Paul Verhoeven just released his latest film Benedetta, but at 83 he’s showing no signs of slowing down as he’s already moving onto his next project. He’s set to make his Hollywood comeback with Young Sinner, a female-led erotic thriller that will see him reteam with his Robocop co-writer Edward Neumeier.
The film is being described as a political thriller set in Washington D.C. that will revolve around a young staffer who works for a powerful Senator and is drawn into a web of international intrigue and danger. In an interview with Movie Maker, Verhoeven said that the film will be “an innovative version of movies like Fatal Attraction and Basic Instinct.”
He added that he wanted the movie to have as little special effects as possible and be “more explosive” than other thrillers he has directed before. Neumeier also said that they have been consulting with a former intelligence officer.
After Verhoeven has been making dark French dramas for his last few movies, this sounds like a return to his classic, pulpy, satirical work of the late 80s and 90s, which included such cultural touchstones as the aforementioned Robocop and Basic Instinct, along with Starship Troopers and Showgirls.
The erotic thriller might be having a bit of a comeback too, as Adrian Lyne (Fatal Attraction) is heading back to the genre with Deep Water starring Ben Affleck and Ana de Armas, which arrives in January.
The genre was a multiplex staple back in the 90s thanks mostly to Lyne and Verhoeven, so it’s cool to see them each returning to a genre they helped propel into the mainstream.
We’ll wait for more details regarding Young Sinner to emerge, but it doesn’t seem like Verhoeven is losing any of his edge now that he’s comfortably into his 80s. He’s also set to make his TV debut with Bel Ami, a French-language series based on Guy de Maupassant‘s novel of the same name.
#Peace.Love.YoungSinner
