Dead Ringers reboot in the works at Amazon

Wednesday 19 August 2020 by Charlotte Whyatt  News

A TV reboot of David Cronenberg’s 1988 film Dead Ringers is in development at Amazon. 

Academy-Award winner Rachel Weisz will star as a gender-swapped version of the Mantle twins, roles originally played by Jeremy Irons, a pair of incredibly successful ob-gyns. 

This new version is described as having “a different tone but similar feel” to the original which saw Irons’s Elliot and Beverly slowly descend into prescription drug abuse and madness.

It seems as though the show will retain these darker psychological elements while also exploring issues of women’s health and the underfunding they often face in the US system. 

“Drugs, pioneering but very much illegal medical research, sex and falling in love, this drama based on the David Cronenberg 80s cult classic, takes us to darker and stranger territory than we could have possibly imagined,” reads the official plot description.

Dead Ringers will be written by Alice Birch, who also served as the lead writer on the acclaimed Irish drama series Normal People. 

A release date for Dead Ringers is currently not known. 

 “This update to Dead Ringers explores the darker side of medicine, obsession, and the human condition, making it a compelling addition to our slate of Amazon Original series,” said Albert Cheng, Amazon’s co-head of Television.  

Source: Deadline