A remake of Universal's Classic Monster movie Creature from the Black Lagoon is currently being floated, and there are exciting updates about the Gill-man's return. Originally released in 1954 in stunning 3D, Creature from the Black Lagoon follows a group of scientists who travel to the darkest reaches of the Amazon and encounter a prehistoric monster that lives beneath the murky waters. Ostensibly the end of Universal's Classic Monsters cycle, the Creature (commonly known as Gill-man) swam his way into popular culture and is one of the most recognizable movie monsters of all time.

Like most of the Universal Classic Monster movies, Creature from the Black Lagoon was followed by two sequels that failed to live up to the original. Also like its monster movie cohorts, Creature from the Black Lagoon has been one of the most sought-after remakes, even if every attempt has sunk. While Dracula, Frankenstein, and The Mummy have all returned to cinemas at various levels of quality over the decades, Gill-man hasn't enjoyed the same treatment. Now, plans are being revived to bring the Creature back to the surface, and James Wan is in talks to helm the project.

The Creature From The Black Lagoon Remake Latest News

A Writer Is Hired To Pen The New Creature From The Black Lagoon Movie

Tretta will flesh out the treatment created by Wan, Jordan, and Coyne, and it is being touted as a "grounded modernized retelling."

As plans begin to fall in place for the long-awaited remake, the latest news confirms that a writer has been hired for Creature from the Black Lagoon. ing James Wan, Rafael Jordan and Bryan Coyne as the only names attached at this juncture, Mayans M.C. writer and producer Sean Tretta has been tapped to pen the screenplay for the planned monster remake (via Deadline). Tretta will flesh out the treatment created by Wan, Jordan, and Coyne, and it is being touted as a "grounded modernized retelling."

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The Creature From The Black Lagoon Remake Is Confirmed

The Project Is Currently In Development

A remake of Creature from the Black Lagoon is currently in development by James Wan for Universal Studios, and though work is being done behind the scenes, it's important to note that it may never actually happen. The project is certainly real, and Wan's involvement is a sure sign that it's serious, but Hollywood has a long history of films falling through at various stages. Creature from the Black Lagoon is a property that is especially vulnerable to development issues, and previous attempts to remake it have all failed to materialize.

Creature From The Black Lagoon's Remake History

Remake Attempts Go Back To The '80s

Alterations to the original risk alienating the audience, and it's unclear if viewers even want a new version of Gill-man.

James Wan is hardly the first filmmaker to attempt to remake Creature from the Black Lagoon, but unlike other Universal Classic Monsters remakes, Creature has always failed. Filmmakers like John Landis (Animal House) and John Carpenter (Halloween) pitched their own ideas to modernize the monster, but neither got very far. Likewise, the success of The Mummy in 1999 saw Guillermo del Toro pitch a remake to Universal (via The Hollywood Reporter) but it never happened.

Guillermo del Toro's The Shape of Water is inspired by Creature from the Black Lagoon but is not a remake.

Though no explicit reason has ever been stated for previous attempts failing, it likely comes down to the fact that no idea has lived up to the original. Unlike other monsters in the Universal library, Gill-man is an entirely original creation and is therefore less culturally ubiquitous than Frankenstein's Monster or Dracula. This makes things particularly difficult because Creature is so rooted in 1950s camp and yet so timeless. Alterations to the original risk alienating the audience, and it's unclear if viewers even want a new version of Gill-man.

The Creature From The Black Lagoon Remake Story Details

How Will The Remake Modernize The Creature?

So far, nothing is known about the current iteration of the Creature from the Black Lagoon remake, and it will likely stay that way for some time. However, it's easy to speculate about how the story could be modernized, and there are aspects of the story that would still work in the modern day. Unlike other monsters such as Dracula or Frankenstein's Monster, Gill-man is not a symbol for the evils of humanity but is rather a symbol for the power of the natural world. Mankind goes to the monster, and not the other way around.

This could be key to telling a new story and is also ripe with potential meaning when taken from an environmental perspective. Habitat loss is a major issue facing the world today, and Gill-man could be out for revenge after greedy land developers gobble up his favorite tributaries and rivers. As for the monster itself, Gill-man's design needs little improvement, and some minor touch-ups could make the remake of Creature from the Black Lagoon another modern monster movie hit.