Joe Eszterhas Confirms 'Basic Instinct' Reboot Script Is Finished, Catherine Tramell Returns

Screenwriter Joe Eszterhas has finished the script for a reboot of the 1992 erotic thriller Basic Instinct, according to Deadline. The project is in development at Amazon MGM Studio's United Artists and will feature the return of the iconic character Catherine Tramell.

Eszterhas, who wrote the original film, was tapped for the reboot last year. He shared details in an interview with Interview Magazine, stating his condition for returning was that the update had to "be fun and enjoyable." He confirmed, "Catherine Tramell is in this one, and so is a new character, her daughter, Jezebel."

What is the status of the reboot?

The script is now complete. Eszterhas told the magazine, "I just finished the script and we’ll see." The project is produced by UA’s Scott Stuber and Nick Nesbitt, with Vault Entertainment’s Craig Baumgarten and Adam Griffin.

What did the writer say about the 2006 sequel?

"They paid me a million five to have nothing to do with it," he said. He called the sequel "really bad," a "bland police procedural" that lacked the "spice and earth and wit of the original." According to Deadline, that film grossed only $38 million worldwide, a fraction of the original's success.

Sharon Stone, who originated the role of Catherine Tramell, has also commented on the new project. When asked about the reboot, she agreed it needed to outperform the 2006 film, saying, "If it goes the way the one that I was in, I would just say, I don’t know why you’d do it. I mean, go ahead. Good f*cking luck."

The original Basic Instinct, directed by Paul Verhoeven and starring Michael Douglas and Sharon Stone, was a major box office hit, grossing $353 million globally against a $49 million budget, according to TMDB. It was nominated for two Academy Awards.