More than three decades after he became the highest paid screenwriter in Hollywood, now 80-year-old Joe Eszterhas (“Flashdance,” “Blue Thunder”) is back with the biggest spec script sale of the year so far.
The Wrap reports that Eszterhas has penned a reboot of arguably his most famous work, the Paul Verhoeven-directed 1992 erotic thriller “Basic Instinct”.
He has reportedly closed a deal with Amazon MGM Studios via its United Artists banner and will receive $2 million upfront along with a further $2 million if the project moves forward.
That’s not all though. First up, the project’s script has been described as “anti-woke” which suggests the “Sliver,” “Showgirls” and “Jade” writer doesn’t shy away from the sleaze that became a signature of his 1990s work.
Even bigger though – reports indicate that none other than Sharon Stone may be circling a return to her role of Catherine Tramell.
The original film starred Michael Douglas as a detective investigating a ice pick-wielding serial killer and then engaging in an affair with the prime suspect – successful novelist Catherine Tramell (Stone), a highly intelligent and seductive woman capable of Machiavellian levels of manipulation – and possibly murder.
The original made $353 million globally on a budget of just $49 million, made Stone a household name overnight, and is still considered one of the most famous erotic thrillers ever made for the screen. A sequel by filmmaker Michael Canton-Jones was released in 2006 to bad reviews and box-office.
Nick Nesbitt, Craig Baumgartern and Scott Stuber are producing the new take.
