Acclaimed horror comedy filmmaker, Christopher Landon is returning to the genre to write and direct a remake of the classic 1990 movie, Arachnophobia. The filmmaker, who’s known for scribing and helming the acclaimed 2020 slasher comedy, Freaky, will be working on the upcoming remake for production company Amblin Partners, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The original Arachnophobia starred Jeff Daniels, whose character, Dr. Ross Jennings, watched as a species of South American killer spiders traveled to the U.S. in a coffin. Upon their arrival in a small California town, the aggressive and dangerous spiders begin to breed and kill.
Frank Marshall helmed the project in his feature film directorial debut. Julian Sands, Harley Jane Kozak and John Goodman appeared in the movie in supporting roles.
Walt Disney Studios’ subsidiary Hollywood Pictures produced the original Arachnophobia, which grossed $53.21 million against a $22 million budget.
Amblin is partnering with James Wan’s Atomic Monster on the remake.
Wan, who’s worked on such iconic horror franchises as The Conjuring, Saw and Insidious, and Michael Clear are set to produce the upcoming horror comedy.
Judson Scott and Marshall are set to serve as executive producers on the upcoming film. President of Production Jeb Brody is overseeing the horror comedy for Amblin, alongside EVP Lauren Abrahams and SVP Mia Maniscalco.
Besides penning and helming Freaky, which stars Vince Vaughn and Kathryn Newton, Landon is known for writing and directing Blumhouse’s popular horror comedy movie series, Happy Death Day. His other notable scribing and helming efforts include the zombie comedy, Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse and the found footage supernatural horror sequel, Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones.
Besides the Arachnophobia remake, Atomic Monster is also working on several other anticipated horror movies. The company is collaborating with It feature film series writer, Gary Dauberman on his screen adaptation of another Stephen King book, Salem’s Lot, which is scheduled to be released on September 9.
Atomic Monster’s upcoming slate also includes director Gerard Johnstone’s sci-fi horror movie, M3GAN. The drama, which stars Allison Williams, Violet McGraw and Ronny Chieng, is set to be released on January 13, 2023.