Joe Eszterhas is returning as the screenwriter for a Basic Instinct reboot. The 90s was the decade of the sexy thriller, and Sharon Stone was masterclass as author and possible sociopath Catherine Tramell in Basic Instinct.
If you’re too young to have seen this sexy thriller, you may want to check it out. And if it’s been a while, it’s a great re-watch just to see Michael Douglas and Stone play an intriguing game of mental cat and mouse.
This is the film with the infamous up skirt shot where while being questioned Catherine toys with investigators by crossing her legs, flashing them her privates while smoking a cigarette.
Eszterhas became famous for this kind of erotic storytelling. Sex and kink are front and center in his works such as Showgirls and Jade.
It will be interesting to see how Basic Instinct can will be re-worked for the 21st century. Modern times are politically charged at the cinema. The landscape has changed. Manipulating audiences with exploitative nudity and simulated sex is a bit outdated in this “me too” era.
There were also LGBTQ+ themes that were used in the original that, at the time, were ignored but problematic nonetheless.
Amazon MGM Studios’ United Artists and Scott Stuber own the rights to the material.
There is also a sequel to the original that came out in 2006 and while it didn’t carry the carnal charge of the first one, it’s still a formidable follow-up.
No word yet on when the reboot will be released.