Sorry, Quentin Tarantino. You can’t stop Paul Dano, as the actor is in talks to star alongside Callum Turner and Margaret Qualley in the remake of Possession, Andrzej Żuławski’s acclaimed 1981 psychological horror film. Nexus Point first reported the news, which Deadline later confirmed.
Possession Remake
The new project is set to be written and directed by Parker Finn, best known for the Smile franchise. He will also produce alongside Jonathan Fass via Bad Feeling, along with Roy Lee and Andrew Childs via Vertigo, and Robert Pattinson. Marc Bienstock is serving as exec producer.
The original 1981 film stars Sam Neill as an international spy who returns home to find that his wife (Isabelle Adjani) wants a divorce. Throw in infidelity, murder, abuse, and a bizarre tentacle creature, and you’ve got the makings of one hell of a movie. Possession isn’t to everyone’s taste, and critics didn’t know what to make of it during its initial release, but it has developed quite a cult following over the decades.
Is a Remake Necessary?
Although some have questioned the need for a remake, Adjani has given Qualley her blessing. “When I met Margaret at a dinner party a few years ago, she told me she looked more like me than her mother, so it seems this family resemblance influenced the director’s choice of actress for the role in Possession,” she said. “Besides, she’s incredibly talented! And yes, Possession, a film that dares to be mystical and horrific, and this talismanic role, has achieved cult status. Today, the new cinematic extremism that has become trendy has led to remakes of films like Possession, with a certain enlightened opportunism. Why not?“
However, our own Chris Bumbray is definitely against it. “There’s just one problem: it will never be as good,” Bumbray wrote about the remake. “The original Possession is inseparable from its context. It was shot in Cold War-era West Germany, on location near Berlin Wall. That setting isn’t background texture—it’s the film’s soul. It’s a cinematic time capsule. And then there’s the ending. Possession is so provocative, so confrontational in its final act, that there’s no realistic way a modern studio-backed remake wouldn’t sand off its sharpest edges. If Finn gets to make it, you can be sure it’ll be forced into something more palatable—and more mainstream.“
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