Jessica Chastain Says She Talked to Anne Hathaway About a… Death becomes her redo. Chastain and Hathaway are two of the most acclaimed actresses working today. The former has been nominated for three Academy Awards and recently won for her stunning transformation in The eyes of Tammy Fayewhile Hathaway has two Oscar nominations to her name, winning for Les Miserables in 2013. The two stars first appeared together in Christopher Nolan’s interstellar in 2014 and this year reunited for James Gray’s Armageddon time.
Released in 1992, Death becomes her follows two female rivals who fight over the same man who drinks potions that promise them eternal youth, but ultimately cause horrific side effects. The satirical black comedy was directed by Robert Zemeckis (Back to the future, Forrest Gump), co-written by David Koepp (Jurassic Park, Mission Impossible), and starred Meryl Streep, Goldie Hawn, Isabella Rossellini and Bruce Willis in lead roles. Today, the film is remembered for its innovative use of CGI and won the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects.
During a recent interview with Procession promote her new Netflix movie The good nurseChastain was asked which classic movie she would like to remake, and surprisingly she replied Death becomes her. The Academy Award winner has even discussed the idea with Hathaway and said she’s interested in the role of Streep or Hawn. Read Chastain’s full answer below:
I was just talking to Annie [Hathaway] about this! It would be so much fun to remake Death Becomes Her. I will play the part of Meryl Streep or Goldie Hawn. You know, when it came out it was a huge flop. People thought it was garbage! But I think it’s a masterpiece.
Can death become her work with a modern audience?
While Chastain says: Death becomes her used to be “a huge flop,“ the film was actually a solid commercial success, nearly tripling its budget of $55 million by grossing $149 million worldwide. However, Death becomes her received mixed reviews from critics praising its technical prowess and lead performance, but ultimately felt the film was severely lacking in any real substance, criticizing its satire and character depth. This is probably why Chastain remembers Death becomes her the way she does it. In the years since its release, the film has gained some sort of cult following, especially in the LGBTQ+ community.
In the age of copious remakes and reboots in Hollywood, it’s increasingly important for studios to focus on adding something new to the original material rather than simply repeating it. Despite the mixed critical response, Death becomes her has held up with modern audiences, so it’s an open question whether it even requires a remake. It’s also unclear whether Chastain and Hathaway were hypothetically having a discussion Death becomes her remake as a nice idea, or are actively working on the project. Anyway, if handled with care at some point, a new take on the film could very well be a success.
Source: Procession
