Some wild projects coming down the wire this late afternoon, and this might be the most interesting of all.
Joe Eszterhas is back in the game. The 80-year-old screenwriter behind Paul Verhoeven’s “Basic Instinct”—the 1992 erotic thriller that cemented Sharon Stone as a screen goddess, and sparked a thousand debates about sex, violence, and the female gaze—has just closed a monster deal to reboot the property for Scott Stuber’s newly minted United Artists banner under Amazon MGM Studios.
According to The Wrap, Eszterhas will receive $2 million upfront for the spec script, with another $2 million guaranteed if the film gets made. That makes it the biggest spec script sale of the year so far.
Sources close to the project have described the script as “anti-woke,” suggesting that Eszterhas, never one to shy away from provocation, is leaning hard into the lurid tone that made the original such a thrilling treat.
However, perhaps the most eyebrow-raising detail? Sharon Stone may be circling a return to the role of Catherine Tramell—the bisexual novelist and master manipulator whose infamous leg-crossing scene set VHS pause buttons on fire.
Meanwhile, Eszterhas hasn’t had a written a screenplay since 2006. His most notable work includes “Flashdance,” “Blue Thunder,” “Jagged Edge,” and “Showgirls.” Eszterhas essentially left Hollywood not too long after being hired by Mel Gibson to write a screenplay for “The Maccabees.” However, the collaboration quickly soured. Eszterhas accused Gibson of harboring anti-Semitic views, and claimed Gibson had no real intention of making the film.
I’m not entirely sure how this “Basic Instinct” reboot will turn out, but consider me intrigued, especially if a good filmmaker hops on-board to direct. Would Verhoeven, 83, be willing to do it all over again? Regardless, it sounds like Amazon is betting big on the enduring appeal of sex on screen.
