In a very short time Max Landis has been established as a divisive figure among the film community. While there's a great deal of appreciation for some of his work, such as Chronicle, I think its his enthusiasm that has won a lot of people over. That said, he's written a lot of stinkers and directed one, Me Him Her, while passion he's shown has turned off as many people as it has won over. So any time he's attached to a new film the reaction tends to be split, but what if that film is a remake of An American Werewolf in London?
Landis has been confirmed to write and direct a remake of the horror classic, which right off the bat would seem like a terrible idea, right? But hold up, because the original was directed by Landis' father, John Landis, and is considered to be the best movie he ever made. I certainly think so. The 1981 movie starred Griffin Dunne, Jenny Agutter, and David Naughton, and featured some amazing make-up work by Rick Baker on the titular werewolf, earning him an Academy Award. It was the perfect balance of comedy and horror, something the elder Landis often struggled with throughout his career. It spawned a ton of imitators and one God-awful sequel, 1997's An American Werewolf in Paris. The remake will also boast the producing power of The Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman and David Albert.
This puts to bed months of off-and-on rumors that Landis was working on a remake. He's got some big shoes to fill, but he doesn't any of us to remind him of that. [THR]
