#FIRSTLOOK: “DEAD RINGERS”

By Mr. Will Wong

DEAD RINGERS pushes boundaries daringly in the same spirit that David Cronenberg would approve. This new six-episode Prime Video Limited Series, based on the great Canadian’s groundbreaking 1986 feature, stars Academy Award winner Rachel Weisz in dual roles as New York City’s well-known twins Elliot and Beverly Mantle. Together, the twins break the rules, but it isn’t without reason. When it comes to women’s health, their care and rights pre and post-natally, they are here to challenge antiquated practices and standards. They aren’t entirely heroes though in the classic sense. They use each other’s identities to deceive and they literally share everything – no secrets. So what happens when one finds love and the other no longer is everything to the other?

Canada’s Sean Durkin (Martha Marcy May Marlene, The Nest) has a knack for exploring stories from the eyes of complex female characters, and is tasked with directing three of the six episodes here. Others behind the lens include a directing team packed with talent: Karyn Kusama (Girlfight, Destroyer), Lauren Wolkstein (The Strange Ones) and also Toronto’s own Karena Evans (Firecrackers).

Make no mistake, the Series is not for the light-hearted. True to Cronenberg form, this is very much a Psychological Thriller with Body Horror elements. It looks and feels like the 1988 original as well, cold, dark and gray. It’s graphic, bold and the Mantle Sisters are unflinching and can take it as well as they can dish it. That being said, so much of the Series weighs on the strength of Weisz’s superb work, effectively characterizing each sister so convincingly that we forget they’re played by the same Actor.

DEAD RINGERS arrives April 21, 2023 on Prime Video.

#FIRSTLOOK: “DEAD RINGERS” STARRING RACHEL WEISZ

Today, Prime Video announced the premiere date and released first-look images of Rachel Weisz (Disobedience, The Favourite, Black Widow) as OBGYN twins Beverly and Elliot Mantle for the highly anticipated psychological thriller Dead Ringers. Weisz also serves as an executive producer. The limited series is created, written, and executive produced by Emmy-nominated writer and playwright Alice Birch (Normal People, Succession, The Wonder). All six episodes premiere April 21, 2023 exclusively on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide.

A modern take on David Cronenberg’s 1988 thriller starring Jeremy Irons, Dead Ringers will feature Rachel Weisz playing the double-lead roles of Elliot and Beverly Mantle, twins who share everything: drugs, lovers, and an unapologetic desire to do whatever it takes—including pushing the boundaries of medical ethics—in an effort to challenge antiquated practices and bring women’s health care to the forefront. The series’ ensemble cast includes Britne Oldford (The Umbrella Academy, American Horror Story: Asylum) as Genevieve, Poppy Liu (Hacks, Better Call Saul) as Greta, Michael Chernus (Severance, Orange is the New Black) as Tom, Jennifer Ehle (Zero Dark Thirty, Saint Maud) as Rebecca, and Emily Meade (The Deuce, The Leftovers) as Susan.

Filmmaker Sean Durkin (Martha Marcy May Marlene, The Nest, The Iron Claw) directed the first two episodes and co-directed the last episode of the series. Durkin also serves as an executive producer. The directing team also includes Karyn Kusama (Jennifer’s Body, Girlfight), Karena Evans (P-Valley, Snowfall), and Lauren Wolkstein (A Friend of the Family, Y: The Last Man).

Dead Ringers is co-produced by Amazon Studios and Annapurna Television. Alice Birch, who is the series showrunner, serves as an executive producer alongside Rachel Weisz for Astral Projection, Stacy O’Neil, Sue Naegle, and Sean Durkin. Ali Krug is the executive producer for Annapurna Television. Erica Kay, Anne Carey, and Polly Stokes also serve as executive producers. James G. Robinson, David Robinson, and Barbara Wall executive produced for Morgan Creek.

(Photo credit: Prime Video)