Universal is gearing up to jump into the world of cinematic universes with their Universal Monsters (The Mummy, The Wolf Man, etc), but that won't be their only horror representation in the coming years. It was reported earlier today that 1981's An American Werewolf in London is being remade, and this time around, Max Landis will be the one leading the charge.
Deadline dropped the news that Max Landis will write and direct the American Werewolf in London remake. The Walking Dead's David Alpert and Robert Kirkman will produce the project through their company, Skybound Entertainment. Landis is following in the footsteps of his father, John Landis, who wrote and directed the original movie. The report noted that the elder Landis and filmmaker Anthony Waller (who directed the 1997 sequel An American Werewolf in Paris) worked out a deal over the rights with Universal, and the former will executive produce. One of the movie's other producers, Andy Trapani, told Deadline that he's worked for 10 years to move this remake off the ground.
Although this is the biggest confirmation yet of an American Werewolf in London remake moving forward, this doesn't come as a complete surprise. Back in August, Max Landis said that there was only one of his father's movies that he was interested in trying to remake, and he was "already doing it." He later deleted that tweet and denied that he was working on a new version of American Werewolf in London when asked by several outlets. However, tweets of his from June and July seemed to hint he might be working on the remake, like how he included the words "daytrippers" and "moors." Landis' writing credits include Chronicle, American Ultra, Victor Frankenstein and Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency, but the new An American Werewolf in London will mark his biggest directorial project yet.
The original An American Werewolf in London followed David Kessler and Jack Goodman, two students who were backpacking through the North York Moors and were attacked by a werewolf. Jack was killed, while David was bitten by the beast, thus gaining the curse of turning into a canine monster during the full moon. The story managed to strike an interesting balance between horror and comedy, something which this re-telling will ideally also pull off. Once he transformed, he went on a rampage in...well, you can figure that out. No plot details have been revealed about the remake, including whether it will be a contemporary tale or retain the 1980s setting. At least with today's modern cinematic technology, we can count on the werewolf looking more realistic, though it might not be a bad idea to rely more on practical effects rather than an abundance of CGI.
We'll keep you apprised on how the American Werewolf in London remake is progressing as more news comes in, but in the meantime, let us know what you think of this project being green-lit in the comments below.
