Cronenberg fans, rejoice! The official trailer for Prime Video’s Dead Ringers is here.
A modern, female-led reworking of his twisted 1988 Canadian classic, the six episode limited series follows twin gynecologists Elliot and Beverly Mantle (Rachel Weisz in the juicy dual role previously played by Jeremy Irons), whose severe co-dependency leads them down a dark path as they attempt to revolutionize the world of women’s health care. As one of them says in our first genuine look at the new series, “I want to change the way women birth.”
Though the series is labeled as a psychosexual thriller, the trailer proves to have a delightfully sardonic sense of humor. Most of this comes from Weisz’ exciting duality, portraying Elliot as charming and cunning but Beverly as reserved but devoted.
Still, there is a darker underbelly that the trailer only hints at. The series look to revolve around the twins attempting to “make a baby out of nothing,” as said in the trailer. Shots of spilt blood, caged baby lambs, and even potential drowning have us thinking these efforts will have disastrous results.
During a press conference celebrating the trailer’s global launch, Weisz described the series as “a pretty wild ride” and “deliciously mischievous.” She also spoke to the process of playing a dual role, which she compared to walking a tightrope. “This was without a doubt the biggest challenge of my acting life,” she said. “I didn’t shoot Beverly for one day and then Elliot for another day. It was within one scene. We would shoot one half and then shoot the other half. It was thrilling.”
Alice Birch (Normal People, The Wonder), the series’ creator and showrunner, hadn’t seen the original film prior to writing the series. However, she found the film “extraordinary” and was excited to genderbend the story. “It felt like it would just be really interesting to tell this story with two women at the center of it,” she explained. “It, of course, changes everything, but it also changes nothing.”
The series boasts a strong female creative team, including an all-female writers room and directing team, including Karyn Kusama (Jennifer’s Body), Karena Evans (Snowfall), and Lauren Wolkstein (Y: The Last Man). “People were sort of researching and reading and watching…contributing and feeding off each other as well as bringing their own kind of personal experiences,” said Birch.
Rounding out the series’ ensemble cast are Britne Oldford (The Umbrella Academy), Poppy Liu (Better Call Saul), Michael Chernus (Severance), Jennifer Ehle (Saint Maud), and Emily Meade (The Leftovers).
All six episodes of Dead Ringers will premiere exclusively on Prime Video worldwide April 21.