MOVIE NEWS – The Rosemary’s Baby prequel shifts focus, changing the importance of certain events in the overall story…

Film director Natalie Erika James, of course, considered ten times whether or not to accept the filming of Apartment 7A. After all, this is a prequel to the classic horror film Rosemary’s Baby, directed by film icon Roman Polanski and produced by the king of gimmicks, William Castle. Now, it seems James is actually excited about the movie. In an interview with Vanity Fair, James spoke about why he took on the responsibility of continuing Mia Farrow’s Rosemary’s Baby:

“When I was first approached about the project, I was very dubious for sure. I would never have 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 New York City, Apartment 7A focuses on some of the characters from Rosemary’s Baby, but the events of the new film predate the classic horror film.

Julia Garner stars as Terry, originally played by Victoria Vetri in 1968. The other key role, Satan worshiper Minnie Castevet, is played by Oscar-winner Dianne Wies.

In Apartment 7A, the focus shifts from Rosemary Woodhouse

Dianne Wiest has won two Academy Awards for Best Supporting Actress in her illustrious career, both starring in Woody Allen films (Hannah and Her Sisters, Bullets Over Broadway). But now, Wiest plays the late Ruth Gordon, who starred in one of the best horror movies of all time.

Gordon played Minnie Castev in the original film and walked away with an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress – the only Academy Award Rosemary’s Child won.

Apartment 7A will hit theatres in time for the Halloween season. The film makes Terry, a character barely used in the original, the main character of the upcoming prequel. If you haven’t seen the ’68 movie, don’t worry, because there will be no spoilers about Terry. But this time, in the role of Julia Garner, she gets a lot more screen time. 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.”

James also 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.”

Source: Vanity Fair