Maybe it’s just me, but if I was planning a movie based of the 16th Century Mexican story of The Virgin Of Guadalupe, I probably would’t hire the writer of Showgirls and Basic Instinct to pen the screenplay. Joe Eszterhas isn’t exactly the man you’d first think of for a religious tale, but he’s nevertheless man Mpower Pictures is banking on for their new film.
However it is true that Eszterhas isn’t the man he used to be. He quit the film industry in the late 90s, moved to Ohio, had surgery for throat cancer and has written a few books, including Crossbearer: A Memoir Of Faith. It’s a bit of a change for a man who seemed happy to shock people with his raunchy, over the top screenplays, which also included Sliver and Jade. He may have become a bit of a joke during the 90s (and he has five Razzie Awards to his name), but he was nevertheless one of the highest paid screenwriters in Hollywood.
The new, more faith oriented Eszterhas has described the Virgin Of Guadalupe movie as “a labour of love”. The story is of great importance to Mexican Catholics and revolves around a vision of the Virgin Mary experienced by a simple peasant, and a miraculous image of Jesus’ mother that appeared on his cloak. So don’t expect Elizabeth Berkley writhing maniacally in a pool in this one.