Movies

‘Basic Instinct’ Is Getting a Modern Reboot

BBG News

One of the defining thrillers of the 1990s is getting a modern update.

I’m thrilled to announce that as the original series creator and screenwriter, I’ve secured a contract with Amazon’s United Artists. The exciting project at hand? A fresh take on the iconic 1992 thriller, “Basic Instinct,” starring the talented Michael Douglas and Sharon Stone. As per TheWrap, this deal marks the largest spec script sale of the year to date, guaranteeing a $2 million advance payment for me, with potential additional earnings of up to $4 million if the movie gets green-lit. I can’t wait to breathe new life into this classic!

Back in the late ’80s and early ’90s, I found myself captivated by the electrifying screenplay for “Basic Instinct,” a script that was creating quite a buzz in Tinseltown. Fast forward to its production, it was none other than Paul Verhoeven, director of “RoboCop,” who brought this intriguing tale to life. The studio behind it all? TriStar Pictures.

The film stirred up quite the commotion due to its graphic sexual content and, at times, less-than-favorable portrayals of lesbian characters. However, it catapulted Sharon Stone into superstardom and proved to be a box office juggernaut, raking in over $350 million globally.

This situation resulted in numerous (primarily poor) imitations and spin-offs, including a sequel titled “Basic Instinct 2” in 2006. Unlike the original, this film only starred Sharon Stone; Paul Verhoeven and Joe Eszterhas did not participate, nor did Michael Douglas reprise his role as co-star. At present, it’s unclear if any other names besides Eszterhas will be part of the upcoming remake, although TheWrap suggests that Stone “might return” in the revamped version.

Esterhas gave this statement to TheWrap about the new:

To those who wonder about an elderly gentleman penning a steamy, sensual thriller: The allegations of my cinematic inactivity are overblown and ageist. I refer to my writing companion as the “TWISTED LITTLE MAN,” who resides within me. He is ageless, born at 29 and destined to remain so, claiming he’s ‘soaring high’ to create this captivating story and offer audiences a thrilling and climactic experience. This brings me immense joy.

Well okay then.

The Worst Reboots Ever Made

15. Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (2014)

The Jack Ryan franchise has not always maintained a consistent narrative flow. By the time Chris Pine assumed the role in the film “Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit”, Hollywood had previously produced four films featuring Tom Clancy’s iconic character, with three different leading men. One of these initial movies was even a reboot, where Ben Affleck portrayed an inexperienced Jack Ryan on his first major mission in “The Sum of All Fears”. Twelve years later, the producers attempted a similar approach, this time featuring Pine as a newly recruited Jack Ryan.

Titled “Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit”, this film is quite brief at 105 minutes and moves at a rapid pace, swiftly advancing from Jack Ryan’s initial apprehensive steps as an operative to his triumphant moment. This fast-paced progression weakens the film’s main character development, hinting that perhaps 20-30 minutes of footage were either removed during scriptwriting or post-production. It’s unfortunate because I would have liked to see these omitted scenes, especially if they fleshed out the subplot about Jack Ryan’s girlfriend (Keira Knightley) doubting his loyalty due to him meeting with CIA contacts.

14. Tomb Raider (2018)

The reimagined Tomb Raider video game series version in this movie feels like yet another ordinary attempt at emulating Indiana Jones, quickly fading from memory. Although the action scenes are fairly good, they disappointingly lack the essence of tomb exploration, and instead, there’s an overabundance of Lara’s (portrayed by Alicia Vikander, who won an Oscar) backstory. It seems unnecessary to include an origin scene for her two pistols, but it was apparently deemed necessary, even though the earlier franchise, starring Angelina Jolie, never felt the need to explain this aspect.

13. The Transporter Refueled

In three films, Jason Statham became too renowned to continue playing the Transporter character, leading to a reboot with Ed Skrein taking over as the suave, car-driving protagonist. Skrein is quite dashing while driving in a tailored jacket, but he falls short of two key aspects that Statham brought to the role: a dry wit and an impressive fighting style without frequent edits. Ray Stevenson steals the show as the Transporter’s father, yet his performance is so compelling that one can’t help but wish they had made an entire movie about him instead.

