One of the biggest movies of the late 80s was Fatal Attraction– it starred a formidable leading duo of Michael Douglas and Glenn Close, was the highest-grossing film of 1987, and received six Oscar nominations including Best Picture. It helped jump start the erotic thriller genre, which became a craze in the 1990s with hits like Indecent Proposal and Single White Female, with the most famous of all being 1992’s Basic Instinct. It’s no surprise then that Paramount+ is revisiting Fatal Attraction in 2023, with a new mini-series adaptation for the streaming service.

The 90s was their heyday, but recent films like Red Sparrow starring Jennifer Lawrence and Deep Water (helmed by Fatal Attraction and Indecent Proposal director Adrian Lyne) have given erotic thrillers something of a resurgence. This new Paramount version keeps much of the same basic plot and names- Close’s character Alex Forrest is now played by Lizzy Caplan, known for her roles in Mean Girls and Masters of Sex, and recently appeared in Fleishman Is In Trouble.

Dan Gallagher, played by Douglas in the original, is portrayed this time around by Joshua Jackson, star of The Affair and Dr. Death. The plot once again revolves around the affair that begins between Alex, a book editor, and Dan, a lawyer. Though initially mutually understood to be a fling, Alex begins to develop an obsession with Dan, who refuses to leave his wife for her.

The original film told the story almost entirely from Dan’s perspective, and as such has over the years been somewhat controversial for the fact that Alex most likely has a mental illness and has been analysed by psychiatrists. Paramount and series creator Alexandra Cunningham (Dirty John) wanted to move the narrative to focus more on why Alex is the way she is, developing her story. 

Caplan is a fan of the original film and told Entertainment Weekly that “In the film, Alex is the villain of the story, and Dan is the hero… … [but] audiences have changed so much, we are no longer primed to believe in this villainous woman story. She’s clearly mentally ill and that’s not something that is really touched upon [in the movie].” The mini-series will expand the original story across its eight episodes.

Fatal Attractions TV series will also star Amanda Peet (Dirty John), Toby Huss (Halt and Catch Fire), Reno Wilson (Mike & Molly) and Brian Goodman (I Know This Much To Be True). It’s set to arrive on Paramount+ later this year on 1st May.

Fatal Attraction TV Series will premiere on Paramount+ on 1st May

Can’t wait for Fatal Attraction? Check out the other best TV series coming in 2023 

Culture

Want to receive more great articles like this every day? Join our daily email now