Why David Cronenberg S The Fly Almost Didn T Get Made

Why David Cronenberg’s The Fly Almost Didn’t Get Made

By Devin Meenan/March 24, 2022 1:19 pm EST

“Remakes are never as good as the original” is a truism that isn’t so true. One of the most compelling cases against this is David Cronenberg’s 1986 rendition of “The Fly,” a remake of a 1958 sci-fi horror B-movie. Cronenberg’s “The Fly” centers on Seth Brundle (Jeff Goldblum), a counterpart to the original’s André Delambre (David Hedison). Like Delambre, Brundle is a scientist experimenting with teleportation technology. Things go wrong when a housefly finds it way into one of the teleportation pods; Brundle walks away from an experiment merged with the insect. 

Beyond the core premise, the two films are quite different. One important change is that Cronenberg’s version doesn’t settle for just B-movie scares; instead, it weaves the story into a tragedy. Despite its ultimate brilliance, “The Fly” had to struggle to make it to the silver screen in the first place.

Beyond the core premise, the two films are quite different. One important change is that Cronenberg’s version doesn’t settle for just B-movie scares; instead, it weaves the story into a tragedy. Despite its ultimate brilliance, “The Fly” had to struggle to make it to the silver screen in the first place.

Assembling the crew

TriStar Pictures

With funding secured, the film needed a director, and Cornfeld’s first choice was David Cronenberg. The Canadian director was a natural pick; “The Fly” demanded expertise in using extreme and gory SFX, and Cronenberg had already proven himself a master of body horror with “Scanners” and “Videodrome.” However, Cronenberg was already committed to an adaptation of Philip K. Dick’s “We Can Remember It For You Wholesale,” retitled “Total Recall.” With Cronenberg unavailable, the producers ultimately selected Robert Bierman to helm “The Fly.” Early into pre-production, tragedy struck; Bierman’s daughter died in an accident. Bierman was understandably unable to work while grieving, so Cornfeld and Brooks amicably released him from his contract.

Selecting the stars

Once “The Fly” hit theaters, all of its troubles melted away. The film hit that sweet spot of being both a critical and popular hit; it grossed $60 million on a $9 million budget, Gene Siskel ranked it as the 10th best film of 1986. Chris Walas and Stephan Dupuis, the film’s makeup artists, walked away with a Best Makeup Oscar for how they brought Brundlefly to life. Today, audiences remember “The Fly” as a classic and one of Cronenberg’s best. In the world of “The Fly,” mankind was not yet ready for Brundle’s teleportation technology. In our world, though, it’s safe to say audiences were more than ready for the brilliance of “The Fly.”