12. Power Rangers (2017)

This new version of Power Rangers closely resembles a remake, featuring all the characters and fundamental plot from the original Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers TV series. However, it should be noted that previous Power Rangers movies continued this storyline with their cast, which led to numerous more years of Power Rangers exploits involving various teams of morphing superheroes. As a result, this latest incarnation of Power Rangers, which discards decades of continuity, can indeed be considered a reboot. However, it is also worth mentioning that the character and costume designs in this version are quite unattractive, and the story places more emphasis on the strange nature of teenagers suddenly acquiring extraordinary powers such as invincibility and enhanced strength.

11. Hellboy (2019)

As a film enthusiast, there’s no mistaking Guillermo del Toro’s Hellboy films for anyone else’s. However, this reboot, despite the occasional successes, lacks a distinct personality and is barely distinguishable from any other monster-hunter thriller trying to avert a CGI apocalypse.

In comparison to del Toro’s grandeur, this reboot feels like a budget production with smaller sets, reduced action sequences, and fewer enchanting characters. It’s reminiscent of the later installments in an ’80s slasher series that initially started as thought-provoking, concept-rich works before gradually transforming into a haphazard blend of jump scares and excessive gore. Perhaps this franchise could benefit from another reboot.

10. Conan the Barbarian (2011)

For quite some time, there were discussions about a third movie featuring King Conan, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, which occasionally resurfaces in Hollywood. However, before that happened, they tried to reboot the series completely with Jason Momoa, who was pre-Aquaman and beardless, as the main character.

This new interpretation of Robert E. Howard’s iconic barbarian character departed significantly from the original films’ distinctive personality, brute philosophy, and cult villains with snakes. Unfortunately, this film did not fare well at the box office and was soon forgotten, a likely relief for Momoa who has since moved on to greater successes.

9. The Mummy (2017)

It appears that the filming of this Mummy reboot was plagued with disagreements and significant changes in direction, giving the impression that the project itself was undergoing a revival while being produced. There were whispers of creative conflicts between Tom Cruise and other team members regarding the movie’s narrative and the intended “Dark Universe” it was meant to initiate. Despite a few remarkable practical stunts by Cruise, this Mummy turned out to be a disorganized mess. Consequently, the Dark Universe met an untimely end. Alex Kurtzman, the director, later described it as “probably my greatest failure, both personally and professionally.

8. The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)

The Amazing Spider-Man stands out as the poorest quality among the major Sony Spider-Man films. It also fails as a reboot, as numerous alterations to the traditional Spiderman narrative detract from an otherwise flawless tale. For example, the movie explores the enigma surrounding Peter Parker’s absent parents more deeply and portrays him as an enthusiast of skateboarding and Bing. These changes compromise an already excellent storyline. The creators should have followed the approach taken in the Tom Holland Spiderman movies, which instead of delving into Peter’s origin and web surfing habits, chose to explore uncharted territory.

7. Snake Eyes (2021)

If you’re a fan of G.I. Joe but find most of its characters, vehicles, and military action appealing, then it’s unlikely that you were the one who gave the green light to the puzzlingly poor quality reboot, Snake Eyes. The film, starring Henry Golding as the popular G.I. Joe warrior Snake Eyes, fails to provide any explanation for his silent, scarred ninja persona. In fact, it only manages to reveal how Storm Shadow got his name – which is questionable since “shadow before a storm” doesn’t seem like something people actually say.

The only positive aspect of Snake Eyes was that the movie flopped at the box office. This hopefully means we can avoid a sequel, as hinted by the cliffhanger ending of Snake Eyes. On the downside, this could mean another G.I. Joe reboot is on the horizon.

6. Hitman: Agent 47 (2015)

In the reboot of the Hitman series, Rupert Friend takes over from Timothy Olyphant as the protagonist. However, unlike its inspiration, The Terminator, this film’s plot is confusing, the characters are uninteresting, and there’s a constant switching of allegiances among heroes and villains without any clear reason. Furthermore, the script seems to be a haphazard collection of the most overused dialogue clichés in Hollywood. Agent 47, who is known as such by his colleagues, lacks the emotional depth that makes other movie characters relatable. His cold demeanor, single-minded focus, and absence of personal goals or motivations – characteristics that make him a compelling video game character – make it difficult to empathize with him in this film, much like watching a baseball match where you root for the automated pitching machine.

