How much more sap does the remake tree have left?! Yes, yet another remake is on it’s way, this time of the classic B-horror/comedy from 1960 called The Little Shop of Horrors. In case you don’t know, it tells the tale of a man who discovers a carnivorous plant who forces him to kill people for it’s dietary need of human flesh.
The man who’s going to be directing this remake is Declan O’Brien, the guy behind such works as the upcoming Wrong Turn 3 (there was a Wrong Turn 2?!) and a few TV sci-fi movies called Cyclops, Monster Ark and Rock Monster.
O’Brien talked a little bit about his plan for the remake:
“I just optioned the remake rights… We’re going to set that up as a studio feature… After I did this movie for Roger [Corman] called Cyclops he was so happy he said, ‘This is the best movie that’s come through my doors in 20 years, so here’s my catalogue, pick something else.’”
When asked about what his version was going to be like, O’Brien responded very vaguely:
“I have a take on it you’re not going to expect. I’m taking it in a different direction, let’s put it that way.”
This won’t be the only remake of the film – 26 years years after the original, Frank Oz helmed a remake starring Rick Moranis, Steve Martin, Ellen Greene, James Belushi and John Candy. So clearly the original idea had potential considering that those classic comedy names came on-board for a remake of the original more than 20 years ago.
O’Brien is going to be under the wing, so to speak, of director/producer of the original, Roger Corman, as well as the Bourne trilogy producer Andrew Tennenbaum (no attachment to the Wes Anderson film, just so you know…). Perhaps O’Brien’s relative inexperience won’t harm the film too much since he’ll be under the watchful eye of two experienced guys, one of which directed the original.
I must admit, I can only vaguely remember the 1986 remake (it’s one I have to watch again, actually), but I haven’t actually watched the 1960 original. I’ve seen plenty of images and info about it because of my love for reading up about classic movies (even if I haven’t actually seen them), though – and I have to say, I’m not actually sure if it would work nowadays.
Not that it isn’t a nifty idea for a movie, but unless O’Brien is going to continue on the comedy/horror route, I just don’t see it working. My guess would be that the new direction he mentions he’s going to go with it might be a deadly serious one, and for a story about a man-eating plant, can that really be done seriously without being unintentionally silly and laughable? I’m not so sure.
As always, I’m willing to be proven wrong, but to me this just doesn’t seem like the kind of story that can work in the modern movie age. However, on second thought, they did succesfully update Corman’s Death Race 2000 into a heck of a fun movie (simply called Death Race) starring Jason Statham – who knows, maybe the same can be done here.
What are your thoughts on a Little Shop of Horrors remake? Do you think it’s needed or is this just Hollywood, again, digging needlessly for movies to remake just for the sake of it?
Screen Rant will keep you up-to-date with this remake as more news gets released.
Source: ShockTillYouDrop
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