The Dead Ringers Trailer Has Double The Rachel Weisz, Double The Ethical Quandaries
Today in remakes we're pretty sure we don't need, Prime Video released a new trailer for their new limited series adaptation of the 1988 film "Dead Ringers." If you're a horror fan, your attention is probably piqued, considering the original film is one of the horror maestro David Cronenberg's oeuvre, but how does it look?
In the sneak peek, we meet Rachel Weisz's version of characters played by Jeremy Irons in the original movie. Weisz plays twin doctor siblings who seem to be going to crazy lengths to change the face of women's healthcare. According to the streamer, the synopsis reads:
A modern take on David Cronenberg's 1988 classic film, Dead Ringers is a limited series starring Rachel Weisz playing the double-lead role of Elliot and Beverly Mantle, twins who share everything: drugs, lovers, and an unapologetic desire to do whatever it takes—including pushing the boundaries on medical ethics—in an effort to challenge antiquated practices and bring women's healthcare to the forefront.
Watch the Dead Ringers trailer
Nowadays, reboots are the norm and not the exception, and because of their regularity, the majority of them end up falling flat. Instead of relegating to reboot territory only when it's truly called for, the industry defaults to it, and that makes them feel very dime a dozen rather than the special circumstance they could be if executed only in the smartest conditions.
That said, it'll be interesting to see more directorial work from Sean Durkin via this series. His film "Martha Marcy May Marlene" is an understated and underrated thriller take on cult defection, and it certainly bodes well for his ability to jump into unsavory territory within his work. However, he has veered off into more of the producer territory over the course of his career, so it'll be great to see more from him. Plus, "Jennifer's Body" and "The Invitation" director Karyn Kusama is also on the directorial staff for the reboot series, and we all know she is one to watch in whatever she does.
"Dead Ringers" was created, written, and executive produced by Emmy-nominated writer and playwright Alice Birch, who is known for her writing work on "Normal People" and the Florence Pugh-led films "Lady Macbeth" and "The Wonder." Weisz stars alongside a supporting cast consisting of Britne Oldford, Michael Chernus, Jennifer Ehle, Poppy Liu, and Emily Meade. Durkin, who also served as an executive producer on the project alongside Birch and star Weisz, directed the first two episodes as well as the last episode of the series, which was co-directed with Lauren Wolkstein. Kusama, Wolkstein, and Karena Evans also each directed their own episodes on the limited series.
All six episodes of "Dead Ringers" will premiere on April 21, 2023 in over 240 countries globally, so horror fans the world over will be able to give their opinions on the remake right from the start. Trust me, I'll be one of them.