The 1981 cult horror Possession is in the process of being remade by Smile director Parker Finn, and it now has a release date: June 2027. Update: As proven by a number of candid paparazzi shots from the production, Paramount’s remake of the 1981 cult horror Possession has already begun filming. Callum Turner and Margaret ... Possession | Paramount’s remake due for release in June 2027
The 1981 cult horror Possession is in the process of being remade by Smile director Parker Finn, and it now has a release date: June 2027.
Update: As proven by a number of candid paparazzi shots from the production, Paramount’s remake of the 1981 cult horror Possession has already begun filming. Callum Turner and Margaret Qualley are playing the husband wife undergoing a breakup of Lovecraftian proportions, taking over from Isabelle Adjani and the late, much-missed Sam Neill.
The remake is being mounted by writer-director Parker Finn, best known for the grin-inducing horrors of Smile and Smile 2. It’s a mystery how he’ll reinterpret such a singular moment in 1980s horror, given the original is so rooted in filmmaker Andrzej Żuławski’s sensibilities – not to mention its austere Cold War Berlin setting.
One behind-the-scenes photo (which we won’t reproduce here for legal reasons) shows Callum Turner running around with a honking great machine gun. There were no machine guns in the original Possession.
We’ll try to keep our cynicism in check for now, though. Finn’s a talented filmmaker, and he may have come up with something surprising here. Which bring us belatedly to the news bit: Possession now has a release date, with Paramount setting its cinema launch for the 11th June 2027, at least in the US. That places it near the start of a busy summer period which includes How To Train Your Dragon 2, Spider-Man: Beyond The Spider-Verse and a currently untitled Ocean’s Eleven prequel.
No pressure there, then.
Our original story follows…
13th June 2024: Here’s an odd bit of news. Parker Finn, the writer-director who scored a huge hit with the 2022 horror Smile, is embarking on a remake of the 1981 cult film, Possession. He’s roped in Robert Pattinson to star, and the whole package seems to have sparked some sort of frenzy in Hollywood’s air-conditioned offices.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Finn’s Possession pitch has attracted the interest of A24, Netflix, Paramount and Warner Bros, with executives saying that the filmmaker’s “batshit” yet commercial idea for the remake is so enticing that yet more studios may join the bidding war.
Written and directed by Polish filmmaker Andrzej Żuławski, Possession is so unusual that it almost defies categorisation. It stars Sam Neill and Isabelle Adjani as a husband and wife who go through a particularly torrid break-up which takes in infidelity, madness, copious amounts of gore and bodily fluids, plus a dash of cosmic horror. Its dialogue is glaringly stilted, which only adds to the surreal air, and Adjani in particular puts in one of the most committed, unsettling performances imaginable.
A critical failure in 1981, Żuławski’s film is so individual that it’s a wonder what would possibly remain of it in a remake – especially given Hollywood executives have talked about its commercial appeal. Then again, Possession was blatantly referenced in last year’s The First Omen, so maybe the world’s caught up with Żuławski and his still-shocking strain of body horror.
Parker Finn is currently putting the finishing touches on his horror sequel Smile Deluxe, due for release this October. Given the excitement surrounding the Possession remake, it sounds likely that Finn will embark on that one next.
More as we get it.
