The comedic reimagining of Anaconda is now shooting in Australia, and THR reports that Thandiwe Newton and Steve Zahan will be joining Paul Rudd and Jack Black for a little snake wrangling. Selton Mello (Bury Your Dead) and Ione Skye (Zodiac) have also joined the cast.

The new Anaconda movie “involves a group of friends facing mid-life crises who are remaking their favorite movie from their youth. They head to the rainforest only to find themselves into a fight for their lives against natural disasters, giant snakes and violent criminals.“

Black plays an “erstwhile director, a man stuck in his job as a wedding videographer,” with Rudd playing “an actor who did a stint on a cop show but sees his Hollywood dreams slipping further and further away.” Newton and Zahn play the pair’s childhood friends who join them on this adventure, with Mello playing a Brazilian animal wrangler and Skye playing the wife of Black’s character. The Suicide Squad‘s Daniela Melchior also joined the cast last year.

The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent director Tom Gormican is directing the project, which he also co-wrote with Kevin Ettin. The project has apparently been in the works since early 2023, going through many rewrites as they try to strike the correct tone.

The original Anaconda movie, which starred Jennifer Lopez, Ice Cube, and Jon Voight, spawned a handful of sequels, including Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid, Anaconda 3: Offspring, Anacondas: Trial of Blood, and Lake Placid vs. Anaconda. There was also a Chinese remake released last year, which centered around a group of circus performers pitting against a giant snake. “A group of circus performers, on their way to what they think is a new performance location, become stranded in a lush rainforest after the boat they were on, and the captain leading the way, are eaten and destroyed by an anaconda with a special red marking,” reads a description. “They cross paths with a deadly poacher who is hunting the anaconda, who realises that he might now have enough bait to catch him. But being circus performers, they have a few survival tricks up their sleeves.“

The new Anaconda movie is set for a December 25th release.

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