The Fly at 40: The Tale of David Cronenberg’s Science Fiction Horror Classic

      As the film marks its 40th anniversary, we delve into the story behind David Cronenberg’s The Fly…

      David Cronenberg is a figure well-known in the industry. The Canadian director has nearly created his own genre, being a key pioneer of the body horror sub-genre. Though one of his earlier works, The Fly remains highly regarded as one of Cronenberg’s finest films, appreciated for its thematic depth, innovative special effects, and strong performances. As The Fly celebrates its milestone anniversary, we reflect on the behind-the-scenes happenings during the creation of this cherished sci-fi horror classic.

      Writing the screenplay was a lengthy process.

      The Fly originated as a sci-fi horror short story by French-British writer George Langelaan, first appearing in the June 1957 issue of Playboy and later included in the author's 1964 collection, Out of Time. The story's first feature film adaptation was made by Kurt Neumann in 1958, which became the first of a trilogy featuring the grotesque human-fly hybrid. Jump ahead to nearly twenty years later, producer Kip Ohman aimed to adapt Langelaan's work for a contemporary audience and sought out screenwriter Charles Edward Pogue for the project.

      Pogue commenced his work by reading the short story and viewing the original film to grasp the basic premise. Excited by the idea of reimagining the source material, Pogue discussed the project setup with producer Stuart Cornfield, and they pitched their concept to executives at 20th Century Fox, receiving a positive reaction. Soon after, the studio funded Pogue to write the first draft of the screenplay. Both he and Cornfield believed the character's transformation should be gradual, which they included in their draft. However, the Fox executives were dissatisfied with Pogue's work and pulled out of the project. Cornfield salvaged the situation by renegotiating with Fox, who agreed to distribute the film if he could secure financing from another source.

      Mel Brooks didn't want his involvement known.

      After Fox withdrew its financial support, it was Mel Brooks who stepped in to fund the project through his production company, Brooksfilms. Despite being an established figure in the film industry, Brooks’ previous works were predominantly in the comedy genre, as seen in films like Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein, Silent Movie, and High Anxiety. Cornfield presented Brooks with Pogue’s draft, which he appreciated but felt needed refinement by another writer. Walon Green, known for his work on The Wild Bunch and Sorcerer, was brought on to make the necessary adjustments, but ultimately his version did not align with their vision. Consequently, Green was let go, and Pogue was rehired to revise the most recent draft. Interestingly, Mel Brooks wanted to keep his role as producer a secret to ensure the audience took the film seriously.

      David Cronenberg significantly altered the shooting script.

      Once the script was finalized, Brooks and Cornfield sought a suitable director for their project. They approached David Cronenberg with the script; however, at that time, he was busy with pre-production on Total Recall. Due to his inability to participate, the producers turned to the promising British director Robert Bierman, whose short films had garnered Brooks' and Cornfield’s admiration. Unfortunately, Bierman had to withdraw from the project due to a personal tragedy, creating an opening for Cronenberg, who had also exited Total Recall. Cronenberg agreed to direct, stipulating that he would rewrite the script, as he had concerns regarding its quality. His revisions were so extensive that only one line from Pogue’s original draft remained, though Cronenberg insisted on sharing screenplay credit with Pogue during the Writers Guild discussions.

      Actors like John Malkovich, Pierce Brosnan, John Lithgow, and Michael Keaton were considered for the lead role.

      Over a career spanning 50 years, Jeff Goldblum has portrayed many quirky characters, making him one of the most recognizable American actors in Hollywood. He gained massive fame in the 1990s for his roles as chaotician Dr. Ian Malcolm in Jurassic Park and satellite technician David Levinson in Independence Day, but his breakout role was in The Fly. Before Goldblum was cast as Seth Brundle, John Malkovich was the top choice, but he declined the role. Mel Brooks favored the charming Pierce Brosnan, but he too turned it down. John Lithgow was also offered the part but deemed it too "grotesque" and opted out. Other actors considered for the eccentric scientist included Michael Keaton and Richard Dreyfuss. Goldblum ultimately secured the role because he agreed to undergo the extensive prosthetic makeup application required.

      The prosthetic makeup application for Jeff Goldblum took nearly five hours.

      The horrific transformation of Jeff Goldblum’s Seth Brundle into the human-fly hybrid was achieved through a labor-intensive prosthetic makeup process that took nearly five hours to complete. This intricate makeup, designed and executed by