The Hollywood Reporter is writing that acclaimed director David Cronenberg is in
talks with Fox to remake his own version of The Fly.
The 1986 sci-fi/horror movie, starring Jeff Goldblum and Geena Davis, was a reimagining of the 1958 movie of the same name starring Vincent Price. The story involved a scientist named Seth Brundle (Goldblum) who falls in love with Veronica Quaife (Davis), a reporter studying his work. Brundle's DNA is fused with that of a fly when a teleportation experiment goes wrong.
As his body undergoes rapid changes, the movie turns surprisingly poignant: His relationship with Veronica deepens, and she must watch as the man she loves gradually loses his touch with humanity. The melodramatic nature of the script prompted Cronenberg and composer Howard Shore (who scored the movie) to create an opera, which premiered in Paris in July 2008.
Presumably, this remake would allow Cronenberg to make use of improved special-effects technology, but this sounds like a mixed blessing. We're confident that Cronenberg would use effects judiciously, with concern for artistic integrity. But part of the appeal of the original movie — and his other earlier effects-based movies like Videodrome, Scanners, and The Brood — was his use of raw materials to create consciously schlocky effects. Inexplicably, the artificial look felt more real and disturbing than it would have had Cronenberg gone for the most realistic effects possible.
On the other hand, Cronenberg has shown a remarkable ability to re-invent himself, most recently turning his attention from body-conscious horror to movies like Spider, History of Violence, and Eastern Promises, which focus on issues of identity and memory. So maybe he has something up his sleeve that we can't forsee. We'll just have to wait.