Jessica Chastain is an Oscar-winning actor and has delivered a number of impressive performances, but when asked what film she’d like to revive for a new generation if she was given the opportunity, she revealed she’d be most excited for a new take on Death Becomes Her. The 1992 film starred Meryl Streep and Goldie Hawn at what was arguably the height of their popularity, with Chastain confirming that she’d want to enlist Anne Hathaway to star alongside her in a new take on the material. Bruce Willis and Isabella Rossellini also starred in the film, which was directed by Robert Zemeckis.
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“I was just talking to Annie about this! It would be so fun to remake Death Becomes Her,” Chastain shared with Parade in regards to a classic she’d want to remake. “I’ll do either the Meryl Streep or Goldie Hawn role. You know, when it came out it was a huge flop. People thought it was garbage! But I think it’s a masterpiece.”
Chastain might have exaggerated a bit about the film being a flop, as it made nearly $150 million worldwide on a budget of $55 million, though Rotten Tomatoes calculates the film as having 55% positive reviews, clearly faring less well with critics. With some of the top-grossing movies of that year being Aladdin, Batman Returns, and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, there were only a handful of films released that year that made a lasting cultural footprint. Given the absurd nature of Death Becomes Her, it’s not a surprise that it could be considered a forgotten film, even if its following has grown more passionate in recent years.
The film focuses on two rivals who discover a potion that grants them eternal youth, and while this serves as a temporary solution regarding their fears of aging, the two discover that everlasting life isn’t without its drawbacks.
Chastain isn’t the only one who would be interested in returning to that world, as reports emerged in 2012 that Zemeckis was developing a TV series inspired by the concept, though that project never moved forward. With this year marking the film’s 30th anniversary, star Rossellini recently reflected on its notoriety.
“We didn’t know that. We thought it was going to be like [Who Framed Roger Rabbit?], a film for families,” the actor shared with Vulture last month. “But it has a cult following, and mostly a following from the gay community. That was surprising to us. We appreciate it, but it wasn’t the aim.”
Stay tuned for details on a possible Death Becomes Her revival.
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