David Cronenberg to Fly again
David Cronenberg is again buzzing with The Fly.
The auteur is in talks to develop a reboot of the 1986 drama with 20th Century Fox, the studio that released that film. Cronenberg would write and possibly direct the new movie.
The move marks an about-face for the Canadian director, who in the past has said he did not want to be involved in a remake of the film. Cronenberg did work on an opera version of The Fly that was staged first in Paris and then in Los Angeles.
The 1986 movie, itself a remake of Kurt Neumann's 1958 sci-fi classic, starred Jeff Goldblum and became a huge hit for Fox, earning $40 million and turning into a phenomenon. It centered on Seth Brundle, an eccentric scientist who, after an experiment with teleportation goes awry, is transformed into a fly. Geena Davis starred as Goldblum's love interest and partner, Veronica.
A sequel three years later with which Cronenberg was not involved -- it was directed by Chris Walas, who did effects work on the 1986 version -- did not fare as well, getting panned by critics and largely ignored by filmgoers.
The project would represent a chance for Cronenberg to return to a film that helped establish his career, but to do so in the effects age, using techniques that weren't possible nearly a quarter-century ago.
A return to The Fly would also mark the latest in a mini-trend of directors remaking their own work. Michael Haneke last year remade his thriller Funny Games, and Werner Herzog reimagined his documentary Little Dieter Needs to Fly with the 2006 feature Rescue Dawn.