‘The Creature from the Black Lagoon’: James Wan to Direct Remake!!

At long last, The Creature from the Black Lagoon is rising from the muck once more with help from one of horror’s greatest minds. Per The Hollywood Reporter, James Wan is in early talks to direct a remake of the Universal classic and is currently developing the project through his Atomic Monster production banner. The team is now looking to hire a writer to work with Wan on a screenplay and keep the project moving along. Assuming he closes the deal to direct, this will mark the Saw mastermind’s first time behind the camera since his production company joined forces with Blumhouse back in 2022.

The Creature from the Black Lagoon will be a welcome return to horror for Wan after spending the last few years working with DC on Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, which was finally released late last year. Before that, his last directorial effort came on the critically acclaimed Malignant in 2021. Despite his absence directly behind the camera, his presence has still been felt as a producer and for his legacy within modern horror, with credits on M3GAN as well as the latest installments of his monstrous horror franchises – Saw X, Insidious: The Red Door, and The Nun II. He’ll be joined on the Creature remake by Atomic Monster’s Michael Clear and Judson Scott, who will serve as executive producers.

Released in 1954 and directed by Jack Arnold, the monster movie was one of Universal‘s last and most iconic thanks to its introduction of the Gill-man. Though not without flaws, it’s still hailed to this day as a film that went beyond the black-and-white 3D format with its mix of horror and tragic romance as it followed a group of scientists who sought to find, capture, and study the amphibious humanoid. Wan‘s remake has been described as a modernized and grounded take on the concept that emphasizes visceral horror above all else.

Hollywood’s Troubled History of Remaking ‘Creature from the Black Lagoon’

Wan is far from the first filmmaker to try his hand at resurrecting the Gill-man. Everyone, from The Blues Brothers director John Landis to Ghostbusters helmer Ivan Reitman and, perhaps most notably, legendary horror maestro John Carpenter attempted to remake Creature. Carpenter‘s efforts are especially noteworthy since Hollywood seemed to get in his way of taking on the project, which would have united him with makeup effects guru Rick Baker. As recently as the 2010s, Universal had also planned for Creature to join the Dark Universe until the cinematic franchise completely imploded. There’s hope that Wan, who has found consistent success in the modern horror landscape, can be the one to finally steer Gill-man back to shore for another round of terror.