Paul Rudd and Jack Black in talks for reboot of creature feature Anaconda

Here's some rather surprising but nonetheless exciting news. According to a new report from The Hollywood Reporter, Paul Rudd and Jack Black might be in talks to star in a remake of the 1997 horror creature feature Anaconda.

Everything is very much still in development and the "rumors" stage, but the outlet says the remake would focus on an older group of friends remaking one of their favorite films from their younger days in the hopes of recapturing their youth amid facing mid-life crises. Of course, once they arrive at their rainforest destination, the friends "find themselves in a fight for their lives against natural disasters, giant snakes, and violent criminals."

It sounds like there are two characters fleshed out, one a director-turned-wedding-videographer feeling stuck in their job and the other a Hollywood actor aspiring for greater work than the cop procedural series he was previously cast in. Black was reportedly going to play the videographer and Rudd the actor, but another source reports the opposite.

Considering this project has been in the works for more than a year now and has undergone some rewrites to find a tonal balance, I wouldn't be surprised if things continue to evolve and change as the project takes shape.

The original Anaconda, released in 1997, starred Ice Cube, Jennifer Lopez, Owen Wilson, Jon Voight, and more, so there is precedent for a random assortment of Hollywood actors.

Despite debuting to negative reviews from critics, Anaconda is now considered a cult classic and the film spawned several spinoffs and sequels, most recently with the 2015 crossover movie Lake Placid vs. Anaconda. A Chinese remake of the original was also released earlier this year.

Both Black and Rudd have dabbled in the horror genre before, Black in the family-friendly live-action Goosebumps films and I Still Know What You Did Last Summer; and Rudd in a couple of Halloween movies. I imagine that the Anaconda reboot would be a mix of horror and comedy.

Per the outlet, the rumored Anaconda re-imagining would be co-written and directed by Tom Gormicon, who wrote and directed the Nicolas Cage-led feature The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent. Gormicon also co-wrote the screenplay for the latest Beverly Hills Cop movie, Axel F, released on Netflix this past July.

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