Exclusive: Jennifer Lopez Returning In Anaconda Reboot
We've exclusively learned that Jennifer Lopez will appear in the upcoming Anaconda reboot.
J.Lo is returning to the role that made her a movie star. According to our trusted and proven sources, Jennifer Lopez has signed on to appear in the reboot of 1997’s Anaconda. Lopez was the female lead of the first film, playing documentarian Terri Flores who proves to be one of the only characters to survive the eponymous giant snake.
It was back in March when we first reported that The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent director Tom Gormican was attached to helm a reboot of the horror hit, and since then, Giant Freakin Robot has continued to scoop casting developments about the film.
The news that Jennifer Lopez is showing up for the new Anaconda is the first to make us question whether this will be a reboot in the literal sense, or an actual continuation of the story from the 1997 original. Of course, rather than reprising the role of Terri Flores, it could be Lopez will appear as a completely new character, in part as a nod to the original.
Regardless, because of the news that has continued to reach us since March, we know that Jennifer Lopez is likely to be collaborating with some big stars on the Anaconda reboot. In April, we learned Gormican’s Unbearable Weight star Nicolas Cage was in talks to appear in the film. The following month we reported that Cage’s Unbearable Weight co-star Pedro Pascal and Paul Rudd of Ant-Man fame had likewise been offered roles.
Since we have yet to receive any word on whether or not Cage, Pascal, and/or Rudd have signed on, Jennifer Lopez’s casting marks the first confirmed actor addition to Anaconda. If Gormican’s film proves to be a continuation of the original, then we might also see the return of Ice Cube’s Danny and Eric Stoltz’s Dr. Cale, both of whom survive the first movie.
If it’s a hard reboot and Lopez’s casting mainly serves to honor the first movie, then that opens up things for the possible returns of other stars like Jon Voight, Owen Wilson, and Danny Trejo.
When Jennifer Lopez starred in the first Anaconda, neither she nor anyone else involved in the film found themselves in the running for Oscar nominations, but the grosses tripled the horror movie’s production budget. Considering the current horror movie renaissance, it makes sense that Gormican & co. have been cleared to mine the decades-old property, not to mention advancements in VFX could open the doors for a much more impressive titular monster.
While Jennifer Lopez never returned for any of the follow-ups, Anaconda did enjoy some sequels, mostly of the direct-to-video variety. Most recently, there was Syfy‘s comedy horror TV crossover movie, 2015’s Lake Placid vs. Anaconda.
