The Paramount+ revival of the 1987 psychological thriller Fatal Attraction finally has its premiere date, according to The Wrap. The eight-episode miniseries will debut in the U.S. on April 30, beginning with the first two episodes. The international premiere is set for the following day in the U.K., Australia, Latin America, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, and France, with South Korea’s premiere date to be announced soon. Following Fatal Attraction’s debut week, the remaining episodes will be available on Paramount+ weekly on Sundays in the U.S. and Mondays internationally.
Although the series is based on the 1980s erotic thriller, Paramount’s Fatal Attraction is a modernized reimagining of the classic cautionary tale. It takes the film’s only criticism for its depiction of Alex as the volatile, unstable mistress and abandons the outdated notion altogether. Instead, the miniseries reinvents the narrative, allowing the story to play out from the female perspective. The basis of the original story remains, which begins when Dan – who is married – begins an elusive affair with Alex that takes a dicey turn. However, the show will examine fatal attraction and the timeless themes of marriage and infidelity through the lens of modern attitudes toward strong women, personality disorders, and coercive control. The shift towards more female involvement in the show’s storytelling can be attributed to the show’s creator Alexandra Cunningham.
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Joshua Jackson and Lizzy Caplan star as Dan Gallagher and Alex Forrest, respectively. Additional main cast members include Amanda Peet, Alyssa Jirrels, Toby Huss, Reno Wilson, and Brian Goodman. Outside of being Fatal Attraction’s creator, Cunningham serves as co-writer, showrunner, and executive producer alongside her fellow co-writer and executive producer, Kevin J. Hynes. In addition, Darryl Frank and Justin Falvey have been brought on board as executive producers for Amblin Television. Silver Tree is an additional executive producer and directed five episodes.
The Series Will Offer Audiences More Internal Insight into Alex Forrest
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Fatal Attraction comes from showrunner Alexandra Cunningham best known for her work on Dirty John and Chance. Additionally, she worked on the 2020 anthology series Dear John alongside cast member Amanda Peet. It was Cunningham’s involvement that brought Peet on board the reimagining of the psychosexual thriller. “I knew she was going to have a more psychological take on all the characters,” Peet stated in an interview, “She’s a connoisseur of true crime. But she’s also really interested in psychology. She’s really good at (writing) a thriller. She’s really good at twists of plot.”
Cunningham also sheds more light on the story’s angle for the series, which shifts away from the film’s perspective that solely focuses on Dan. “It is trying to represent all of the characters’ point of view, as opposed to just Dan, and everyone’s angle on what happens,” Cunningham said. “We’re spending a lot more time with Alex and in her point of view and exploring her thought process and perhaps what she wants to get out of all of this.”
