ET has the first official look at the upcoming Paramount+ series adaptation of the 1987 thriller.
Prepare to be seduced. ET has the exclusive first look at the anticipated Paramount+ series adaptation of the 1987 thriller, Fatal Attraction, with Joshua Jackson, Lizzy Caplan and Amanda Peet taking over the roles first originated by Michael Douglas, Glenn Close and Anne Archer, respectively.
In the extended teaser for the series, Alex Forrest (Caplan) seduces Dan Gallagher (Jackson) before the two are seen engaging in a passionate affair. The only catch is, Dan is married -- and at the end of the clip, we see Alex introducing herself to his wife, Beth (Peet), who is seemingly unaware of what's going on between the two of them.
Adapted by Dirty John creator Alexandra Cunningham, who also serves as the showrunner, the series will reimagine the cultural touchstones of what made the psychosexual thriller an instant classic while exploring timeless themes of marriage and infidelity and issues related to views of strong women, personality disorders and coercive control through a modern lens.
"Culturally, we've come a long way since 1987. So, I think that there's some things that we're able to explore and delve into in our show that they didn't have the space to -- but they also wouldn't have conceived of," Jackson tells ET, speaking to the modern aspect of the series, which unfolds over eight episodes rather than in the limited span of two hours.
Because of that, "you're able to dive deeper into certain aspects of the story that didn't really get explored the first time," he says. Echoing that sentiment, Caplan says the series "is not a direct remake" of the original film written by James Dearden, which is based on his book, Diversion. In fact, it's "our jumping-off point."
And when it specifically comes to the character of Alex, they're able to get into the whys that weren't really touched upon before. "When you watch the film now, it's really hard to not want to know more about the Alex character," the actress explains. "If anything, it's really jarring to be reminded that in the '80s, the audiences were not looking for that at all."
"We get to really understand her and where she's coming from," Jackson adds, while Caplan notes just how much time and effort Close put into her Oscar-nominated performance. "So much of her performance is so finely calibrated, and it's an exquisite performance, but so many people didn't even know the depth of it," she says.
Caplan concludes, "There would be no reason to remake it if we weren't going to dive more deeply into it."
Fatal Attraction will premiere with three episodes April 30 on Paramount+, with the remaining episodes debuting weekly on Sundays.
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