Nikyatu Jusu Developing Film in the Universe of ‘The Fly’

Jeff Goldblum in 1986’s ‘The Fly’. Photo: 20th Century Fox.

Preview:

Nikyatu Jusu is looking to make a new ‘The Fly’ movie.
It’ll be set in the same world as David Cronenberg’s 1986 body horror.
No word yet on casting.

We’re used to legacy sequels and remakes, but the idea of films set within the same storytelling universe is a less common cinematic phenomenon, outside of the sprawling worlds of, say ‘Star Wars’ or comic book movies.

Writer/director Nikyatu Jusu, however, is going to attempt it, at least according to Deadline, as she’s now got a deal with 20th Century Studios and production company Chernin Entertainment to attempt a new movie set in the world of David Cronenberg’s 1986 body horror ‘The Fly.’

What’s the story of ‘The Fly’?

Jeff Goldblum in 1986’s ‘The Fly’. Photo: 20th Century Fox.

Cronenberg’s ‘The Fly’ follows scientist Seth Brundle (Jeff Goldblum), whose experiments with teleportation take a terrifying turn when his DNA is accidentally fused with a fly’s. His transformation in to the “Brundlefly” is both physical and psychological, and he becomes a monstrous hybrid creature, brought to life by Chris Walas’ practical effects, which scored an Academy Award for Best Makeup.

Walas would go on to direct 1989 sequel ‘The Fly II,’ which didn’t get such a positive response.

And the 1986 take on ‘The Fly’ wasn’t even the first –– it was based on George Langelaan’s 1957 short story, previously adapted as a 1958 film starring Vincent Price.

Yet Cronenberg’s version, co-starring Geena Davis, was released by 20th Century Fox in 1986, grossing over $60 million globally on a relatively modest budget.

What will the story of a new ‘Fly’ film entail?

1986’s ‘The Fly’. Photo: 20th Century Fox.

There are no details yet on what Jusu is planning for her movie –– just that it’s not a straightforward remake or sequel.

We have to assume that Jusu will, as with her previous work (see below) put her own stamp on the idea of science gone wrong and terrifying transformations.

What else is Nikyatu Jusu working on?

Anna Diop in 2022’s ‘Nanny’. Photo: Amazon Studios.

Jusu first broke out with a short film called ‘Suicide by Sunlight,’ which follows Black vampires who can survive in the daytime thanks to the melanin in their skin.

That short premiered in the Midnight section of the 2019 Sundance Film Festival, and caught the attention of Jordan Peele’s Monkeypaw company, which has her developing a feature length version for Universal.

She went on to direct psychological horror ‘Nanny,’ about Aisha (Anna Diop), an undocumented Senegalese immigrant working as a nanny for an affluent white couple in New York City, while struggling to save enough money to bring her son from Senegal to America. Michelle Monaghan co-starred in that film, which debuted at Sundance in 2022 and won the Grand Jury Prize in U.S. Dramatic Competition.

MGM is also interested in working with Jusu, acquiring the rights for a ‘Night of the Living Dead’ sequel that she’s attached to direct.