Wuthering Heights’ Emerald Fennell in Talks to Direct 90s Thriller Movie Remake

Emerald Fennell is in talks to direct a remake of a controversial 1990s thriller.

What is Emerald Fennell in talks to direct?

In an interview with The Guardian, screenwriter Joe Eszterhas revealed that Fennell is in negotiations to direct the Basic Instinct reboot.

“The producers are negotiating with a really interesting director—a Brit, Emerald Fennell—who did Promising Young Woman and Wuthering Heights. Her sensibility is exactly right,” Eszterhas said. “She’s someone who is not afraid of controversy and sexuality. So I’m thrilled by that. I hope it works out.”

Fennell is coming off the success of Wuthering Heights, loosely based on Emily Brontë’s 1847 novel. The film, which starred Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi, grossed $239 million on a budget of $80 million.

Eszterhas is the original screenwriter of 1992’s Basic Instinct, an erotic thriller starring Michael Douglas and Sharon Stone. In July 2025, Eszterhas signed on to pen the script for another Basic Instinct movie at Amazon MGM Studios. Eszterhas received a reported $2 million for the script, and he could make up to $4 million if the movie gets made. Plot details of the reboot remain under wraps, but the movie has been described as “anti-woke.”

Eszterhas initially planned to bring Stone back on board. However, Stone was less than enthusiastic about the reboot when asked about it last August.

“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.” She added, “Good f***ing luck.”

In Basic Instinct, Police Detective Nick Curran (Douglas) investigates novelist Catherine Tramell (Stone) as a suspect in the murder of a rock star. Curran and Tramell then embark on a passionate and sexually charged affair. However, more people connected to the case begin to die, complicating Curran’s relationship.

Directed by Paul Verhoeven, Basic Instinct generated significant controversy due to its graphic nature, depiction of homosexuality, and sexual content. The interrogation scene when Stone exposes herself also garnered a polarizing reaction. Debates aside, Basic Instinct became a smash hit, grossing $353 million worldwide.

Stone reprised her role as Catherine Tramell in the 2006 sequel, Basic Instinct 2, which failed critically and financially.

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