Joe Eszterhas, the screenwriter of 1992’s Basic Instinct and its upcoming reboot, has shared exciting new updates about the latter during a recent interview. These updates concern Catherine Tramell, the primary antagonist of the original movie and its 2006 remake. Sharon Stone portrayed the character in both films.

The biggest new story reveal from Joe Eszterhas’ Basic Instinct reboot

Eszterhas sat down with Interview Magazine for an extensive discussion about his time in Hollywood and his impressive filmography, which includes Jagged Edge, Basic Instinct, Nowhere to Run, Sliver, and Showgirls. He revealed during the interview that Tramell is returning in the Basic Instinct reboot, which will also feature a brand-new character: her daughter.

“Catherine Tramell is in this one, and so is a new character, her daughter, Jezebel,” Eszterhas said. “I can’t say too much about it.”

Notably, Stone has previously denied any involvement in the project. She told The Guardian a few days after the reboot was announced in July 2025 that “There’s not going to be a Basic Instinct reboot.” She added, “I hate to break it to you, but Joe Eszterhas couldn’t write himself out of a Walgreens drug store.”

Stone then told the Today show in August, “If it goes the way the one I was in went, then I would just say I do not know why you would do it. Go ahead. Good f—ing luck!” Here, she was discussing Basic Instinct 2, which was a critical and commercial failure. Given her comments above, it remains unclear who will portray Tramell if she doesn’t reprise the role.

During the Interview Magazine interaction, Eszterhas noted that the return of the original movie’s director, Paul Verhoeven, was unlikely. However, he remarked that the Total Recall filmmaker should come back because of “his sensibility.” He also confirmed that he didn’t approach Amazon MGM Studios with a script, revealing instead that the studio came to him.

The Basic Instinct reboot currently doesn’t have a release date.