Paul Dano has joined the cast of Paramount's remake of the 1981 supernatural thriller 'Possession', starring opposite Callum Turner and Margaret Qualley. Parker Finn, the writer-director behind the hit 'Smile' horror franchise, is directing from his own script. Character details remain under wraps. The film is produced by Finn alongside Jonathan Fass (via Bad Feeling), Roy Lee and Andrew Childs (via Vertigo), and Robert Pattinson. The original 'Possession', written and directed by Andrzej Zulawski, starred Isabelle Adjani and Sam Neill as a married couple in Cold War-era West Berlin whose relationship descends into supernatural terror, and is considered a landmark of arthouse genre cinema.
π The Backstory
The original 'Possession' (1981) was a notoriously difficult production that nonetheless earned Isabelle Adjani the Best Actress award at Cannes and has since become a cult classic. Parker Finn rose to prominence with 'Smile' (2022) and its sequel, establishing himself as a major force in modern horror. Paul Dano is known for his acclaimed performances in 'There Will Be Blood', 'Prisoners', '12 Years a Slave', and more recently 'The Wizard of the Kremlin'. The project has been in development at Paramount since 2024.
π― Why It Matters
The remake of a cult classic like 'Possession' with a top-tier horror director (Finn) and acclaimed actors (Dano, Turner, Qualley) signals Paramount's commitment to prestige horror. It also reflects the ongoing trend of reimagining beloved arthouse genre films for modern audiences.
Paul Dano has joined the cast of Paramount's remake of the 1981 supernatural thriller 'Possession', starring opposite Callum Turner and Margaret Qualley. Parker Finn, the writer-director behind the hit 'Smile' horror franchise, is directing from his own script. Character details remain under wraps. The film is produced by Finn alongside Jonathan Fass (via Bad Feeling), Roy Lee and Andrew Childs (via Vertigo), and Robert Pattinson. The original 'Possession', written and directed by Andrzej Zulawski, starred Isabelle Adjani and Sam Neill as a married couple in Cold War-era West Berlin whose relationship descends into supernatural terror, and is considered a landmark of arthouse genre cinema.
The original 'Possession' (1981) was a notoriously difficult production that nonetheless earned Isabelle Adjani the Best Actress award at Cannes and has since become a cult classic. Parker Finn rose to prominence with 'Smile' (2022) and its sequel, establishing himself as a major force in modern horror. Paul Dano is known for his acclaimed performances in 'There Will Be Blood', 'Prisoners', '12 Years a Slave', and more recently 'The Wizard of the Kremlin'. The project has been in development at Paramount since 2024.
The remake of a cult classic like 'Possession' with a top-tier horror director (Finn) and acclaimed actors (Dano, Turner, Qualley) signals Paramount's commitment to prestige horror. It also reflects the ongoing trend of reimagining beloved arthouse genre films for modern audiences.