Dead Ringers TV series to star Rachel Weisz as unethical twin gynaecologists

Oscar-winning British actress Rachel Weisz will executive-produce and star as the Mantle twins in a TV series adaptation of David Cronenberg's 1988 gynaecological horror movie Dead Ringers for Amazon Prime Video.

The original movie is a dark, twisted tale of identical twin brothers, the Mantles, played by Jeremy Irons, who are experimental gynaecologists. When they fall out over a woman their deranged relationship wreaks havoc on themselves and the woman at the heart of their squabble.

If you haven't seen it, it involves Medieval surgical equipment and really is as disturbing as it sounds.

According to Deadline, Weisz is a big fan of the film and has been developing the idea with Annapurna Television for two years and the initial script was written by Normal People writer Alice Birch. Dead Ringers was pitched to television and streaming networks during lockdown via Zoom and Amazon came in with a "straight-to-series" offer.

A virtual writers' room is currently being put together for Dead Ringers.

Weisz, 50, will take on the roles of the identical sisters, based in Manhattan, who are on a mission to change the way women give birth. How they do it though, will involve drugs, both medical and recreational, illegal medical research, sex, love and potentially some of the strangest stuff ever filmed for a mainstream television show.

Cronernberg explores a lot of dark, often terrifying, psychological subjects in his films, ranging from Jeff Goldblum-starring The Fly (1986) to Crash (1996), starring Holly Hunter, and Dead Ringers the series is expected to have a similar feel to his cult horror, but will have a different tone and explore issues around women's health and the modern dilemma it faces.

In the series the Mantle twins will "share everything: drugs, lovers, and an unapologetic desire to do whatever it takes, including pushing the boundaries on medical ethics in an effort to challenge antiquated practices and bring women’s healthcare to the forefront".

It's not yet clear when Dead Ringers will go into production or when it will stream on Amazon.

Weisz will soon be seen in the Marvel movie Black Widow, due out later in 2020.

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