Filmmaker Natalie Erika James was naturally “very dubious for sure” when initially considering whether to take Apartment 7A or not. After all, the film is a prequel to the classic horror movie Rosemary’s Baby directed by filmmaking icon Roman Polanski and produced by the King of the Gimmicks, William Castle. Now, James seems genuinely excited about the flick, and a slew of first-look photos (below) have flooded the internet for cinephiles and genre fans to enjoy. James talked about taking on the responsibility of following up the Mia Farrow-led Rosemary’s Baby in an interview with Vanity Fair:
“When I first was approached about the project, I was very dubious for sure.
I never would’ve signed on to do a remake of such a classic and seminal film.
But it’s been a joy to be able to play within the world and the sandbox of Ira Levin’s novel and also play with the characters.
I guess my motivation for taking it on was
feeling like there was a different emotional journey to be explored and to do it in a way that skewed the genre a little bit.”
Set in 1965’s New York City, Apartment 7A does focus on some of the characters from Rosemary’s Baby, but the events of the new movie predate the classic horror film. Julia Garner portrays the role of Terry, who was originally played by Victoria Vetri back in 1968. And the other key part, which is that of the Satan-worshiping Minnie Castevet, is played by Oscar winner Dianne Wiest.
Apartment 7A Shifts Focus Away from Rosemary Woodhouse
Dianne Wiest has won a pair of Best Supporting Actress Oscars over her illustrious career, both of which came from starring in Woody Allen films (Hannah and Her Sisters, Bullets Over Broadway). But now Wiest is stepping into the shoes of the late Ruth Gordon, who starred in one of the best horror movies of all time.
Gordon portrayed Minnie Castevet in Rosemary’s Baby (1968), and she walked away with a Best Supporting Actress Academy Award for her efforts — it was the only Oscar Rosemary’s Baby won. Apartment 7A’s director, Natalie Erika James, discussed Wiest taking over the iconic role during the same sit-down:
“With Dianne, it was about creating something really distinct, because Minnie is so wonderfully flamboyant and pushy in her way.
Even in the costume considerations, we went for more ’50s silhouettes.
There’s a garishness to her character that is definitely there in the original film too.But we twisted it a bit to make it our own […]
I think the essence of Ruth still remains in this very larger-than-life character, but our base inspiration was the voice actor for Betty Boop, Mae Questel.
It’s a slightly Bronx-tinged kind of thing.”
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Apartment 7A will drop in time for the Halloween season. The movie takes a character barely utilized in Rosemary’s Baby, Terry, and turns her into a primary player for the upcoming prequel. For those who haven’t seen the ’68 film, don’t worry, because there aren’t any spoilers about Terry here. However, she will have a lot more screen time being played by Julia Garner this time around. James continued in the same interview:
“The film is so much about Terry and her ability to use her body in her craft,
but also how it is used against her as well.
The sexual assault has reverberations through the rest of the film and how unsafe she feels in her own body.
The theme of bodily autonomy being taken away is obviously very strong in the first film as well.A key difference between Rosemary and Terry is that Rosemary starts as almost a hapless victim to the choices that her husband has made,
and then it’s her journey of uncovering the conspiracy around her and the horror of that.”
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James added:
“For Terry, I think she almost embodies both Rosemary and Guy [Rosemary’s husband].
Terry is both the vessel, and also kind of an active part of the Faustian exchange. There’s still a wider conspiracy around her,
and she’s being made to feel complicit in her own assault, which in a sense is even more horrifying.”
Apartment 7A
drops this fall, and
Rosemary’s Baby
is now available to stream on
Paramount+.