“Basic Instinct” Screenwriter Joe Eszterhas Says He’s Back to the Franchise’s Core for a Reboot, With Catherine Tramell Returning

Joe Eszterhas, the screenwriter behind the 1992 erotic thriller “Basic Instinct,” has provided an update on a planned reboot, saying he has been working on the follow-up after being approached to develop ideas for the project. In comments reported Monday, Eszterhas described being asked for “any ideas” and said he responded by pushing for a return to what he called “bare bones,” contrasting his approach with a prior sequel he characterized as “really bad.”

The reboot is tied to Amazon MGM Studios’ United Artists, which previously brought Eszterhas onto the screenplay effort, according to coverage of the project published July 5. Deadline reported that the working script includes the onscreen return of Catherine Tramell, the central character originally created for the series and portrayed in the original film by Sharon Stone.

Eszterhas’s remarks, as quoted in coverage, also point to a specific creative goal for the reboot: refocusing the material toward the core elements of the franchise rather than expanding it in a way he believes failed with the franchise’s earlier continuation. He told Interview Magazine that the project initially came to him with a straightforward prompt to generate ideas, and he said he encouraged a stripped-down framing for the new story.

Catherine Tramell’s return matters to the project’s continuity and audience expectations, since she is the character most associated with the film’s identity and notoriety. Deadline’s reporting places Tramell’s reappearance at the center of the reboot’s script update, indicating the project is not simply reintroducing the premise with a new cast but instead attempting to reconnect with the original framework.

The “Basic Instinct” reboot has been discussed as a studio effort coming out of Amazon MGM’s United Artists banner, with Eszterhas named as the writer tapped for the screenplay work. The July 5 update comes nearly a year after Eszterhas was reported to have been brought on for the reboot effort, with Deadline noting the timeline and the fact that the new script is moving forward enough for Eszterhas to discuss its direction.

As of Monday, no release date, production schedule, or casting details beyond Tramell’s return have been publicly confirmed in the reporting cited by Deadline. The next concrete steps for audiences to watch will be when the studio, in line with typical film development procedures, provides additional information on attached talent, casting decisions, and whether the screenplay proceeds toward preproduction.

Separately, Eszterhas’s comments underscore that the reboot’s creative process is still in a development phase, where writers refine story structure and thematic tone before formal announcements. Until additional details are issued by the studio or production partners, the scope of the reboot beyond Catherine Tramell’s return remains limited to what Eszterhas and Deadline have described.

In the meantime, the update also places additional emphasis on franchise stewardship at the writing level, with Eszterhas positioning the project as a disciplined revisit of the elements that made the original stand out to viewers. Whether the reboot follows through in production on the same creative intent, including the “bare bones” direction he described, will depend on subsequent approvals from the studio and any collaborators announced later.