Here's some *ahem* buzzy horror movie news for your Tuesday morning. David Cronenberg's seminal 1986 body horror masterpiece The Fly is set to be the basis for a seemingly Nia DaCosta's Candyman style, universe expanding spin-off at 20th Century Studios. Per Deadline's reporting, Nanny filmmaker Nikyatu Jusu is actively developing, well, The Fly, on which the in-demand rising name in horror will serve as both writer and director.
As Deadline are quick to note, whilst plot details for Jusu's films are being kept shtum at the moment, "sources stressed that it’s set in the universe of Cronenberg’s film, rather than a straightforward remake." Yes, it seems we're heading Into The Brundleverse! Now, how exactly Jusu's movie will tie in to Cronenberg's cult classic remains to be seen, but there's no shortage of possible routes to go down — especially in this modern age of increasingly radical, head spinning scientific experimentation. Will a new generation of Brundle emerge to continue the work of Jeff Goldblum's ill-fated scientist Seth? Could Eric Stoltz' Martin Brundle from The Fly II rock up and go a little Martinfly once more? Will Jusu ignore the sequel's existence and see Geena Davis' Veronica wrestling with the loss of her mutated beau decades later? The possibilities are, as you can see, virtually endless.
At a time where stock is high in body horror thanks to the likes of The Substance, Titane, Possessor, and David Cronenberg's own recent Crimes Of The Future, a reimagining of The Fly couldn't feel more fitting for the current genre moment. And, with Jusu already working on new horror ventures with Jordan Peele's MonkeyPaw imprint and looking to make a direct sequel to George A. Romero's original Night Of The Living Dead, not to mention having shown a proclivity for bug-based (well, arachnid) imagery in Nanny, this appears to be a perfect marriage of art and artist. Of course, only time will tell whether The Fly will live up to the buzz or wind up, er, bugging Brundle devotees. But for now, while we wait to hear more about what Jusu has in store (and, most importantly, when we can expect to see it), consider us ready and willing to step inside the telepod once more.