5. Fantastic Four (2015)

In simpler terms, the storyline of Josh Trank’s disappointing film “Fantastic Four” can be interpreted as a metaphor for its production. Initially, a team of ambitious young filmmakers aim to create an innovative take on familiar characters, but their creative vision is compromised by financial interests. This disjointed movie seems like a hodgepodge of multiple genres – horror and superhero – neither of which blend seamlessly. Interestingly, this adaptation was inspired by a superior comic book reboot titled “Ultimate Fantastic Four”. And yes, the question remains unanswered as to why the character, The Thing, appears throughout the film without any clothing on. It’s surprising that no one else seems to find this unusual.

4. Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li (2009)

15 years since the original “Street Fighter” movie graced our screens, we now have this reboot that seems to have forgotten the legends and street fighting roots of the franchise. However, I must give credit where it’s due for its innovative approach to the storyline.

What this film does offer is a memorable performance by Chris Klein as Charlie Nash, one that could easily go down in history as one of the worst acting displays ever. His portrayal bears no semblance to the “Street Fighter” character named Charlie Nash or any person who’s ever walked on this planet. With his constant preening, mugging, squinting, and snarling, watching him is truly a spectacle worth witnessing.

3. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014)

In a departure from previous live-action movies where actors wore animatronic suits and an animated spin-off set in the same universe, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT) underwent a transformation at the hands of producer Michael Bay. The primary difference between these versions and earlier ones was that the Turtles were made significantly more muscular. (One wonders if their preferred pizza topping is something like creatine?)
If Bay and his team had followed through with their original plans, this TMNT reboot would have been much more drastic. They intended to portray the Turtles as aliens rather than mutants, but due to last-minute changes and reshoots, William Fichtner’s character, Eric Sacks, became a rich man financing the Shredder’s malevolent schemes instead of his alter ego. The actual Shredder, played by Tohoru Masamune, lacked any human identity, personality, or motivations, serving only as a villain in a metal suit. This movie featuring turtles, mutants, ninjas, or teenagers may well be the worst of the 21st century.

2. Planet of the Apes (2001)

Following five installments, it seemed like a fresh take on the Planet of the Apes series was overdue. Admittedly, Tim Burton had a unique perspective for this franchise compared to its initial creators, but unfortunately, his interpretation fell flat. Mark Wahlberg appears dismal as an astronaut who is drawn into a violet cosmic mist and lands on a world inhabited by apes! After what felt like endless hours traversing the desert and subpar action sequences, Wahlberg finds himself back on Earth – only to discover it’s now home to… you guessed it, apes! The ending of this movie is infamous for being one of the most peculiar and confounding ever. Fortunately, the subsequent Apes reboot, which presented motion-captured apes in an account of their world (of the apes), was a significant creative triumph.

1. Dolittle (2020)

In a fortunate turn of events for Robert Downey Jr., his disappointing remake of “Dolittle” was released in January 2020, just before a global catastrophe overshadowed the film. If anyone revisits this movie, they’d discover a mess of unrefined humor, such as poop, fart, and itchy-butt jokes, talking animals, subpar CGI, and Downey Jr.’s over-the-top performance that makes Captain Jack Sparrow seem reserved.

This third adaptation of the well-known character who communicates with animals sends Dolittle on a journey to a legendary island in search of a miraculous cure for Queen Victoria’s illness. The plot essentially boils down to this quest. It seems that at some point, someone in authority decided that salvaging this movie was impossible, but they could cut it short. Consequently, “Dolittle” is an unrelenting 100-minute onslaught of cringeworthy jokes, dismal stunts, and celebrity voiceovers. Any semblance of character growth — or even relatable human behavior — has been eliminated in the hopes of creating a film that moves so quickly its viewers won’t have time to question its nonsensical aspects.

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2025-07-18 20:57

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