Sony Pictures Television is involved in the remake. Given that Sony produced the original, that makes sense. Hesheng Xiang and Qiuliang Xiang (“Monkey King and City of Demons”) directed this version, and the cast includes Terence Yin, Nita Xia, Paul Che, Jiu Kong, Ken Lok, Wang Xing Chen, Wang Gang, Wang Zi Run, Xu Shao Hang, and Wu Hao.
This has been a surprisingly enduring franchise since its inception nearly 30 years ago. In 2004, we got the theatrically released “Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid.” That was followed up by a couple of direct-to-video offerings in the form of 2008’s “Anaconda 3: Offspring” and 2009’s “Anaconda: Trail of Blood.” (There was also, amazingly enough, “Lake Placid vs. Anaconda.”) It’s worth noting that the third movie stars David Hasselhoff and John Rhys-Davies, and is, as you might expect, pretty wild. But it looks downright tame compared to what’s coming down the pipeline.
Meanwhile, Sony has been trying to revive the franchise for several years in Hollywood. Last we heard in 2020, the studio had tapped Evan Daugherty (“Snow White and the Huntsman”) to pen an “Anaconda” reboot. We’ve heard very little about it in the years since. Who knows? Maybe this Chinese version will get things moving. If nothing else, we’ve got this craziness to look forward to in the near future.
The “Anaconda” remake doesn’t currently have a U.S. release date, but stay tuned as it will surely be available sometime later this year.
