‘Basic Instinct’ Reboot in the Works From Amazon MGM’s United Artists, Original Writer Returning

Courtesy of TriStar Pictures.

Joe Eszterhas, the screenwriter behind the 1992 erotic thriller ‘Basic Instinct,’ is returning to write the script for Amazon MGM Studios’ upcoming reboot of film.

The franchise relaunch, which is currently untitled, has been picked up by United Artists and producer Scott Stuber. The deal is already making headlines as the biggest spec script sale of 2025, with Amazon paying $2 million upfront and a potential $4 million payout if the project moves into production.

The reboot will be produced by Stuber and Nick Nesbitt for United Artists, alongside Craig Baumgarten for Vault Entertainment. Adam Griffin of Vault Entertainment is on board as executive producer.

The original ‘Basic Instinct,’ directed by Paul Verhoeven, starred Michael Douglas and Sharon Stone. The story follows a detective (Douglas) who becomes entangled with a seductive crime novelist (Stone), who is suspected of murdering a wealthy musician.

In a 2018 interview on The Hollywood Reporter’s podcast ‘It Happened in Hollywood,’ Eszterhas reflected on how the film’s controversial content might be received today. He noted that a sex scene between Douglas and Jeanne Tripplehorn’s character, the detective’s psychiatrist, would likely draw “serious #MeToo protesters” in the current climate. “It was rough sex,” Eszterhas said at the time. “But today’s yardstick is different.”

The original film grossed an impressive $352 million worldwide (about $811 million today) and earned two Academy Award nominations. Sharon Stone reprised her role as the enigmatic Catherine Tramell in the 2006 sequel ‘Basic Instinct 2,’ which failed to achieve the success of its predecessor.


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