David Cronenberg really, really seems to love The Fly. He directed the hit 1986 remake of the 1958 b-movie, about a scientist who gets mixed up with a fly in his newly invented teleportation device and who slowly starts to turn into an insect. While the original 50s version is farcical and silly, the remake is impressively gross and well made, and gave Cronenberg his first big hit.
Since then Cronenberg has directed an opera version of the story. Yes, you did read that write, they made an opera of The Fly. And while he’s previously said he didn’t want to be involved in another film remake of story, it now appears he’s changed his mind, as the Risky Biz Blog is reporting that he’s in talks to develop Fox’s reboot of his remake, with an eye to him potentially writing and directing the new version.
The suggestion seems to be that the main reason behind Cronenberg heading back to the story is the technological advances in the last quarter century. While in 1986 he was hemmed in by budget concerns and what it was possible to do using physical effects, nowadays CG and modern effects would allow him to have far greater control over how to show Seth Brundle’s transformation.
It may also be that Fox was going to do a remake anyway, and so Cronenberg prefer they do it with his help than without it. It certainly make this reboot a bit more interesting than it would have been otherwise, as while The Fly doesn’t really need to be remade, at least this should ensure the new film has a bit of quality to it.