In the last decade, audiences have gotten to know Chris Evans on screen in the most positive of lights, as his portrayal of Steve Rogers a.k.a. Captain America in the Marvel Cinematic Universe was a beacon of goodness and moral fortitude – always willing to go the extra mile for the betterment of the world. Now that's he's done with all that, however, it seems he is taking a bit of a trip to the dark side. It started last year with his turn as the ultra-cynical asshole Hugh Ransom Drysdale in Rian Johnson's Knives Out, and will soon evidently continue with a part in an upcoming remake of Little Shop Of Horrors.
It was late last month that we first learned that the project was in development, with Chris Evans' Marvel co-star Scarlett Johansson being eyed for the role of Audrey and Rocketman's Taron Egerton in talks to play Seymour, and now The Hollywood Reporter says that Evans is having conversations about playing the film's most significant human antagonist. Should he sign on, the actor would play the role of Orin Scrivello, who is Audrey's horrible, sadistic dentist boyfriend.
In reflection of the legacy of Little Shop Of Horrors – which began as a Roger Corman movie in 1960 before being adapted into a stage musical, and then was brought back to the silver screen in 1986 – Chris Evans has some pretty big shoes to fill. After all, it was famously Steve Martin who played Orin in the original, and he delivered what still exists as a fan-favorite performance.
Greg Berlanti, who is best known to comic book fans as one of the key figures behind the small screen Arrowverse on The CW, is set to helm the movie as his fourth feature. He made his directorial debut in 2000 with The Broken Hearts Club: A Romantic Comedy, and followed it up with Life As We Know It in 2010. Most recently he directed the romantic comedy Live, Simon, which came out in 2018. The guy clearly likes taking the helm of romantic stories, and Little Shop Of Horrors is certainly that... albeit with quite a bit of weirdness thrown in for good measure.
Featuring music from composer Alan Menken and writer Howard Ashman, Little Shop Of Horrors tells the story of a nebbish florist named Seymour Krelborn who is deeply in love with one of his co-workers. He winds up finding a potential path towards fame and fortune when he discovers a giant Venus flytrap-like plant that he names Audrey II... but things start to go wrong when Seymour discovers that flora friend has a hunger for human blood.
In addition to potentially starring Taron Egerton as Seymour, Scarlett Johansson as Audrey, and Chris Evans as Orin Scrivello, Little Shop Of Horrors also has Emmy-winner Billy Porter attached to voice Audrey II.
With no release date for the project set up yet, it's unclear at the moment exactly when production is going to get rolling on this one – but given all of the recent casting news, it wouldn't be surprising in the least to hear that the movie will start filming before the end of the year. This means that it could very well wind up being a 2021 release, but we'll just have to wait to find out.
For now, keep checking back here on CinemaBlend for all of the latest updates about the Little Shop Of Horrors remake.
