Possession remake from Smile director is set up at Paramount Pictures

Director Andrzej Żuławski’s 1981 horror film Possession is so unique, it’s difficult to imagine anyone even attempting to remake it. The mind-bending creature feature was a reflection of the issues Żuławski was dealing with at the time; his marriage had ended in a devastating divorce, he was driven out of his home country of Poland because the Communist government didn’t approve of his filmmaking endeavors, and Possession was his way of purging dark emotions. It’s not something that can be replicated – but Parker Finn, the writer/director of Smile and the upcoming Smile 2, has an approach to the material that he wants to share with the world. It was announced last month that Finn will be writing and directing a Possession remake, with Robert Pattinson producing through his company Icki Eneo Arlo. (Whether or not Pattinson takes an acting role in the film will depend on the script and his schedule.) Now The Hollywood Reporter has broken the news that Paramount Pictures is closing deals to be the studio behind the project.

The fact that Paramount is getting involved is no surprise, since the studio is also home to Finn’s Smile movies. The Hollywood Reporter notes that “the Possession pact is personal for Paramount CEO Brian Robbins and motion picture co-heads Daria Cercek and Michael Ireland, who fought hard to keep Finn in the Paramount family.” There was an intense bidding war over the project, with Warner Bros., Sony, and Paramount being the final contenders in the running.

Finn is producing the Possession remake under his Bad Feeling banner. Producing alongside Finn and Pattinson are Vertigo Entertainment’s Roy Lee and Pattinson’s Icki Eneo Arlo partner Brighton McCloskey.

Scripted by Żuławski and Frederic Tuten, the original Possession was set in West Berlin and starred Sam Neill as a spy who returns home from the field to his wife (Isabella Adjani) and son. All is not quiet on the marital front, as the wife asks for a divorce and the couple descends into a destructive cycle that not only includes infidelity and neglect, but spins into murder, a tentacled alien creature and doppelgangers. The remake will be Finn’s biggest film yet, but The Hollywood Reporter’s sources say he hopes to keep an eye on an intimate story.

What do you think of the fact that Paramount and Parker Finn will be bringing us a Possession remake? Share your thoughts on this one by leaving a comment below.