Last year, Joe Eszterhas signed a multi-million dollar deal to write a proper sequel to Basic Instinct, the iconic ’90s erotic thriller starring Michael Douglas and Sharon Stone. While chatting with Interview Magazine, Eszterhas dropped a few new details about the “controversial” sequel, such as that Catherine Tramell has a daughter.
Catherine Tramell Has a Daughter
“Catherine Tramell is in this one,” Eszterhas confirmed, “and so is a new character, her daughter, Jezebel. I can’t say too much about it.“
Is Douglas’ character the father?
When asked about updating the story for the modern age, particularly when it comes to mental illness, sexuality, and addiction, Eszterhas responded, “I can answer it generally, but it’s politically incorrect. Some people will laugh at some of the dialogue. Others will be pissed off by it. But even those who are pissed off will secretly enjoy it, even if they don’t publicly. It will be controversial. With the original, people forget that one of the things that made it so successful when it opened commercially, right off the top, was that there had been controversy for months before its release. There were protests in New York and L.A. I’m not afraid of controversy. One of the things happening in filmmaking today is films have become more tepid and whitened. My script for the sequel is anything but that.“
He added, “My new script has quite a few moments where the audience will be really startled and ask themselves, ‘Holy shit, did I hear that right?’“
Will Sharon Stone Play Catherine Tramell?
Eszterhas is obviously hoping that Sharon Stone will be back to play Catherine Tramell, but it doesn’t sound like she’s into it.
“If it goes the way the one I was in went, then I would just say I do not know why you would do it,” Stone said, referring to the critically panned Basic Instinct 2. “Go ahead, but good f***ing luck!“
Could Paul Verhoeven Return to Direct the Basic Instinct Sequel?
It remains to be seen who will direct the Basic Instinct sequel. Earlier this year, Eszterhas claimed that Emerald Fennell (Wuthering Heights) was in talks, but her camp denied it, saying, “There’s no truth in this. She is not involved in any way.” So, what about the original director, Paul Verhoeven?
Eszterhas is open to that possibility, but he doesn’t think it will actually happen.
“No, I don’t think so. I would certainly welcome him back, let me say that,” he said. “But I think the resistance from some quarters would be that you’re talking about an 81-to 82-year-old screenwriter. Then you add a director who’s even older.”
At the end of the day, Eszterhas hopes whoever directs the Basic Instinct sequel “has some sense of provocation” just like Verhoeven.
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