Jack Black and Paul Rudd in early talks for new ‘Anaconda’ film

Advance:

• Jack Black and Paul Rudd could star in a new version of ‘Anaconda’.
• Jennifer Lopez and Jon Voight headlined the original 1997 lineup.
• Tom Gormican will be in charge of directing the new film.

Movie studios love to dig through their archives to find old titles that they can give a remake, reimagining, or legacy sequel twist and release into theaters to make some fresh cash.

Sony is doing exactly that, having begun development on a remake of 1997’s ‘The Mandalorian.’Anacondawhich, as you might guess, was centered around a snake. In this case, a huge snake.

The new version has been in development and according to The Twitter channel that spreads rumors MyTimeToShineHello (with a confirmation and some additional details) via The Hollywood Reporter), Black Jack and Paul Rudd are in talks to co-star in the film.

What is the story of ‘Anaconda’?

The original film starred Jennifer Lopez, Owen Wilson, Ice cube and Jon Voightand followed a National Geographic film crew searching for the world’s largest and deadliest snake, only to find that things have changed.

As expected, there’s plenty of giant snake action.

That first installment did not sit well with critics, but it grossed $136 million at the worldwide box office and quickly achieved cult classic status.

‘Anaconda’ was followed by a series of films, including 2004’s ‘Revenge of the Sith.’Anacondas: The Search for the Blood Orchid‘, which also did well in theaters, before dipping into trashy cinema with two films that aired on the Sci-Fi Channel in 2008 (starring David Hasselhoff) and 2009.

The last outing was in 2015, when the horror franchise was paired with the crocodile-centric one.placid lake‘ series for a horror comedy simply titled, ‘Lake Placid vs Anacondastarring Yancy Butler and Robert Englund.

What tone will the new ‘Anaconda’ have?

Unsurprisingly given the presence of Black and Rudd, the goal is for the new film to follow a more comedic path.

Tom Gormicanwho brought us last time Nicolas Cage parody’The unbearable weight of massive talent‘, is apparently co-writing the script with his collaborator Kevin Etten and will direct.

The Reporter’s sources point to the new story involving a group of friends facing a midlife crisis who are remaking their favorite movie from their youth. They head to the rainforest, only to find themselves in a fight for their lives against natural disasters, giant snakes, and violent criminals.

But the details are more muddled when it comes to the roles the new actors are considering. There are conflicting accounts: one has Black playing a former director, a man stuck in his job as a wedding videographer, while Rudd is an actor who worked on a crime series but sees his Hollywood dreams slipping further away. However, it could be the other way around.

Related article: Jack Black joins Jason Momoa in the cast of the ‘Minecraft’ movie

When will the new ‘Anaconda’ hit screens?

With the film still in development and key deals yet to be finalized, Sony has not released any details on when it might hit theaters.

Other films in the ‘Anaconda’ franchise:

Buy Anaconda movies on Amazon