Anaconda Reboot: Director Explains Why It’s Not A Straightforward Remake

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Be warned, this article contains spoilers for the upcoming 2025 film, Anaconda! Sony is reviving the Anaconda franchise, but director and co-writer Tom Gormican didn’t want to simply remake the original. The series began in 1997 with a film starring Ice Cube and Jennifer Lopez. Though critics were divided, it was a box office success, leading to one theatrical sequel and three direct-to-video releases, including a team-up with the horror series Lake Placid.

Sony’s reboot of Anaconda has taken a new turn. Originally, they were trying to create a simple update from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles writer Evan Daugherty. Now, they’ve brought in Jake Gormican and Kevin Etten, who previously worked together on Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, to create a self-aware, meta take on the story. The film stars Jack Black and Paul Rudd as childhood friends who decide to make an unofficial remake of the original Anaconda movie, but they quickly find themselves hunted by the enormous snake.

I was so excited to read the ScreenRant interview with Tom Gormican about the new Anaconda movie! He talked about why they decided to do something different with it – a meta reboot instead of just a remake. He explained that he and his co-writer, Etten, actually get tired of all the remakes and reboots coming out these days, just like most of us probably do. It’s refreshing to hear a filmmaker admit that!

We presented our idea to Sony, and they suggested ‘Anaconda.’ We weren’t keen on it at first. Then, almost as a test, we jokingly proposed turning a completely different movie, ‘The Big Chill,’ into an ‘Anaconda’ story, figuring they’d reject it. Surprisingly, they agreed! That’s when we realized we had to make it actually work.

Once Sony showed initial interest in their idea, he and Etten spent a significant amount of time developing it before submitting it. Despite this encouraging sign, Gormican confessed they didn’t expect to receive a response. However, the studio quickly loved their pitch – a concept about amateur filmmakers trying to recreate Anaconda and accidentally mirroring the original film’s storyline.

Looking back at how the movie evolved from the first drafts to the finished product, director Gormican explained that the ending of Anaconda changed significantly. The team’s original plan for the finale, which was to be filmed in Australia, fell through because of unexpected rain during the rainy season. So, he and co-writer Etten completely rewrote the ending to take place at the abandoned shipyard where the characters meet Ice Cube, who plays a version of himself. However, they even faced another weather problem that forced them to rewrite the ending again.

We gathered a collection of derelict ships, refurbished them, and originally planned to destroy them as part of the movie’s climax. However, just after we finished this massive undertaking, a rare cyclone struck Australia and actually destroyed the set for us. This meant we had to quickly revise the script and reimagine the ending, leading to the final version you see.

Let me tell you, making this movie was, as the director put it, completely bonkers! But that chaos actually sparked a really funny idea. There’s a moment where a character asks how the writers handled the film’s ending, and the answer is simply, “They never finished the script!” The director admitted that was a direct reflection of their own process – they were writing about the writing process while still writing it! He felt it added this wonderfully self-aware, almost dizzying layer to the whole movie, like a perfect, crazy inside joke.

Gormican Had A Unique Award-Winning Inspiration Beyond Anaconda

ScreenRant asked about the film’s inspirations, noting it felt reminiscent of early 2000s comedies like Without a Paddle. They wondered what movies or styles influenced the filmmakers.

For this film, there were two key inspirations. Aside from the obvious influence of Anaconda – which seems to inspire all filmmakers – there was American Movie, a fantastic documentary by Chris Smith that won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance. It follows two guys in the Midwest as they attempt to make a horror film called Coven.

ScreenRant: Wait, I just watched this movie!

Tom Gormican: Okay, so you know what I’m talking about.

ScreenRant: Yes, and they have really thick accents.

The filmmaker is Mark Borchardt, and he and his partner didn’t have much money, but they were incredibly dedicated. To me, that’s what filmmaking is all about, no matter the budget. That was the first thing that sparked the idea. The second was the movie City Slickers. It’s about a man who’s a little unhappy with his life and goes on a journey to find something that reignites his passion. If you haven’t seen it, I’d recommend it.

ScreenRant asked if the casting director was a fan of the movie Saving Silverman, as they were thrilled to see Steve and Jack reunited in the new project.

It was surprisingly easy to capture the dynamic between the characters. We had three actors who were old friends themselves, having known each other for 25 or 30 years. That history really streamlined the process and made filming fun. They naturally fell back into their old patterns and it was a joy to watch them interact.

ScreenRant: Steve told me that he intentionally did the mustache as a nod to Saving Silverman.

Tom Gormican mentioned a funny story about Steve delivering a line in a movie that really made the audience laugh. Jack has been wanting to repay Steve for that moment for 25 years, and now he’s finally getting the chance to include him in a film. Gormican hopes their strong bond and affection for each other will be evident in the movie.

Interestingly, despite both being famous, Paul and Jack hadn’t actually collaborated on a full project together before, other than brief appearances in the movie Walk Hard.

Tom Gormican: No. Everybody thought that. I thought that.

ScreenRant: I was like, “They must have. I must be missing something.”

Tom Gormican said it felt like something was missing from his work, but that wasn’t the reason he reconnected with them. They were simply longtime, close friends.

ScreenRant asked about the pairing of Nicolas Cage and Pedro Pascal in the movie Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, noting their fantastic chemistry. They wanted to know what qualities led to the decision to cast them together and what kind of connection they observed between the two actors.

When we brought these two actors together, I knew they’d have great chemistry because their comedic timing is so similar. What I found particularly interesting was casting Jack as the director – the character who provides the emotional core, a role Paul Rudd usually plays. And then having Jack play the sidekick – the struggling, slightly unhinged actor who’s desperate to succeed – that’s typically a Jack Black role. Flipping their usual roles like that was exciting, and it allowed them to create a dynamic that, while still familiar, felt fresh and new.

I immediately thought the same thing – it felt like roles were reversed. I’m curious about the beginning scene with Jack Black describing what we later find out is a wedding video. Was his performance recorded first, or did the music come first? It really seemed like he was improvising it on the spot.

Tom Gormican emphasizes that Jack is the priority. When working with others, like composer Dave Fleming, the approach is always to adapt to Jack’s style, because Jack’s work isn’t changed to fit anyone else.

According to ScreenRant, the emotional scene with the snake funeral – where everyone is singing – wasn’t staged. It was reportedly happening naturally during filming.

During the filming, Brazilian actor Selton Mello spontaneously began singing a hymn while performing a funeral scene. Everyone else was initially confused, but they quickly joined in. I was watching on the monitor and thought it was a beautiful, authentic moment, and we ended up keeping it in the final cut of the movie. It felt completely natural and unscripted.

Everyone probably made a silly movie with their friends as a kid – the kind you hope no one ever sees! Do you remember what yours was about?

Tom Gormican explained they once created mock talk shows because he was fascinated by how interviews work. He saw it less as traditional storytelling and more as building a set – like a talk show with a table – and then conducting interviews with guests.

Be sure to check out some of ScreenRant‘s other Anaconda-related coverage with:

  • Ice Cube & Tom Gormican breaking down his Anaconda return 28 years after the original
  • Gormican on how Jennifer Lopez’s return sets up a potential sequel
  • Paul Rudd, Jack Black, Thandiwe Newton & Steve Zahn on the real-life friendships made during Anaconda
  • Newton snuck a Kung Fu Panda Easter egg into the film for an adorable reason
  • Jack Black on the cult favorite comedy he wants to make a sequel to
  • Paul Rudd on his one regret from the Anchorman franchise

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2025-12-27 03:35