Director James Wan Is Remaking One Of The Greatest Horror Movies Of All Time

The original Universal Monster movies might go down as some of the most influential classics that, unfortunately, many young movie fans have simply never watched. Artists as acclaimed as Guillermo del Toro and Edgar Wright have spoken at length about how much of an impact these black-and-white classics had on them from a young age. (Wright even wrote up an entire list of his 100 favorite horror flicks a few years back, with multiple slots going to movies like "Frankenstein," "The Mummy," "The Invisible Man," and many more.) No matter how much time passes, this franchise has remained squarely at the forefront of pop culture — not always for the better, as the ill-conceived "Dark Universe" can attest to — with a steady stream of rereleases and modern remakes. This latest development, however, might be the most exciting one in years.

There have been rumblings for quite some time now that Universal Pictures has been itching to put a new spin on "The Creature from the Black Lagoon," long considered as one of the greatest horror movies ever made. Those rumors are now looking like reality, as Deadline reveals that James Wan, best known for his work on franchises like "Saw," "Insidious," and "The Conjuring," is currently in the thick of development on a remake of the original 1954 film. In fact, the report indicates that this fresh take on the material will resemble "a grounded modernized retelling that leans into visceral horror while paying respect to the original classic." Wan is set to produce the title through his Atomic Monster production company and is also described as being "in talks" to direct the creature feature.

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Horror guru James Wan has set his sights on his next major project ... and it's nothing less than one of the most celebrated crown jewels of the entire genre. A remake of "The Creature from the Black Lagoon" is a mighty ambitious proposition from Universal, but it's one that's been a "high priority" for many years. Deadline reports that the studio has been intent on making this happen ever since their big pre-COVID pivot, in which the so-called "Dark Universe" was (thankfully) abandoned in favor of a much more director-driven approach. This has led to gems such as Leigh Whannell's "The Invisible Man" reimagining in 2020 and, most recently, "The Last Voyage of the Demeter" in 2024. Compared to any other attempt to revitalize the franchise in the 21st Century, this one certainly takes the cake — by far.

It's easy to see why Universal would want Wan to headline this production from all possible fronts: producer, writer, and, hopefully, director. The horror maestro has proven himself several times over by now, kickstarting franchises and reaping millions upon millions of dollars in box office profits over the last several years. After recently spending time in the superhero genre with both "Aquaman" movies (which also had their share of horrifying monsters), this would mark a very welcome return to straightforward horror for Wan. This may prove to be his most challenging task yet, but it's one that we'd imagine he's exceedingly well suited for. This is a developing story, so stay tuned to /Film for updates.