Creature from the Black Lagoon Remake Revived by James Wan

The director of Saw, Conjuring and Aquaman will take over this aquatic horror film.

His filmography is partly based on horror references and a water hero. When you mix these two elements, it doesn't seem really surprising to find James Wan at the head of the remake of The Strange Creature from the Black Lagoon – the B-movie directed by Jack Arnold (Tarantula, The Shrinking Man) and which has inspired more than one.

Released in 1954 in the United States and a year later in France, exclusively in 3D, this monster film follows a group of scientists discovering in the deep and unexplored waters of the Amazon River, a half-humanoid, half-amphibian creature, the “Gill-Man”. The latter found a new victim, the wife of the expedition leader, Dr. Reed, played by Julia Adams.

Along with Frankenstein, Dracula, werewolves and other legendary monsters, the one at the Black Lake is part of the series “Universal Monsters” – a series of horror films produced by the American studio between 1925 and 1960. After a sequel, Revenge of the Creaturethe idea of ​​a remake has continued to haunt the corridors of producers. All the greatest have been there: in 1982, the original director suggested the name of John Landis (The Wolfman of London, Gremlins), then ten years later, John Carpenter (The Thing) is expected. Next came Peter Jackson, who finally tackled another monster – not a scaly one but a furry one, King Kong – and Guillermo Del Toro – who ended up offering his own Oscar-winning version with The shape of water.

The influences of The Shape of Water in video: Amélie Poulain, Splash, The Creature from the Black Lagoon…

Since then, the names have come and gone and seventy years later, Universal Pictures finally seems to have found its director: James Wan. Making a name for himself thanks to his horror franchises: Saw, ConjuringAnd Insidious, His latest feature films have brought him into contact with major productions, particularly superheroes, with Aquaman 1 and 2. With The Strange Creature from the Black Lake, James Wan is going back to his roots… without losing his obvious favorite element: water.

This remake is described as: “a modernized tale that builds on visceral horror while ensuring respect for the original classic work.” It marks the return of the “Dark Universe”a shared universe of legendary monsters, initiated by Universal in 2017 around the reboot of The Mummy featuring Tom Cruise in the cast. The film's commercial failure forced the studios to abandon any idea of ​​reviving the original monsters… only to eventually bring them back, but through smaller productions.

The Mummy Team Pays Tribute to Universal's Monsters

Spectators have recently been able to discover new monstrous variations such as Invisible Man with Elisabeth Moss, and will be able to repeat the experience at Christmas with the release of Nosferatu, a vampire rewrite by Robert Eggers and also carried by Universal.

While waiting of course to see this remake of The Strange Creature from the Black Lagoon…Maybe it will only be visible in 3D, like the year it was released?

Ryan Gosling and Derek Cianfrance Reteam for The Wolfman