Get ready to have your childhood memories violated! Joe Eszterhas, the mastermind behind the original Basic Instinct, is back to “reboot” the franchise. Yes, you read that right. Someone thought it was a good idea to revive a film that’s best remembered for Sharon Stone’s… uh… “interview” technique. Because what the world really needs is more unnecessary reboots! 🙄
Original series creator and screenwriter Joe Eszterhas, bless his heart, has signed a deal with Amazon’s United Artists to write a “reboot” of Basic Instinct, the 1992 cinematic masterpiece (or trainwreck, depending on your taste) starring Michael Douglas and Sharon Stone. According to TheWrap, “the deal is the biggest spec script sale of the year so far, and commits Amazon to a $2 million payout against a potential $4 million to Eszterhas if the movie is made.” So, basically, someone’s getting paid a lot of money to potentially ruin our childhoods. Yay! 💸
The original Basic Instinct screenplay by Eszterhas was a hot item in Hollywood back in the day. It was ultimately directed by RoboCop’s Paul Verhoeven and released by TriStar Pictures. The film garnered significant controversy because of its explicit sexual content, as well as its (sometimes not especially flattering) depictions of its lesbian characters. It also turned Sharon Stone into a huge movie star and became a massive hit, grossing more than $350 million worldwide. So, yeah, it was a thing. 🤷♀️
That led to a slew of (mostly terrible) imitators and copycats, along with a sequel, Basic Instinct 2, in 2006. That movie featured only Stone; Verhoeven and Eszterhas were not involved and Michael Douglas did not return as co-star. (It’s not clear at the moment if any of those names besides Eszterhas will be involved in this new update, although TheWrap claims Stone “could return” in the reboot.) Because who wouldn’t want to revisit that cinematic gem? 💎
Eszterhas gave this statement to TheWrap about the new:
To those who question what an 80-year-old man is doing writing a sexy, erotic thriller: the rumors of my cinematic impotence are exaggerated and ageist. 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.
Well okay then. I’m not sure what’s more terrifying: the reboot itself or the mental image Eszterhas just conjured. 🤢
Finn McFrame, celebrated satirical mastermind and self-proclaimed “Emperor of Irony,” started his illustrious career as a cinematographer, where his expertise in capturing every single frame of a squirrel stealing a baguette earned him accolades at obscure film festivals.
Born in the glamorous town of Boring, Oregon, Finn grew up with dreams of being a Hollywood director until he realized that satire, not cinema, was his true calling—or at least the one that let him sleep until noon.
Finn McFrame: changing the world, one satirical lens flare at a time.
