An unexpected but classic Universal monster movie is getting a remake as The Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman unearths The Mole People. The Dark Universe may have gone by the wayside after The Mummy flopped at the box office, but Universal nevertheless continues raiding its own movie vault for classic titles to target for one-off remakes. Next up on the slate for the studio is Renfield, starring Nicholas Hoult as Dracula’s assistant, and Nicolas Cage as the vampire himself. Other announced Universal remakes (that may or may not ever happen) include Ryan Gosling’s The Wolfman, Chloe Zhao’s sci-fi Western Dracula, James Wan’s Frankenstein and a new take on Bride of Frankenstein.

That already long list of Universal monster movie remakes has now grown by one more, as Deadline reports that the studio is developing a new version of the obscure 1950s film The Mole People. Produced by Walking Dead creator Kirkman alongside Skybound’s Dave Alpert, the film is based on a pitch by Christopher Winterbauer, who previously wrote and directed the 2019 comedy Wyrm and directed the 2022 rom-com Moonshot.

How The Mole People Remake Will Put A New Twist On The Original

If the original Mole People is remembered at all today, it’s mostly thanks to Mystery Science Theater 3000, which skewered the 1956 film in a season 9 episode. Loosely based on hollow earth conspiracy theories (much like the recent Godzilla: King of the Monsters), the original film saw a pair of archeologists stumbling upon a race of underground dwellers who subsist on mushrooms and are led by a high priest named Elinu.

The Mole People pitch picked up by Universal does not stick with the original movie’s premise however, but instead puts an updated spin on the material. In the new story, a woman travels to a mysterious town to save her grandchildren from their father, and finds herself battling the titular mole people in underground tunnels. While putting a female character squarely at the center of the story, the new take also seems to introduce thematic elements not dissimilar to those featured in Universal’s hugely successful Invisible Man remake from 2020.

The Invisible Man indeed continues to seemingly guide Universal’s thinking with regard to its monster movie remakes, though Renfield is somewhat deviating from that formula by going for crazy comedy instead of tense drama. It remains to be seen what notes The Mole People remake will strike, but it’s perhaps worth noting that Kirkman also has his name on Universal's Renfield, having co-produced the film and and written the original story treatment.

Source: Deadline