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?
Netflix and Skydance Animation have also called it quits. The two sides announced Monday that they're ending the animated film deal struck back in 2023, framing it as a mutual decision.