The original 1958 version of The Fly was an absolute classic. Similarly, David Cronenberg’s 1986 remake starring Jeff Goldblum will likely go down as one of the all-time great genre movies. Now, it would seem, we’re going to see if this legendary sci-fi tale can make it three out of three (we’ll ignore the various sequels), with a new movie reportedly in the works.
Deadline reports that Fox has made moves to sign J.D. Dillard to lead a project that will bring the Brundlefly into the 21st century. Dillard made an impressive directorial debut with his sci-fi drama, Sleight, last year and it’s thought the studio are keen for that movie’s co-writer Alex Theurer to join their project, too.
Fox has reportedly been keen on rebooting Cronenberg’s version of The Fly for some time now, but the signing of a writing team should accelerate the project in a big way. But can this latest remake replicate its predecessors’ success?
There were a few factors that were critical to the success of the 1986 version of The Fly: Cronenberg’s vision, cutting edge special effects, and a stellar performance from Jeff Goldblum who struck up some serious chemistry with his co-star, Geena Davis. This modern day reboot, however, is unlikely to have any of those factors available to it. After a failed attempt to reboot the movie back in 2009, Cronenberg appears to have moved on. Similarly, it’s hard to imagine any young actor being able to stamp their own mark on the role of Seth Brundle quite like Goldblum did. Visual effects will still be a factor, but these days visually striking movies are ten-a-penny and are therefore rarely a distinguishing factor.
That being said, let’s not write off this young, up-and-coming filmmaking duo just yet. Clearly, this tale, which hails from a short story that first appeared in Playboy back in 1957, holds a particular fascination for horror and sci-fi fans. Here’s to hoping this new project can do The Fly justice.
Image Credits: 20th Century Fox
