Rachel Weisz (“Black Widow”) will play identical twins in Amazon Prime’s new mini-series “Dead Ringers.” The six-episode series will be based on David Cronenberg’s 1988 classic psychological thriller of the same name.
The original film follows identical twin gynecologists Elliot and Beverly, both played by Jeremy Irons. The two own a successful practice that helps fuel an ever-worsening drug habit. They also have a habit of Elliot sleeping with patients until he loses interest only to hand them off to Beverly (the meeker of the two) since no one can tell them apart. Things begin to unravel when Beverly falls for one of the patients, Claire (Geneviève Bujold). But when she inadvertently deceives him, it starts a chain reaction of increasingly more violent and paranoid behavior.
Obviously, Irons’ characters are now gender-swapped for Weisz to portray them. The mini series will also be adding an LGBT element into the mix. She will star alongside Britne Oldford (“The Umbrella Academy”), Michael Chernus (“Michael Chernus”), Poppy Liu (“The Afterparty”), and Jennifer Ehle (“She Said”).
“I never, ever forgot it,” said Weisz about the first time she saw the film. “It was just seared into my memory. I liked that it was deeply psychological, deeply twisted, perverse, and thrilling. I think that’s quite fertile territory.” Which is why she isn’t just starring in it, she will alos be an executive producer.
When Weisz approached Sue Naegle, the former chief content officer of Annapurna Pictures, about the woman-centered reimagining of Cronenberg’s classic, Naegle was all in. Weisz then sought out writer Alice Birch (“Normal People” TV adapation) for the script. Several episodes of the series will be directed by Sean Durkin (“Martha Marcy May Marlene”) along with Karyn Kusama (“Yellowjackets”), Karena Evans (“Snowfall”), and Lauren Wolkstein (“A Friend of the Family”). Birch and Durkin will also be acting as executive producers.
“Dead Ringers” will premiere on Amazon Prime Video on April 21st, 2023.
