Nikyatu Jusu—who directed the overcooked 2022 folk-horror tale “Nanny”—is working on a new version of David Cronenberg’s “The Fly,” via Deadline. Jusu’s film will be “set in the universe of [Cronenberg’s] film,” and won’t be a straight remake. Jusu will direct and pen the script.
Deadline suggests that Jusu’s “The Fly” is being sped up due to a renewed interest in body horror—courtesy of this year’s “The Substance.” A few years ago, we had learned that Nusu was also going to direct a “Night of the Living Dead” sequel — though there’s been no recent update on that project.
As far as I’m concerned, it’s sacrilege to even touch Cronenberg’s “The Fly,” which is a near-perfect film, and maybe the greatest thing Cronenberg has ever given us. The 1986 film had a scientist (Jeff Goldblum) self-testing his own teleportation device, but unbeknownst to him, a housefly slips in during the process, leading to a merger of man and insect.
Is “The Exorcist” truly the greatest horror film ever made, or has time crowned a new champion of fear? Maybe it’s “The Shining,” ‘Texas Chainsaw,’ “Psycho,” or something entirely unexpected that still keeps you up at night.