Jennifer Lopez’s Cult Classic Horror Movie Is Getting Comedy Remake, Jack Black & Paul Rudd Eyed For Starring Roles Only4Media.com

Jennifer Lopez’s classic 1997 horror movie Anaconda is getting a comedy remake, with Jack Black and Paul Rudd eyed for the starring roles in the film. Anaconda featured many famous actors alongside Lopez, such as Ice Cube and Owen Wilson, who portrayed a film crew making a documentary about an Amazonian tribe, before they’re attacked by a giant titular snake. Although the film received negative reviews upon its release, it has since become a cult classic horror movie, spawning three sequels and a crossover movie with the crocodile series Lake Placid.

Now, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed that Lopez’s Anaconda is getting a remake, with Jack Black and Paul Rudd eyed to portray the main characters. The movie will be directed and co-written by Tom Gormican, best known for writing the Nicolas Cage meta narrative The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, as well as Netflix’s Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F. Deadline also reported the film will be a comedy, a far cry from the serious horror of the original.

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Anaconda has gone on to become a cult classic thanks to its cheesy fun nature. However, even diehard fans might not know these facts about it.

How Will The Anaconda Remake Compare To The Original?

A remake of Anaconda was previously reported in 2020, with Sony planning to develop a new rendition of the Lopez movie with writer Evan Daugherty (Divergent) seemingly attached. Now, however, the screenplay will be co-written by Gormican and Kevin Etten, who also co-wrote the 2022 Cage comedy with the director. The story will also be reportedly different, with a group of friends undergoing midlife crises going to the rainforest to remake a movie from their younger years. Dangers will, of course, include giant snakes, as well as criminals and natural disasters.

While it’s unclear which characters Black and Rudd are being eyed for, the main duo will consist of a wedding photographer with directorial ambitions and an aspiring actor wishing for larger roles. While it’s unclear who will be playing who, both roles indicate there will be a deeper level of story beyond the potentially comedic terror they find themselves in while remaking their favorite movie. It’s also unconfirmed what the movie they’re remaking will be about, possibly setting the stage for a meta narrative in the same vein as The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent.

With the upcoming comedy bringing a new vision of the Anaconda film series to life, it seems there will be plenty of ways this rendition will lean into more humorous ideas than Lopez’s original. Even so, the cult classic will still remain a cornerstone of horror, even with its initial negative reception. Since there’s plenty of ways a remake can be approached through a comedic lens, it remains to be seen just how the film will twist the premise into a more comedic one.

Source: THR; Deadline

Anaconda

When a documentary crew get captured by a snake hunter in the depths of the Amazon jungle, they find themselves forced to face the wrath of a giant green anaconda. The 1997 cult classic starring Jennifer Lopez, Jon Voight, Ice Cube, Eric Stoltz, Owen Wilson, and Jonathan Hyde spawned three sequels and a crossover with Lake Placid.

Director

Luis Llosa

Release Date

April 11, 1997

Studio(s)

Sony

Distributor(s)

Columbia Pictures , Sony

Writers

Luis Llosa

Runtime

90minutes

Budget

$45 million

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