‘Young Sinner’ By Paul Verhoeven
Paul Verhoeven released his excellent “Benedetta” in 2021, but the 86-year-old isn’t slowing down. An exciting report came in December 2021, that the legendary filmmaker, is embarking on a new film. A political thriller titled “Young Sinner”. Verhoeven is teaming up with Edward Neumeier, the screenwriter behind his classic genre movies “Robocop” and “Starship Troopers”. The new film would mark the Dutch filmmaker’s first American film in 24 years.
Premise: “Young Sinner” is a political thriller set in Washington, D.C. Neumeier added, “Our heroine, a young staffer who works for a powerful Senator, is drawn into a web of international intrigue and danger, and of course there is also a little sex”. No actress or producers have been officially announced yet.
The pair revealed the news during an interview with Moviemaker, telling the publication that the pic would be akin to “Basic Instinct” and would be made with as few digital elements as possible.
“I’m really thinking that what Neumeier and I, at this moment, want to do with this script, “Young Sinner”, will be an innovative version of movies like “Fatal Attraction” and “Basic Instinct”, Verhoeven told the magazine. “And it would not be adding all kinds of digital elements. As little as possible.” Verhoeven has compared the film to his 2006 thriller “Black Book”, but “more explosive, and more open-minded to a big audience”, adding that the lead character is an Evangelical woman.
Paul Verhoeven (left), Edward Neumeier (right).
Neumeier added; “We have been consulting with a former intelligence officer, Ron Marks, who is trying to keep us real about Capitol Hill and the spy business, but satire always seems to emerge when Paul and I work together, so I expect our new adventure will have a light tone.”
In, 2023, there were reports that Verhoeven was going to shoot the film later that year, but then the writers strike happened and a major delay occurred. The filmmaker gave an update in January 2024, “The last couple of years I’ve been working in France because I couldn’t find something interesting here at that time. But Ed came up with a really interesting proposal. For two years we have been working on the screenplay. It should be done in two months and then we can find out if someone can finance it.”
There aren’t much updates regarding this film, many trades are saying that Verhoeven is still looking for someone to finance the film. These last few years, Paul has been supported by French money and made two well-received films in the country, “Elle” and “Benedetta”, which competed at Cannes. However, “Young Sinner” is much more expensive than those films and requires someone who will take the risk and fund this ambitious endeavor.
But that hasn’t stopped Verhoeven from developing new films, around the same time as “Young Sinner’s” announcement, He revealed he is also planning to direct “Sans Computer”, a film adaptation of Philippe Djian’s novel, which tells the story . The reports first surfaced in an article in the French magazine Premiere confirmed by producer Said Ben Said. Verhoeven’s 2016 film “Elle” had been an adaptation of Djian’s novel “Oh”.
Verhoeven will next make his TV debut with “Bel Ami”. a French-language series based on Guy de Maupassant’s “Bel Ami” novel.
