An “anti-woke” reboot of ‘Basic Instinct’ is reportedly in the works & we have so many questions
As fierce as Sharon Stone would be playing the femme fatale in her 60s... we're not so sure we need to see this!
Mark
It was the leg cross heard ’round the world.
In 1992, Paul Verhoeven’s erotic thriller Basic Instinct cemented its place in pop culture history with one scene—nay, one flash—where, during an interrogation, Sharon Stone’s femme fatale Catherine Tramell shifted in her chair, exposing her bare [REDACTED] to a room full of detectives.
It’s a quiet moment, little more than thigh brushing against thigh, but it made an awful lot of noise at the time, becoming the centerpiece of a media firestorm over the film’s depiction of women, and in particular queer women.
How about we take this to the next level?
Subscribe to our newsletter for a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
Subscribe to our Newsletter today
That’s because Basic Instinct made it a point to let us know that Catherine Tramell sleeps with men, women, and really anybody to get what she wants. For the early 1990s, that sort of on-screen representation was rare in mainstream entertainment. But as perhaps the quintessential “chaotic bisexual,” the character’s lurid, lusty angle on anti-heroism was controversial, to say the least.
Despite that, it was a major box office sensation, one that would inspire Verhoeven and screenwriter Joe Eszterhas to collaborate again on 1995’s equally exploitative—and even more deranged—Showgirls.
Though the latter film was a financial flop by comparison, both would go on to become obsessive fan favorites, especially among the gays who saw their unrepentant sleaze as high camp, and who were more than happy to claim Catherine Tramell as one of their own.
One can understand how, back then, the community would’ve been aghast as a queer woman so casually cruel and callous, her bisexuality an extension of her evident psychopathy. But, 30-plus years on, with a far greater depth of LGBTQ+ diversity in media, Catherine can be seen as a bi-con—a woman unafraid of using hers gifts to outwit straight men and end up on top… which, of course, we mean literally.
So, with the announcement this week that Amazon MGM has tapped Eszterhas to write a so-called “anti-woke” reboot of the classic, we have to ask: What the hell does that even mean?
Yes, according to The Wrap, the studio has secured a blockbuster deal for a $4 million payout to the screenwriter should the movie get made. There are no plot details yet, but the publication reports they are leaving the door open for Sharon Stone’s return.
In a statement to The Wrap, Eszterhaus had the following to say: “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.”
Um, respectfully…. what??
Eszterhas hasn’t exactly made anything that’s gotten attention, positive or otherwise, after Showgirls‘ flop, and he’s reportedly been living in Ohio with his wife and children for the last 30-some years. But he’s still managed to make some headlines, like when he called out Mel Gibson for anti-semitism after trying to work on historical epic about Judah and the Maccabees for the actor-turned-director.
And, an avowed “independent centrist,” he’s never been one to hold back his political views, casting votes across party lines. In 2016, he famously told The Wrap he thought Tr*mp was an “a–hole,” but that, “a choice between criminals and an a-hole, I’ll pick the a-hole.” Oh no, Joe!
In other words, whatever he’s cooking up for the new Basic Instinct is sure to be a doozy.
Related
9 genuine reactions I had while watching ‘Basic Instinct’ for the first time ever
“Basic Instinct” hit theaters in March of 1992–changing cinematic history (and how we look at ice picks) forever.
It’s worth noting that the “anti-woke” line doesn’t come direct from Eszterhas or anyone at Amazon MGM, but rather “an individual with knowledge of the deal,” per The Wrap, but why frame it that way to begin with? The original was a shlocky movie about a murderous seductress, so who would think a reboot would ditch those elements anyway? The “unsavoriness” of it all is why Basic Instinct became a hit to begin with!
And, genuinely, what does “anti-woke” mean to these people? Just trying to make sense of it all hurts our brains.
We’re trepidatious, to say the least, so we’ll just end this with a note to Sharon Stone, who we are just going to pretend will absolutely read this:
Sharon, girl, please don’t just say yes to this for an easy check. We’ve already agreed to pretend the terrible Basic Instinct 2 sequel doesn’t exist, so your legacy is secure. You love the gays, the gays love you. You’re busy with Season 3 of Euphoria anyway—you don’t need this!… Unless, of course, it somehow is a great script, in which case go crazy! We’re sort of gagged over the thought of you playing Catherine as a still sexually empowered diva in her 60s. Oh my god, you’d look so fierce. Um, wait, we guess what we’re trying to say is: use your discretion, and please don’t do this if it ends up being some weird, backwards, quasi-conservative screed against “cancel culture” or whatever. Anyway, love you! Talk to you soon!
Related
We need to talk about Sharon Stone for a second
The Oscar-nominated screen star turns 64 today.
Sign up for the Queerty newsletter to stay on top of the hottest stories in LGBTQ+ entertainment, politics, and culture.
