Possession Remake | Parker Finn

[DR Herbert West]

‘Possession’ Remake on the Way from ‘Smile’ Director Parker Finn and Robert Pattinson

Andrzej Żuławski’s 1981 psychological horror movie Possession is getting a remake from Smile writer/director Parker Finn, THR reports today, and actor Robert Pattinson is set to produce.

Finn is currently attached to write and direct the remake, which has reportedly caused a bidding war among A24, Netflix, Paramount, Sony, and Warner Bros.

The project is still in its developmental early stages, meaning no plot or casting details are in place as of yet. But the original film is a strangely told narrative about an international spy and his intense relationship with his wife, it’s a haunting dissection of the dissolution of a relationship and the strange love affair the wife develops with a tentacle creature.

[BerC]

"Smile" was decent but it wasn't anything special. Kind of like cracking a peanut shell with a hammer as far as I'm concerned. I highly doubt Finn has the skill to do any justice to Żuławski’s masterpiece. I'm fully expecting a severely dumbed down approach that will completely obliterate all the wonderful complexities and nuances featured in the original.

[Cremildo]

Sorry, Finn's involvement doesn't inspire much excitement in me. Maybe it'll turn out all right in the end, but it's not a project I'll develop a fever in anticipation.

[DR Herbert West]

Nowhere to go but down.

[IPreferPi]

Ugh, such a terrible idea. There's a whole slew of mediocre to terrible 80s horror films that could benefit from an updated look - Possession is not one of those films at all. And The First Omen just did a terrific homage to the iconic subway scene (if anything, Nell Tiger Free and Arkasha Stevenson should be doing this remake if it's being insisted upon).

[Gacivory]

Now if this was a sequel with Pattinson as the son of the creature and Isabelle Adjani reprises her role then I’d be interested!

[Walter Kafka]

I blame the people that liked the Suspiria remake.

[jess1581]

So I wonder, just how many movies is he gonna borrow from this time?

[Foggy]

Pattinson has earned my faith, but Smile, whilst a fun film, is nowhere near the calibre to pull off anything close to the original Possession. I’m usually a remake apologist (if you don’t want it, just ignore it), but this just feels like a waste of time from the offset for everyone involved.

[Mothravka]

Smile (2022) was embarrassingly bad. This will likely be awful too, I can't imagine anything else.

[Lutz]

This would be the perfect project for an RPattz and KStew reunion.

[Mary Mason]

Originally Posted by Walter Kafka

I blame the people that liked the Suspiria remake.

I agree it’s all their fault. 😂 Hollywood ran out of (American) 70s & 80s horror films to remake so they had to branch out into euro horror. LOL How sad is the current state of creativity that filmmakers can’t just give us original stories?

[EvaDK]

Finn is currently attached to write and direct the remake, which has reportedly caused a bidding war among A24, Netflix, Paramount, Sony, and Warner Bros.

Interesting. I don't recall that A24 has ever produced a remake, though I might be wrong.

[stvn1974]

Not sure how the story would work today. The Cold War was a major part of the original film. Sure there is still evil today but they will have to change so much that they might as well call it something else.

[EvaDK]

Originally Posted by stvn1974

Not sure how the story would work today. The Cold War was a major part of the original film. Sure there is still evil today but they will have to change so much that they might as well call it something else.

Well, the Cold War is the new black now, so...

I don't know how if they can find an actress that can remotely follow in Isabella Adjani's footsteps here; I would be terrified being compared to her iconic performance.

[stvn1974]

Originally Posted by EvaDK

Well, the Cold War is the new black now, so...

I don't know how if they can find an actress that can remotely follow in Isabella Adjani's footsteps here; I would be terrified being compared to her iconic performance.

Or an actress who would even be willing to do the things Adjani did in Possession. The closest I can think of is Naomi Watts in Mulholland Drive and that was almost 25 years ago.

[Member-682067]

Originally Posted by stvn1974

Not sure how the story would work today. The Cold War was a major part of the original film. Sure there is still evil today but they will have to change so much that they might as well call it something else.

Agreed, despite some ghoulish imagery and a sense of dread, 'Possession' wasn't a straight horror movie; a lot of it's resonance had to do with allusions to the cold war and most importantly the vision and direction of Zulawski.

The remake will be one of those remakes where they know the words but not the music.

[EvaDK]

Yeah, Zulawski's experiences and memoirs seem integral to the making of that script. The film feels like an expression of how he experienced the destruction of his identity and home nation; divorce, psychosis, trauma, insanity. It feels similar to watching Apocalypse Now, The Devils, Repulsion, Antichrist, A Requiem For A Dream.

You can't just attempt to imitate that in a remake. It wouldn't feel sincere.

[Lutz]

KStew is perfect for the Adjani role and it’d generate publicity for the film re teaming with RPattz.

[jimcorenson]

When did everyone suddenly turn on SMILE here ?
I think its one of the best horror movies in recent years with some truly creepy scenes of figures appearing in mirrors and others coming slowly out of the dark with a freaky smile on them. Also has one of the better if not best and very surprising jumpscare.