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Creature From The Black Lagoon Film From James Wan In Development

James Wan is in talks to direct a new Creature From The Black Lagoon film for Universal through his Atomic Monster label.



Article Summary

  • James Wan is set to direct a new Creature From The Black Lagoon film for Universal's Atomic Monster label.
  • The remake aims to deliver a modern, visceral horror experience while honoring the 1954 original classic.
  • The original Creature From The Black Lagoon was a hit, spawning sequels and limited screen appearances since.
  • The success of modernized Universal Monsters films like Invisible Man places high expectations on this remake.

Creature From The Black Lagoon is one of the Universal Monsters characters that I personally had questions about in this new era of films. As much as I love the character and the history, and as popular as the monster is, I have never been quite sure if it could still work today. Universal is betting it can, as Deadline is reporting that James Wan is talking to the studio to direct a new film starring the Creature. This would be the first film he has directed since his Atomic Monster label merged with Blumhouse and signed a deal with Universal. The report says that his take will be "a grounded modernized retelling that leans into visceral horror whilst paying respect to the original classic."

Creature From The Black Lagoon Film From James Wan In Development
Still from Creature From The Black Lagoon. Credit Universal

Creature From The Black Lagoon…Will It Work?

The original Creature From The Black Lagoon film was released in 1954 and was directed by Jack Arnold. It starred Richard Carlson, Julia Adams, Richard Denning, Antonio Moreno, Nestor Paiva, and Whit Bissell. The Creature was played by Ben Chapman on land and Ricou Browning in the water. It was a huge success and spawned two sequels in 1955 and 1956. Unlike his Universal Monsters counterparts, the Creature From The Black Lagoon has not made many appearances on screen, one of the best being in Monster Squad. Universal is very protective of the character. Recently, a four-issue comics series was put out by Image/Skybound, featuring writers Dan Watters and Ram V and artist Matthew Roberts.

But will this work for a modern audience? I guess that is the question about all of these Universal Monsters updates. Invisible Man worked, but that is arguably the easiest one to modernize. Before it was delayed, Wolf Man was supposed to be the next one released in October, now in January. That will be a huge test and one to keep an eye on to see how a modern audience responds to these creatures being back on the big screen.


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Jeremy KonradAbout Jeremy Konrad

Jeremy Konrad has written about collectibles and film for almost ten years. He has a deep and vast knowledge of both. He resides in Ohio with his family.
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