Jack Black and Paul Rudd are currently in talks to star in a new version of the 1997 horror classic film Anaconda. It starred Jennifer Lopez, Owen Wilson, Ice Cube and Jon Voight.
The original film revolved around a National Geographic film crew encountering the world’s most dangerous snake. It instantly became a cult classic and spawned its own sub-franchise.
The new version will be directed by Tom Gormican, best known for the Nicolas Cage meta-comedy The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent. Gormican also directed Beverly Hills Cop 4 and its sequel, Axel F.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Gormican is writing the script with his partner Kevin Etten. The remake of the horror classic is expected to have a different tone.
Obviously, they have updated the story; now it’s about friends who are going through a mid-life crisis and decide to recreate their favorite childhood movie, but take the risk of going into the jungle. This is where they will fight giant snakes, natural disasters, and ruthless criminals.
According to the outlet, Jack Black could play a boring wedding videographer, while Paul Rudd could play a down-on-his-luck actor whose Hollywood career ended after one season on a cop show. However, other sources say that could change.
The project has been in development at Columbia Pictures since early 2023, with multiple rewrites as the studio and filmmakers tried to figure out what kind of tone they wanted for the film. Brad Fuller and Andrew Form are producing it under their banner Fully Formed Films. In addition, Form recently signed an exclusive contract with Sony’s Screen Gems division.
Columbia Pictures, part of Sony’s family of companies, has a clear reason for revisiting the Anaconda franchise. It was a seminal film, grossing US$136 million globally in a short time due to its instant cult status. As a result, several more films like it were made, including one in theaters in 2004 and two Sci-Fi Channel films in 2008 and 2009. The last film, Lake Placid vs. Anaconda, released in 2015, was somewhat of a horror comedy mashup starring Yanbie Butler and Robert Englund.
Black has recently lent his voice to a number of animated films including Borderlands, Kung Fu Panda 4 and The Super Mario Bros. Movie. He is also set to appear in Warner Bros.’s new Minecraft film.
Paul Rudd’s most recent film is called Ghostbusters: The Frozen Empire , and he also has A24’s Death of a Unicorn coming up as well as John Carney’s power ballad.
Also read: Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards 2024: Jack Black’s Bowser wins Favorite Villain award
