.
The original movie was a hit, starring Michael Douglas as Detective Nick Curran and Sharon Stone as a prime suspect and seductive, manipulative crime novelist. In a statement, Eszterhas comically reflected on this legacy, writing, “To those who question what an 80-year-old man is doing writing a sexy, erotic thriller: the rumours of my cinematic impotence are exaggerated and ageist.”
He continued, “I call my writing partner the ‘Twisted Little Man’ and he lives somewhere deep inside me. He was born 29 and he will die 29 and he tells me he is ‘sky high up’ to write this piece and provide viewers with a wild and orgasmic ride. That makes me very happy.”
Eszterhas is a Hungarian-American journalist-turned-screenwriter whose other successes include 1995’s Showgirls and 1985’s Jagged Edge. The Guardian states that, according to an anonymous individual with knowledge of the deal, the reboot is expected to be “anti-woke.”
Amazon will pay $2 million, which is a fraction of a potential $4 million payout to Eszterhas if the movie is made.
The original movie was the breakout role for Sharon Stone, who previously said of the project, “Basic Instinct was my 18th movie. For years, I had been getting pummeled doing a bunch of crap movies and so-so television, back in the day when TV wasn’t king. I was 32 years old when I got that job. I told my agent that if they got me in that door, I would get the job. I knew this was the last chance—I was aging out of the business I hadn’t really gotten into yet. I needed a break.”
Nick Nesbitt and Stuber are producing, along with Craig Baumgartern and Adam Griffin, who is executive producing via Vault Entertainment.
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