Original Star Isabelle Adjani Passes the Torch to Margaret Qualley for the Possession Remake

If you told me someone was going to remake Andrzej Żuławski's Possession, I'd have assumed you were joking or simply mad. The original 1981 film is one of those utterly singular horrors that's as weird as it is disturbing, rooted deeply in Żuławski's personal trauma—and just genuinely impossible to imagine being duplicated. But apparently, Parker Finn—the bloke behind Smile and its sequel—is in fact having a proper go at it. Here's what you need to know about the latest attempt to resurrect this oddball classic.

Possession: The Nightmarish Original

First, some context. Żuławski wrote Possession with Frederic Tuten while wading through the emotional wreckage of his marriage and the political turmoil of being chucked out of Communist Poland for making films the authorities didn't appreciate. The story, set in Cold War-era West Berlin, follows a spy (played back then by Sam Neill) who comes home to find his wife (Isabelle Adjani) not exactly thrilled to see him. Cue demands for a divorce, a spiralling mess of betrayal, violence, and—because Żuławski doesn't do things by halves—a rubbery, tentacled creature lurking on the fringes. Doppelgangers even pop up for good measure.

The original dropped at the Cannes Film Festival in 1981, where Adjani snagged the Best Actress award for a performance that pretty much defined 'going off the deep end'. In other words, hard act to follow.

Parker Finn's Remake – The New Lineup

Parker Finn's take will star Margaret Qualley (The Substance) in the Adjani role, with Callum Turner (Masters of the Air) set to play her unfortunate husband. Now, here's the twist: Isabelle Adjani herself is apparently on board with the re-casting. In her words (plucked from an interview at Cannes this year):

'When I met Margaret at a dinner party a few years ago, she told me she looked more like me than her mother, so it seems this family resemblance influenced the director's choice of actress for the role in Possession. Besides, she's incredibly talented! And yes, Possession, a film that dares to be mystical and horrific, and this talismanic role, has achieved cult status. Today, the new cinematic extremism that has become trendy has led to remakes of films like Possession, with a certain enlightened opportunism. Why not?'

Adjani's laid-back attitude is honestly a bit of a shock—she doesn't seem too precious about something most actors would chain themselves to the set to protect. She rates Qualley highly, though, which should make the recasting go down a bit smoother for the die-hards.

But Should It Be Remade?

Honestly, not everyone is thrilled. Some argue the original is so much a product of its time and Żuławski's circumstances (that Berlin Wall setting wasn't just for window dressing; it was the film's heart and soul) that it simply can't work as a modern, glossy studio picture. Our mate Chris Bumbray summed up the general resistance quite neatly:

'There’s just one problem: it will never be as good. The original Possession is inseparable from its context... That setting isn’t background texture—it’s the film’s soul... And then there’s the ending. Possession is so provocative, so confrontational in its final act, that there’s no realistic way a modern studio-backed remake wouldn’t sand off its sharpest edges. If Finn gets to make it, you can be sure it’ll be forced into something more palatable—and more mainstream.'

Not Even the First Remake?

This is where things get truly odd. Finn's version isn't actually the only Possession do-over out there. Apparently, there was a recent Indonesian spin on the material called Possession: Kerasukan, directed by Razka Robby Ertanto. So, if you've ever wondered what Żuławski's personal hell filtered through Southeast Asia looks like, well, now you know it exists.

• Director: Parker Finn (Smile, Smile 2)
• Stars: Margaret Qualley and Callum Turner
• Original Possession (1981): Set in Cold War Berlin, starring Sam Neill and Isabelle Adjani
• Adjani: Fully supportive of Qualley taking over her role
• Industry scepticism: Concern a remake can't capture the original's context and grit
• Not even the first remake: Indonesia got there first with Possession: Kerasukan