Possession remake will retain the frenzied, manic ferocity of the original

Director Andrzej Żuławski’s 1981 horror film Possession is so unique, it’s difficult to imagine anyone even attempting to remake it. The mind-bending creature feature was a reflection of the issues Żuławski was dealing with at the time; his marriage had ended in a devastating divorce, he was driven out of his home country of Poland because the Communist government didn’t approve of his filmmaking endeavors, and Possession was his way of purging dark emotions. It’s not something that can be replicated – but Parker Finn, the writer/director of Smile and the upcoming Smile 2, has an approach to the material that he wants to share with the world. It was announced earlier this year that Finn will be writing and directing a Possession remake, with Robert Pattinson producing through his company Icki Eneo Arlo. (Whether or not Pattinson takes an acting role in the film will depend on the script and his schedule.) During a new interview with SFX magazine, Finn promised that he intends to retain the “frenzied, manic ferocity” of the original film in his remake.

Finn is producing the Possession remake under his Bad Feeling banner. Producing alongside Finn and Pattinson are Vertigo Entertainment’s Roy Lee and Pattinson’s Icki Eneo Arlo partner Brighton McCloskey. The project is set up at Paramount Pictures, which is also home to Finn’s Smile movies.

Scripted by Żuławski and Frederic Tuten, the original Possession was set in West Berlin and starred Sam Neill as a spy who returns home from the field to his wife (Isabella Adjani) and son. All is not quiet on the marital front, as the wife asks for a divorce and the couple descends into a destructive cycle that not only includes infidelity and neglect, but spins into murder, a tentacled alien creature and doppelgangers. The remake will be Finn’s biggest film yet, but The Hollywood Reporter’s sources have said he hopes to keep an eye on an intimate story.

Finn told SFX magazine, “It’s early days, but we’re incredibly excited about this completely bonkers movie. Possession is one of my favorite films of all time, and so what was really important to me was that we were honoring the original and staying true to its absolute frenzied, manic ferocity. We want to make sure that fans of the original, who might be a little suspect of a remake, when they sit down to it are gonna realize, ‘Oh, this movie is for me, and it’s really embracing what I love.’ At the same time, though, I want to be inviting new fans in. I think there’s a really wonderful opportunity that by reimagining this movie, people who haven’t seen the 1981 film will go and visit it, so hopefully it’ll spread the love.“

I’m still wary of a Possession that’s coming from someone who’s aiming to make a “completely bonkers” movie rather than from someone who’s purging soul-crushing, heartbreaking emotions, but I’ll give Finn’s movie a chance when it’s released.

What do you think of Parker Finn’s plan to remake Possession? Share your thoughts on this one by leaving a comment below.