Jack Black, Paul Rudd Star in Sony’s Dreadful ‘Anaconda’ Trailer

Another day, another reboot. But this one veers far enough from the original’s tone and style that it’s fair to call it a “reimagining,” rather than a straightforward remake.

Columbia Pictures is bringing back its 1997 hit “Anaconda” with a modern twist. Jack Black and Paul Rudd lead the cast, while Tom Gormican (“The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent”) takes on both writing and directing duties.

A trailer has already been released. Listen, I’m all in for a Rudd-Black team-up, but the trailer is dreadful. If you’re actually interested in watching this film, I’d recommend skipping most of the trailer—it gives away far too much of the plot. Watching it feels like you’ve seen the entire movie in just two minutes.

The whole thing looks incredibly silly and misguided. You have to wonder who, in their right mind, got together in a room and agreed to greenlight this. Then again, this is coming from Sony—a studio that’s had a dreadful year, save for ‘Demon Slayer.’

The 1997 original starred Jennifer Lopez, Owen Wilson, Ice Cube, and Jon Voight. It followed a National Geographic film crew traveling through the Brazilian rainforest in search of the world’s largest and deadliest snake. Before long, the tables turn, and the massive reptile begins hunting them down one by one.

This meta reboot follows Doug (Jack Black) and Griff (Paul Rudd), lifelong friends who dream of remaking their favorite movie, “Anaconda.” When a midlife crisis pushes them into the Amazon to film, a real giant snake turns their chaotic set into a deadly fight for survival.

The project has been in development at Columbia since early 2023 and has gone through “many rewrites” as the filmmaker and studio worked to strike the right tonal balance. Given the casting of Rudd and Black, and the footage shown in the trailer, is it fair to call Anaconda a comedy thriller?

The 20 Greatest Horror Movies of All-Time; Is ‘The Exorcist' Still The King?

Is “The Exorcist” truly the greatest horror film ever made, or has time crowned a new champion of fear? Maybe it’s “The Shining,” ‘Texas Chainsaw,’ “Psycho,” or something entirely unexpected that still keeps you up at night.

Matthew Libatique Says Darren Aronofsky’s Next Film Will “Experiment” With AI

Here we have Darren Aronofsky's longtime DP, Matthew Libatique, confirming the two are running AI tests before shooting their next feature together.

Box Office: ‘You Can See Everything' ($2M), ‘Clayface' ($1.9M), ‘Wildwood' ($1.3M) Lead a Quiet Thursday

Thursday numbers are in, and they hint at a quiet weekend, especially with no big wide release, unless you count "Christmas at the Kringles" as one. It managed $200K in previews from around 1800 screens.

Angel Studios Bans Sex, Nudity and F-Words (Violence is Okay) in Sweeping New Content Policy

The studio has unveiled "The Angel Promise," a sweeping new content policy that bans on-screen sex, nudity, F-words and any misuse of God's name in its films.

Amanda Seyfried Joins Brady Corbet's ‘The Origin of the World'

Seyfried just came off “The Testament of Ann Lee,” which, Corbet’s partner, Mona Fastvold directed and co-wrote with him. Corbet also served as second unit director on that film.

August 19, 2019

3-Hour ‘Midsommar' Director's Cut Screened in NYC

This year’s 12th edition of the Scary Movies festival at Film at Lincoln Center premiered Ari Aster’s extended version of “Midsommar” this past Saturday.

CONFIRMED: Sadie Soverall Exits Brady Corbet's ‘The Origin of the World' Mid-Shoot, Lily McInerny Steps In Lead Role

Sadie Soverall was just let go after briefly filming on Corbet's new film — no official reason given. She had the lead role. Corbet has replaced her, last minute, with Lily McInerny.

Ron Howard’s ‘Alone at Dawn’ Starring Adam Driver and Anne Hathaway Sets Christmas 2027 Release

This is the adaptation of the nonfiction book by Dan Schilling and Lori Longfritz. It wrapped production in February and has been in post-production ever since. The film test-screened a few months ago.

Jeremy Saulnier’s Next Film Retitled to ‘Slayground,’ Current Runtime is 2.5 Hours, Plot Details

Jeremy Saulnier’s mysterious A24 project, formerly “October,” still has no release date. You’d think, given that it has been in post-production for almost a year now.

Jemima Kirke and Alexi Wasser to Star in Woody Allen's Next Film

A few months ago, Deadline reported that Woody Allen's next film, set in Madrid and carrying a $14M budget, will be "largely English-language" and feature a "high-profile cast."

Fritz Lang’s ‘M’ Tops the Best Films of the 1930s, According to 100+ Critics

We’ve gone through the decades. The ‘40s ‘50s, ‘60s, ‘70s, ‘80s, ‘90s, ‘2000s, and ‘2010s. — all revisited, argued over. Now, here are the results for the best films of the 1930s.

Critics Poll: ‘Citizen Kane' Named Best Film of the 1940s

The results are in, and according to critics, this decade filled with cinematic riches did not have a better film than Orson Welles’ “Citizen Kane.” Nobody should be surprised by this result. “Citizen Kane” changed cinema forever.

Critics Poll: ‘Vertigo’ Named Best Film of the 1950s, Over 120 Participants

It was a closer race than anticipated, but Alfred Hitchcock’s “Vertigo” has topped our best of the ’50s poll, besting Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen’s “Singin’ in the Rain” by just two votes.

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