'Basic Instinct' reboot officially in the works

The 1992 erotic thriller Basic Instinct is officially getting a reboot, and Joe Eszterhas, the original film's writer, is returning.

Variety reported that Amazon MGM Studios’ United Artists and film producer Scott Stuber have acquired the rights to the upcoming film.

Stuber, Nick Nesbitt and Vault Entertainment’s Craig Baumgarten will produce the movie, while Adam Griffin of Vault Entertainment will executive produce.

The original film, directed by Paul Verhoeven, centered on a detective (Michael Douglas) who finds himself drawn into a dangerous cat-and-mouse game with a writer (Sharon Stone) after she becomes the prime suspect in the murder of a wealthy musician.

Despite its controversial and explicit themes, Basic Instinct was a major box office success, earning over $350 million worldwide and two Oscar nominations.

In a 2018 discussion on The Hollywood Reporter's podcast It Happened in Hollywood, Eszterhas stated that if Basic Instinct were filmed today, a particular sex scene between Douglas's character and his psychiatrist (Jeanne Tripplehorn) would likely be met with "serious #MeToo protesters."

“It was rough sex,” he said that time. “But today’s yardstick is different.”

A sequel to the film, Basic Instinct 2, was released in 2006. In this second installment, Stone reprised her role, entering into a sexually charged relationship with her psychiatrist, Michael Glass (played by David Morrissey).