‘Them!’ Remake to Star Glen Powell?

Back in 2023, it had been announced that Oscar-winning “Up” composer Michael Giacchino would make his big-screen directing debut with a reboot of 1954’s “Them!” at Warner Bros.

Now, almost three years later, there might finally be some movement on this project, as a rumor suggests Glen Powell might be attached to star in the film.

Powell, once dubbed the hottest thing since sliced bread in Hollywood, has had a rough patch of box office disappointments of late.

Last year’s Edgar Wright-directed “The Running Man” lost Paramount over $100M, and the much-delayed “How to Make a Killing,” which wasn’t as bad as reviews entailed, came out this past February to very little fanfare, only making $7M in its total domestic run. Far more concerning, Powell’s next film, J.J. Abrams’ “The Great Beyond,” set for a November release, has been testing poorly and was met with a shrug last week at CinemaCon, where first-look footage was screened. He is currently shooting Judd Apatow’s “The Comeback King,” set for a March 2027 release.

Is “Them” what will get Powell out of his funk? I doubt the Abrams or Apatow films will give him much of a boost.

In the Gordon Douglas-directed original, which was also a Warner Bros. release, a massive colony of mutated, radiation-exposed ants is uncovered in the New Mexico desert, quickly revealing itself as a serious national danger. A widespread hunt follows.

Sounds more like a fun B-movie — “Eight Legged Freaks” anybody? — but Giacchino is untested, having only helmed the Marvel TV movie “Werewolf by Night.” On the more positive side, Matt Reeves is producing.