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James Wan is making a third aqua man movie. No, not a third Aquaman movie. A third movie about a person in the water. The director of Aquaman, as well as Saw, Insidious, Furious 7, and more, will produce and potentially direct a remake of the classic Universal Monsters film The Creature From the Black Lagoon.
According to Deadline, Wan is “developing a grounded modernized retelling that leans into visceral horror whilst paying respect to the original classic.” So, basically, it’ll fit in with the other modern Universal Monsters remakes such as The Invisible Man and the upcoming Wolf Man. Both of those are helmed by Leigh Whannell, a close friend and collaborator of Wan’s who co-created Insidious and Saw with him. The film will fall under the new deal where Wan’s Atomic Monster teamed up with Blumhouse over at Universal.
There’s much to discuss here, so let’s dive in. Creature is one of those properties that, unlike Dracula, Wolf Man, Mummy, Frankenstein, and others, has never gotten a proper remake. But not for lack of trying. For almost 40 years Hollywood has been trying to bring the Creature back to the big screen. So, right there, you must take this news with a grain of salt. Wan is a powerful producer and talented director, but many others have tried and failed in what he’s attempting here.
It’s also fun to consider this in the wider context of Wan’s flirtation with the water. Of course, he made two Aquaman movies but he also began to develop a Trench movie based on those films, which actually was going to be a Black Manta movie. He has yet to pick his next directorial effort, and it very well may be this—but if so, to do three out of four studio movies set underwater in a row is wild. (The excellent Malignant being the other one.)
As for the Creature himself, he originated in the 1954 classic directed by Jack Arnold. A film that, now pushing 70 years old, is just as effective as ever. Some think it should never be remade. Others think maybe it already has, in a way. But either way, this is going to be a fascinating journey.
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