Joshua Goldman
Joshua Goldman
min read · August 20, 2025 · Entertainment

Sharon Stone vs. 'Anti-Woke' Basic Instinct Reboot: Drama Unfolds!

The controversial reboot of Sharon Stone 's 1 992 erotic thriller Basic Instinct will be 'anti-woke' as the film's writer seeks to hit back at modern day 'political correctness' - Stone pictured as femme fatale Catherine Tramell

SHOCKING REBOOT: Sharon Stone's Iconic Basic Instinct Gets a Scandalous Revamp

In a move that's got everyone talking, Amazon MGM Studios has greenlit a reboot of the 1992 erotic thriller Basic Instinct, with writer Joe Eszterhas at the helm. And trust us, this one's going to be a wild ride! The news comes as Sharon Stone, the original Catherine Tramell, has expressed her skepticism about the project.

Eszterhas, who also penned Flashdance and Showgirls, is reportedly banked $4 million for penning the new script, with hopes that Stone will reprise her iconic role. But don't expect this reboot to be a watered-down version of the original. Oh no! Eszterhas has vowed to make it "anti-woke" and poke fun at modern-day "political correctness."

Joe Eszterhas, 80, who also penned Flashdance and Showgirls, recently revealed he had been paid $4million by Amazon MGM Studios to pen the new script and hoped Stone would co-star in the film - days before the actress slammed the project

"We're going for broke," he declared in an interview with The Wrap. "We want to push boundaries, to make people uncomfortable. And I think that's what audiences crave – something raw, something real, something unapologetic."

The reboot will reportedly follow the same basic plot as the original, but with some key differences. Eszterhas hinted at a more sinister tone, with a "demonic element" that'll leave viewers on the edge of their seats.

But here's the juicy part: Eszterhas claims he's been inspired by the current cultural climate, where "a segment of the population has had it with woke culture." He argues that the film will tackle themes of feminism and female empowerment, but not in a way that's "pc" or "safe."

The steamy film starring Michael Douglas and Stone was released in 1992

"The absurdities come when a woman who is sexual and open about her sexuality, you know, the culture that I grew up in would describe that woman as a nymphomaniac," he said. "If a man did the same thing, he'd be a stud." Ouch!

But Stone isn't having it. In an interview on The Today Show, she delivered a scathing takedown of the reboot, saying: "I'm at that stage in my life where I already retired once. And I already died a couple times. I'm like, what are you going to do? Kill me again? Go ahead."

It seems Stone's not just upset about the reboot itself, but also the fact that Eszterhas is trying to revive her iconic character without her involvement. She reprised her role as Tramell in the panned 2006 sequel Basic Instinct 2, and it looks like she's had it up to here with the franchise.

Eszterhas told The Wrap : 'It means that dialogue-wise she will be open about her sexuality, character-wise she will be raunchy at times, funny, iconoclastic and all of those things'

In an interview last year at the Taormina Film Festival, Stone spoke about how the original interrogation scene now seems "very ordinary" compared to today's raunchy films. She argued that women are being given more agency in Hollywood, and that films are no longer just about men's fantasies of women.

"I think that now that women are writing, directing, producing, filming and more and more a part of filmmaking, films are less about men writing films about their fantasies of the way women are," she said. "And actresses are less asked to portray the male fantasy, and then critics are less asked to tell us if we fulfilled the male fantasy or not."

Stone also spoke about how Basic Instinct ruined her image in the 90s, with people reducing her to just being like her character on screen.

The writer's comments last month came weeks before Stone, 67, lambasted the reboot during a chat on The Today Show. She said: 'It goes the way the one that I was in. I would just say, ¿

"They said I was just like the character," she recalled. "Like, somehow, they found someone who was just like that, and she slipped into the clothes, and it was magically recorded on film."

It looks like Stone's had a long-term grudge against Basic Instinct – and now Eszterhas is trying to stir up controversy with his reboot.

With the original film's infamous interrogation scene still making headlines today, it'll be interesting to see how this new version shakes things up. Will it live up to its predecessor's notoriety? Or will it fall flat on its face?

One thing's for sure: we can't wait to find out!