James Wan’s Next Horror Film Could Be a Creature From the Black Lagoon Remake

James Wan's Next Horror Film Could Be a Creature From the Black Lagoon Remake

As a seasoned movie critic with over three decades of immersion in the silver screen world, I must say, the prospect of James Wan reimagining “Creature From the Black Lagoon” has me positively giddy! With his unique blend of modern horror and classic tropes, this could very well be the creature feature to end all creature features.


James Wan is considering the initial stages of creating a contemporary reinterpretation of “Creature From the Black Lagoon”, one of Universal’s timeless monster characters. Wan intends to merge his distinctive approach to modern horror with the traditional elements found in the 1954 film directed by Jack Arnold. It appears that Wan plans to take the adaptation into more realistic territory, which is a shift from his typical storytelling style, as seen in movies like “Insidious” and “Malignant”. However, it’s worth noting that those were based on original ideas; now, Wan will work within the framework of an existing film about a humanoid amphibian who falls in love.

According to Deadline, Wan will initially serve as a producer for an upcoming horror film, with production under his Atomic Monster label jointly undertaken by Blumhouse Productions. Notably, Blumhouse recently acquired Atomic Monster, signifying the start of a promising collaborative effort in the horror genre. In addition, Blum has expressed interest in reviving another well-known horror series; however, it appears they have now found their next project to work on.

There’s simply no more fitting director and producer to take charge of this project than James Wan. He has broken through genre barriers with his outstanding films for Universal Pictures such as “Furious 7,” and he also dipped his toes into the superhero realm with “Aquaman.” Yet, it cannot be disputed that his true prowess lies in creating chilling horror narratives. His “Conjuring” universe, in fact, stands as the most profitable horror franchise to date.

James Wan’s Creature From the Black Lagoon Could Bring Universal’s Dark Universe Back From the Dead

James Wan's Next Horror Film Could Be a Creature From the Black Lagoon RemakeJames Wan's Next Horror Film Could Be a Creature From the Black Lagoon RemakeJames Wan's Next Horror Film Could Be a Creature From the Black Lagoon RemakeJames Wan's Next Horror Film Could Be a Creature From the Black Lagoon Remake

If Wan’s “Creature From the Black Lagoon” makes a comeback, it could offer Universal Pictures an opportunity to resuscitate their idea of a shared universe for classic monster characters, known as the Dark Universe. Introduced in 2014 with “Dracula Untold” and furthered in 2017’s “The Mummy”, this concept faced unfavorable responses, leading Universal to announce in 2019 that they would abandon the idea of a shared universe. Instead, they chose to produce standalone films. Unfortunately, their attempt to reintroduce Dracula with the film “The Last Voyage of the Demeter” in 2023 was unsuccessful, and the Dark Universe remains dormant.

Additionally, there were also remakes that proved successful. For instance, in 2020, Leigh Whannell brought a new spin to the character of The Invisible Man from Universal’s archive, transforming it into an outstanding horror movie that grossed over $140 million globally at the box office. This film was produced by Blumhouse, and the success it achieved has sparked speculation about Whannell and Wan potentially collaborating on another Universal Monsters project. Their collaboration in creating series such as Saw and Insidious is significant within the horror genre.

Might Wan’s upcoming horror movie indicate that Universal is updating its iconic horror series? It appears that Universal and Blumhouse are more inclined to refine individual genre movies featuring classic monsters, rather than complete overhauls, as successful reboots often take this approach.

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2024-08-12 21:31