Dead Ringers: What you need to know about Rachel Weisz's twisted new TV show

Rachel Weisz delivers a double performance in Dead Ringers, Prime Video’s new take on director David Cronenberg’s iconic body horror of the same name which was released back in 1988.

Executive produced and partly written by Succession screenwriter Alice Birch, this six-episode limited series sees Weisz star as Elliot and Beverly Mantle in a gender-flipped retake of the dual roles first brought to life by Jeremy Irons in Cronenberg’s movie.

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Promising a bodybag full of squirming medical chills, a heady dose of psychosis-induced psychological horror and just a pinch of identity crisis dark humour, this new mini-series looks set to recapture all of the dystopic scientific quandaries and uncomfortable viewing that made Irons’ original so iconic while ushering its big questions into the minds of a whole new generation.

How to watch Dead Ringers

Dead Ringers is out now on Prime Video, with each episode lasting approximately 60 minutes.

Dead Ringers reviews

Early reviews have started to pour in for Weisz's small-screen taken on this Cronenberg classic. Currently, it holds a solid 86% critics review on Rotten Tomatoes, with our own verdict praising a "career best" performance from its star.

The reviews are in and here's what to expect from Dead Ringers:

The Telegraph: Weisz has twice the fun in this sweary, snarling reinvention (3 min read)

Evening Standard: Rachel Weisz’s drama is dark, deeply disturbing and utterly thrilling (5 min read)

The Hollywood Reporter: Rachel Weisz delivers a stunning one-two punch in Amazon’s unsettling drama series (7 min read)

Yahoo UK: Rachel Weisz does double-duty in stunning Cronenberg remake (4 min read)

What is the plot of Dead Ringers?

The new Dead Ringers TV series is based on Cronenberg’s 1998 movie which itself was based on the 1977 book Twins by authors Bari Wood and Jack Geasland.

Both were inspired by real-life New York geneticists and twin siblings Stewart and Cyril Marcus who specialised in fertility before their mysterious and untimely deaths in 1975.

Much like Cronenberg’s movie, Prime Video’s Dead Ringers also follows two genetic expert twins, here played by Weisz, who share everything in their joined lives — from lovers, drugs, passions and pitfalls.

Watch a trailer for the original Dead Ringers

Together, they set out to use their skills and knowledge of genetics to improve how women give birth. However, their complicated medical profession soon muddles with their even more complex and fractured personal lives as the pair do whatever it takes to achieve their goals.

Dead Ringers cast

Leading the cast is Weisz who stars as both twin geneticist siblings Elliot and Beverly Mantle, taking over the same role that Irons played in Cronenberg’s movie.

Joining her are an array of stars playing a mixture of new players and some roles which originally appeared in the 1988 movie adaptation.

Some newcomers to the story include Hacks’ star Poppy Liu as Greta, Better Call Saul’s Jeremey Shamos as Joseph, Orange is the New Black’s Michael Chernus as Tom and The Umbrella Academy’s Britne Oldford as Genevieve.

Spinal Tap and Better Call Saul star Michael McKean stars as Marion, while Saint Maud’s Jennifer Ehle plays Rebecca and The Deuce’s Emily Meade pops up as Susan.

Martha Marcy May Marlene’s Sean Durkin directs the first two episodes of the series written by Birch, with additional filmmakers taking over for the remaining four instalments.

Dead Ringers trailer

Following a teaser released back in February 2023, we got our first proper glimpse at what Dead Ringers has in store when the full series trailer dropped in late March.

Set to a sinister edit of Soft Cell’s Tainted Love, the trailer set the scene nicely for an unsettling mixture of macabre humour and science horror with an unhinged dual performance from Weisz at its centre.

Watch the full trailer above.

Dead Ringers is available to stream on Prime Video now