Horror Movie Remake Odds: The Blob, Child’s Play, Cube & More

Remakes, reboots, and “reimaginings” are a favorite of the modern horror genre. Some may scold producers for a lack of creativity, but recent offerings like Halloween (86% on Rotten Tomatoes) show that remakes don’t have to be retreads. A good script and quality director can turn a twice-told-tale into a modern magnum opus. 

Just like the horror genre, itself, we’ve made a habit of remaking our annual horror-movie remake article. (So meta.) This year, we’re setting the odds on a new crop of reboots that are either in production, greenlit, or still in the nascent rumor phase.

An American Werewolf in London

Max Landis (son of John) is writing the script for the remake to his father’s 1981 classic.

That could be good (Landis also penned the critically acclaimed Chronicle) or very, very bad (he’s responsible for the abominations that were Bright and Victor Frankenstein).

Quality aside, it’s pretty like we’ll see this remake hit the big screen in the next couple years. Landis finished up his first draft last December and it has the name-recognition studios covet. That said, there have been few updates in the last eight months.

Odds to be released in the next three years: 1/2 (66.7%)

The Blob

The 1958 cult classic The Blob was already remade once in 1988, and now a new version is in the works. Simon West (Con Air) is attached as director, and Halle Berry is the rumored lead, potentially paired with Samuel L. Jackson.

Originally, I assumed that a Blob remake would be campy to the max, in a similar vein to Snakes on a Plane, so Samuel L. seemed like a perfect choice. But MovieWeb reports that it will be a “terrifying reimagining” of the Steve McQueen original.

Odds to be released in the next three years: 2/3 (60%)

Child’s Play

Unlike Werewolf, MGM’s Child’s Play remake doesn’t have much connection to the original; franchise creator Don Mancini isn’t involved at all.

Tyler Burton Smith penned the script for the remake and Lars Klevberg is directing. Who?  Yeah I don’t know either, because I’ve never seen Half Naked Raccoon Chase. 

I’d like to be able to tell you this one won’t happen. But it’s already filming and there are screenshots of the new Chucky.

Odds to be released in the next three years: 1/19 (95%)

Cube

A remake of the 1997 sci-fi/horror masterpiece has been in the rumor mill for years. It finally got its own IMDB page in April, exciting fans of the franchise.

Back in 2016, Jon Spaihts was attached to the project. He’s responsible for the Prometheus and Dr. Strange scripts, which spurred hope that the remake (tentatively titled Cubed) would surpass the sequels (2002’s Cube 2: Hypercube and 2004’s Cube Zero).

Whether he’s still working on it isn’t clear, however, because nothing about this potential remake is clear right now. I did some Kazan-style prime number calculations and the odds don’t look good for a remake.

Odds to be released in the next three years: 6/1 (14.3%)

I Know What You Did Last Summer

Sony announced its plans to remake the 1997 classic I Know What You Did Last Summer back in 2014.

For a while, it seemed to be on the fast track, with Mike Flanagan writing the script and Neal Moritz producing. There’s been little news in the last 18 months, though. The IMDB page for the IKWYDLS remake hasn’t been updated since mid-2017. That doesn’t bode well.

But at least Jennifer Love Hewitt told Parade that she would love to comeback in the next iteration.

I’d have to come back as the creepy old lady or something, now. I would do it if they asked me, sure. I loved those movies. They were really fun. — Jennifer Love Hewitt in Parade Magazine

Odds to be released in the next three years: 4/1 (20%)

Invisible Man

In 2017, Universal Studios announced that it was rebooting its entire Classic Monsters genre from the 1920s. The remakes would all take place within the same cinematic universe (titled the “Dark Universe”) much like Marvel’s Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Dr. Strange, etc.

One of the early installments in the Dark Universe was going to be an Invisible Man (1933) remake with Johnny Depp as the lead.

However, the first remake in the series, 2017’s The Mummy , performed so poorly (both critically and financially) that the entire macro-project seems to have been put on hold. Invisible Man, itself, lost its screenwriter (Ed Solomon of Men in Black fame) earlier this year, to boot.

The domestic violence allegations against Depp could also be playing a role in killing this remake. Universal may choose to prioritize a Frankenstein remake with Javier Bardem as the monster.

Odds to be released in the next three years: 2/1 (33%)

Keen for odds on other horror remakes? Let us know in the comments or on Facebook or Twitter and we’ll do our best to crunch the numbers for you.