Fatal Attraction director Adrian Lyne’s first erotic thriller for twenty years – Deep Water – starring Ben Affleck and Ana de Armas – may finally be coming out in March. Amazon Prime UK have updated their list of March releases and Deep Water is on it – with a date of March 18. It’s not yet clear if the US release on Hulu will be on the same date.
Adrian Lyne is one of the kings of the erotic thriller, a sub-genre that has been dying out in the last two decades, after its hey-day in the ’80s and early ’90s. Lyne directed 9 1/2 Weeks, Fatal Attraction and Indecent Proposal but hasn’t directed a film since 2002’s Unfaithful, starring Richard Gere and Diane Lane. Therefore, Deep Water is obviously extremely highly-anticipated by fans of the genre.
Deep Water is based on a novel by Patricia Highsmith, who wrote The Talented Mr. Ripley. It concerns a married couple who allow one another to take lovers, start playing mind games with one another and things spiraling into murder.
The script of Deep Water was co-written by Sam Levinson, the director of Assassination Nation, Malcom & Marie and the showrunner of HBO’s Euphoria. It also stars Tracy Letts, Lil Rey Howery, Euphoria’s Jacob Elordi, Finn Wittrock and Rachel Blanchard.
Deep Water has had its release pushed several times, then was pulled altogether from the theatrical release schedule. Adult dramas have struggled more than ever during the pandemic, with Ridley Scott’s House of Gucci being a rare example of one that’s done quite well at the box office. It looks like more and more will follow the straight to streaming or video-on-demand model.
At least, for those of us who love the thriller genre, we have Deep Water to look forward to, even if it has to be at home. In the meantime, check out our guide the best thriller movies.