Beloved Universal Monster Getting Remake From Horror Master
Of all the classic movie monster archetypes, some have definitely been more popular than others. There have countless versions of Dracula, Frankenstein’s monster, and the wolfman, but not so much the creature from the black lagoon. However, that is about to change, as director James Wan has now been announced to be working on a modern adaptation of the monster for an upcoming movie.
James Wan Has The Horror Bonafides
James Wan is best known as being the creator behind such popular horror franchises as Saw and The Conjuring. In the horror community, he is someone fans respect for his ability to push boundaries and build atmosphere for unique movies.
So Wan stepping in to do a modern Creature from the Black Lagoon movie has horror fans very excited for the possibilities of how he could put a modern spin on the classic story.
A Sympathetic Monster
Creature from the Black Lagoon is similar in a lot of ways to movies like Beauty and the Beast or The Shape of Water. They all feature a creature that humans don’t understand, so their fear of the unknown causes them to want to destroy it.
However, as the trope goes, the creature becomes fixated on a beautiful woman who has the capacity to see the good in him beneath his horrifying appearance.
From One Aquatic Creature To Another
Some could not help but point out the irony that James Wan would take on Creature from the Black Lagoon when some of his most recent work has also included the DC Aquaman movies, which also featured a focus on an outsider from beneath the depths.
In terms of practicality, that prior experience with those types of movies could genuinely help Wan with having a knowledge of how to make aquatic scenes look good on film.
Previous Attempts
Though Creature from the Black Lagoon has not received many new adaptations, it has actually had a few attempts at being remade. Famed horror director behind the classic Halloween, John Carpenter, had interest in doing a remake in the ‘90s.
And before Universal’s Dark Universe wound up crumbling from a lack of momentum, Creature from the Black Lagoon had been planned to be part of the shared universe of classic movie monsters.
While classic monster movies of decades past tended to lean more heavily on theatrical style dramatic performances, the rumored plan is that James Wan’s Creature from the Black Lagoon will be more grounded.
Some of the monster movies of the past would probably even be comical to modern audiences, so Wan will update it to be something that can be frightening by modern sensibilities.
Wan’s First Horror Flick Since Malignant
This will be the first movie that James Wan has directed since his production banner Atomic Monster merged with Blumhouse earlier this year. Atomic Monster’s Michael Clear and Judson Scott will be on board for the project as well in the capacity of executive producers.
The Creature from the Black Lagoon will also be Wan’s big return to horror after not having directed anything in the genre since 2021’s Malignant. Based on how influential Wan’s prior work has been, this could be a big resurgence for the classic horror monster.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
