In an era of remakes, reboots, and revivals, a second remake of a film is still somewhat rare. The Blob is one of those instances. Having first been released in 1958, and remade in 1988, a planned second remake has been in its own blob of development hell for over 16 years.
David S. Goyer, the producer of the long-awaited film, stated in an interview with ComicBook.com that, like the previous films, the new take will explore themes of its own time.
The Blob (1958) centered on a gelatinous alien life form that crash lands on a meteorite into a small town and consumes the residents, growing bigger with each one. The Blob (1988) changed the titular life form’s origins to the result of a botched germ warfare experiment. According to Goyer, the new iteration of the creature will be a lab-engineered byproduct of dabbling with AI and gene editing.
A newer take on the horror classic has been trying for years to get off the ground. Rob Zombie was attached to helm the film after his reimagining of Halloween, and concept art released in 2018 illustrated a unique take on the idea. Zombie stepped away from the project after creative disputes with the producers.
Simon West was eventually brought on to direct, with the plot involving a mining town uncovering the monster, and Samuel L. Jackson was cast as a scientist. However, extensive legal battles over the film rights prevented the idea from coming to fruition and West moved on to other projects.
David Bruckner was announced as the latest director in 2024, and remains with the project.
The 1958 and 1988 films are products of their respective times.
The original film was released in 1958, a year (and decade) largely defined by Cold War propaganda and McCarthyism. In the film, Steve Andrews, played by all-American Steve Mcqueen, fights to save his small town from the alien life form that consumes everyone it touches, growing bigger and stronger each time.
The original film is a product of the Red Scare. It features a literal foreign “red menace" consuming small town Americans and growing stronger, potentially leading to a global takeover.
The 1988 remake had a different background for the creature. It was a weaponized germ engineered by the government and sent into space via satellite to test its mutations from conditions in space. It grew into a plasmic life form and threw its satellite out of orbit, crashing into a small California town.
The shift from an alien aggressor to a bioweapon created by our own military represented an era of public distrust in the government. The idea of weaponized germs came against the backdrop of the AIDS epidemic, which has long been the subject of a conspiracy theory that HIV was developed in government labs.
Bruckner’s take on The Blob will once again showcase current times.
The creature in the second remake being the result of AI and gene editing keeps with the tradition of engaging with contemporary themes. The concept of AI and its abilities has been controversial for some time now, namely through concerns of human replacement and lack of originality (ironic for a remake).
Gene editing has also been a topic of hot debate. Some of the most commonly expressed concerns include hereditary risks of altered DNA, gateways to eugenic practices, and unintended alterations to genetic makeup. The latter could potentially be the catalyst for the monster’s creation in the second remake.
We can hope Bruckner takes advantage of the newer practical effects that weren’t available in 1958 and 1988, without relying too heavily on CGI. However, if the result will be anything like the effects in his films The Signal (2007) and The Night House (2020), we’re in for a slimy, acidic treat.