Sharon Stone signaled she has no interest in a planned reboot of Basic Instinct, saying on NBC’s Today that she doesn’t “know why you’d do it,” then adding, “go ahead, but good f—ing luck.” The remarks arrive a month after Amazon MGM’s United Artists set a new version in motion with original screenwriter Joe Eszterhas writing and producer Scott Stuber attached. Coverage of the package has described the project as “anti-woke,” a framing that has already stirred debate around a title long associated with controversy.
Stone’s skepticism is rooted in franchise history. The 1992 film was a hit yet drew protests from LGBTQ+ groups over its portrayal of bisexuality, while the 2006 sequel underperformed and was widely panned. Box office comparisons circulating in recent reporting cite a domestic gross of $117.7 million for the original and $5.9 million for the sequel, figures Stone referenced in making her point. Her on-air comments also echoed recollections she has shared about feeling misled during the first film’s interrogation scene, a dispute that has resurfaced as the reboot advances.
Details of the new film remain in flux, but industry outlets have reported that Eszterhas’ deal is among the year’s biggest for a spec script, with payouts structured in stages and an eye toward relaunching the erotic thriller for a new audience. United Artists’ involvement follows Stuber’s broader mandate to build out films at Amazon MGM. While some early chatter suggested Stone could reprise Catherine Tramell, her latest comments point the other way, and neither casting nor a director has been announced.
Stone has several projects of her own in the near term, including a role in the action sequel Nobody 2, underscoring that her stance on the reboot is not a retirement signal but a judgment about the value of revisiting a property that has already produced sharply different outcomes across two entries.
