David Farnor | On 20, Aug 2020

Rachel Weisz and Alice Birch are teaming up for a reboot of Dead Ringers at Amazon.

David Cronenberg’s 1988 film, about twin gynaecologists played by Jeremy Irons, was based on Twins, the book by Bari Wood and Jack Geasland. More than 30 years later, the cult horror classic is getting a remake at Amazon, with a female twist.

Dead Ringers will follow the Mantle twins, two obstetrics and gynaecology doctors, who are on a mission to change the way women give birth. The sisters share everything, including drugs, lovers and a drive to to whatever it takes, as they bring women’s healthcare to the forefront of medicine. The show, which will have a different tone to the film, will explore issues such as underfunding of women’s health and the antiquated practices of the medical industry.

Amazon has given a straight-to-series order, with Normal People writer Alice Birch set to pen the script. It originated, though, with Rachel Weisz. The star of The Favourite, The Mummy and The Constant Gardener will play the two lead roles of the twins. Partnering with Annapurna TV and Morgan Creek Entertainment, the company behind the original movie, it marks Weisz’s first major TV role. The project has been in development for a couple of years, with streamers pitched the project during the pandemic over Zoom. Now, Amazon has snapped up the project and is assembling a writers’ room.

Birch will executive produce the series along with Weisz and her manager, Stacy O’Neil, plus Annapurna’s Megan Ellison, Sue Naegle and Ali Krug and Morgan Creek’s James G Robinson, David Robinson and Barbara Wall.

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