Director Simon West (Con Air, The Expendables 2) will be directing a remake of the classic 1958 horror classic The Blob.
Deadline is reporting the film will start shooting this summer, though there is no word on any cast or who may have written the screenplay.
West is quoted by Deadline as stating –
With modern CGI we can now fully realize the potential of The Blob. The world I create will be totally believable, immersive and emotionally satisfying. It’s a thrill to introduce an enduring icon to a wider audience and a whole new era of fans.
The original film was shot in the Philadelphia suburbs of Phoenixville, Downingtown and Royersford and featured a group of teenagers lead by Steve McQueen in his feature film debut trying to convince town officials that a gelatinous monster from outer space is
Phoenixville hosts an annual BlobFest every July to celebrate its place in movie history.
There have been several attempts to get a Blob remake off the ground over the past several years. Screenwriters Carey W. Hayes and Chad Hayes, the team behind the 2005 House Of Wax remake and 2013’s The Conjuring, wrote one attempt. Rocker-turned-director Rob Zombie was also attached to oversee a new version of the film, though he never got to the point where a script was written. Zombie infamously had stated that his intention for his remake was “not to have a big red blobby thing.”
As a longtime fan of the original film, I remain skeptical of any attempt to remake it. The original production was one of those “lightning in a bottle” moments that I don’t think can be recaptured or improved upon by just because the titular monster can be realized in a more realistic manner. The core of the movie is the story and the generation gap between the teens and the adults. We’ll see if my opinion changes when a screenwriter is announced.
