Movies - TV
David Cronenberg Had A Different Title For Dead Ringers In Mind
By DEVIN MEENAN
David Cronenberg's 1988 film "Dead Ringers" is an emotional body horror film in which Jeremy Irons delivers an impressive performance as twins. Since the brothers are the film's subject, Cronenberg originally titled his film "Twins," but had to change it as another film with the same title was due to be released the same year.
The other "Twins" was a comedy film directed by Ivan Reitman with an absurd premise and starred Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito as the titular twins. For "an undisclosed but persuasive sum," Cronenberg let Reitman and Universal Pictures have the title and came up with "Dead Ringers" as a new title.
Cronenberg didn't want to use "any title with the word 'Brothers,' 'Sisters,' 'Split,' 'Reflection,' 'Double,' or 'Mirror,'" in it and eventually arrived at "Dead Ringers." Although it was his second film with "Dead" in the title, it was a more fitting title for the film's psychological horror theme compared to the rather generic "Twins."