Emerald Fennell is the director behind films like A Promising Young Woman, Saltburn, Careful How You Go, and Wuthering Heights. There have been many rumors lately of her possibly working on a Basic Instinct reboot, but her reps have cleared the air, and here’s what we know.
Emerald Fennell reps debunk Basic Instincts reboot claims
Emerald Fennell’s representatives recently spoke to Deadline about the rumors of the director headlining a Basic Instincts reboot. They refuted the claims, saying, “There is no truth in this. She is not involved in any way.”
Amazon also denied any claims of the Director joining the project, as stated by Deadline in their feature. But when did the rumors start exactly? Well, it was in July 2025 that the announcement of a Basic Instinct reboot being greenlit was made. It was made public that Joe Eszterhas will be on board for the reboot film, and he signed an agreement with the streaming giant.
The deal is estimated at around 4 million dollars, and what’s interesting is that Eszterhas wrote the screenplay for the original 1992 erotic crime thriller Basic Instinct. He’s also known for popular films like Showgirls and Flashdance. The 1992 Basic Instinct starred Sharon Stone and Michael Douglas in central roles. The film stood out as a cult classic, and recently Eszterhas did an interview with The Guardian talking about the reboot and Fennell’s possible involvement.
“The producers are negotiating with a really interesting director—a Brit, Emerald Fennell—who did Promising Young Woman and Wuthering Heights. Her sensibility is exactly right. She’s someone who is not afraid of controversy and s———. So I’m thrilled by that. I hope it works out.”
However, with Fennell’s representatives denying the claims, there’s no scope for the Director working on the project as of now. Her latest film is Wuthering Heights, which was released in February 2026, and it stars Jacob Elordi and Margot Robbie in the main roles.
As for the cast of Basic Instinct, Sharon Stone criticized the idea of the movie’s reboot and said she won’t return to the movie. She said this during an interview with Today back in August 2025.
