Fresh off the exciting news that Atomic Monster and Universal are set to reboot The Creature from the Black Lagoon, the creature feature has found its writer in producer and writer Sean Tretta.
As we previously reported, horror maestro James Wan (Saw, The Conjuring, Insidious, Malignant) is in early talks to direct the remake of Jack Arnold's 1954 classic of the same name.
Deadline, who reported the news earlier today, details that Tretta's back catalogue includes executive producer credits on Mayans M.C., Star Trek: Picard and producer credits on Syfy's 12 Monkeys. His screenplay is based off a treatment written by James Wan, Rafael Jordan and Bryan Coyne.
Deadline also remind us that Atomic Monster and Wan will produce the film, with Atomic Monster’s Michael Clear and Judson Scott credited as executive producers.
Wan’s take on The Creature from the Black Lagoon was previously described by The Hollywood Reporter as “a grounded, modernized retelling that will lean into visceral horror, while still paying respect to the original.”
Just in case you're never seen the seminal 3D black-and-white original (and with spooky season on the way, now's the perfect time): in the original film, a group of scientists encounter a mysterious amphibious humanoid in the waters of the Amazon; the Creature, also known as the Gill-man (played by both Ben Chapman and Ricou Browning), who has become an icon of horror alongside his Universal colleagues Dracula and Frankenstein(‘s monster).
Speaking of those Universal colleagues, it seems we're in the midst of a Universal Monster renaissance, with Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein, Maggie Gyllenhaal's The Bride! and Leigh Whannell's Wolf Man also en route.
Need we remind you that The Creature from the Black Lagoon has had a few unsuccessful ressurection attempts over the years, with even the horror master himself, John Carpenter, attached for a remake back in 1992. Famously, the aforementioned Mister del Toro’s Oscar-winning The Shape of Water originally started life as a Creature remake.
With Tretta and Wan on board, the Creature remake swims ever closer to being reality. Stay tuned for the updates as and when they roll in.
