Movie remakes of Stephen King stories are hardly a new thing (we're only a couple years removed from the Carrie re-do, and a new It is still in the works), but the new version of Cujo that is now in the works will probably have a lot of fans scratching their heads. This is because the remake is going to be titled C.U.J.O. with the letters apparently standing for "Canine Unit Joint Operations."
News of this developing project comes from Film School Rejects, which received a press release announcing that actor DJ Perry has signed on to star in the movie. As the site points out, this perhaps is further evidence that the new movie is straying pretty far away from the source material - given that the book and the Lewis Teague-directed adaptation from 1983 largely center on a mother and her son who get trapped because of the titular giant dog. The new movie is being directed by filmmaker Lang Elliott, who hasn't actually directed a movie since the 1994 Lou Ferrigno action film Cage II.
For those unfamiliar with the story, Cujo is set in a small Maine town where the Trenton family has just moved. Their new neighbors are the Camber family - and it's their big St. Bernard Cujo that begins causing trouble. While investigating a cave in the fields behind his home, the dog gets bit by a rabid bat, and begins to go crazy. After killing a few people, Cujo ultimately corners Donna and the young Tad Trenton and traps them inside their car - leaving them desperate for any way to escape. You can check out the short, creepy, retro trailer for the last movie adaptation below:
Of course, the big question that is lingering is exactly how faithful C.U.J.O will be to Stephen King's original novel or even the previous adaptation. The new title seems to suggest that the titular St. Bernard won't just be any dog, but instead a dog from some kind of military operation. Perhaps he is a genetically engineered canine that has been designed purely for killing? Or maybe the big twist will be that C.U.J.O. is actually a robot. At this point, anything is possible.
Lang Elliott's Sun Classic Pictures, which was a production company on the 1983 film, is behind the Cujo remake, though it's unclear at this stage exactly what their distribution plans are. Given what we know about it so far, it's hard to imagine that it's going to be a major release.
