Nearly 30 years after the release of Anaconda, a reimagining is headed to theaters, adding a comedic twist to the cult classic.
Set to release on Christmas Day, the new film stars Jack Black and Paul Rudd as two best friends who fulfill a lifelong dream of remaking their all-time favorite movie.
According to the official synopsis:
Doug (Black) and Griff (Rudd) have been best friends since they were kids, and have always dreamed of remaking their all-time favorite movie: the cinematic “classic” Anaconda. When a midlife crisis pushes them to finally go for it, they head deep into the Amazon to start filming. But things get real when an actual giant anaconda appears, turning their comically chaotic movie set into a deadly situation. The movie they’re dying to make? It might just get them killed…
Among the friends helping to recreate the film is Claire Simons (Thandiwe Newton), a woman looking for a do-over after life’s handed her quite the lemons with a divorce from a cheating husband.
A fresh perspective
“One of the things that I love about this movie is, I mean, we’re really poking fun at the original, but with a big heart,” Newton told Blavity’s Shadow and Act. “I love that the comedy isn’t cynical. No one ends up on the floor miserable, because very often, comedy can be a bit cruel, but this has so much heart, and we are, all of us in the movie, are genuine fans of movies and fans of each other, and that energy is really apparent in the movies.”
She added, “I also love the fact that it’s such a big-scale production, you know? We were really in that kind of environment in the jungle. We didn’t have to do a lot of green screen and fake it. So, you know, for an audience to appreciate it on a big screen with strangers, and then you leave the theater, and it’s like you were all united. I just think, ‘What a great thing to have! Especially in the time that we’re in the world, just to have the feeling of community, watching something together.”
While there are a few jump scares, the new film is not nearly as horrifying as the first, and Newton said that the sole purpose is to give a nod to the original horror genre that Anaconda is based on, and offer something more light-hearted, with tons of moments for belly laughs for audiences.
“We wanted it to make people laugh,” she said. “We wanted it to be funny because of the absurdity of real life that, you know, because there are so many of the actual situations in the movie. It could really be like that, if you were faced with a giant snake, which, of course, is absurd, but if you were, what would you do? We got to play and use our imaginations. The script was great to begin with, but basically it was just a starting point. Kevin [Etten] and Tom [Gormican], our creative team, a director and writer duo. They were like, ‘Look, guys, improvise. Bring everything you can; throw it out there.’ And, I mean, we got to genuinely play and use our imaginations.”
It’s never too late to change your narratives
When asked whether the film has parallels to navigating risk and reward for diverse characters in Hollywood, Newton said that the studio’s decision to seek her out speaks volumes.
“They were very keen that I come on board, and they wanted me to represent in the way that I wanted to, and I did it very consciously, and I wanted to be a woman that every woman could relate to, and I do think it has a universality to this, you know? The themes of friendship, the theme of not realizing your true potential, and in your dreams, getting a second chance at that,” Newton shared. “I felt that that was something that everybody could relate to. I also felt really, really proud to represent women of color, women in general. I was able to thread many needles, and I’m really proud of the results.”
The key takeaway for Newton that she hopes shines through for others is never to give up, because there’s always time to pursue your dreams.
“It’s never too late. It really isn’t,” she said. “My mom is in her 80s and is experiencing life afresh right now in her own arc and journey. I have daughters too, who are embarking on their journey as women of color in the industry, and both are doing so incredibly well.”
Newton added, “Just to see the evolution and what we’re able to carry forward, how we’re able to give back, how we’re able to share the love, how we’re able to make mistakes and learn from them. It’s a very important part of life to learn from our mistakes and to take responsibility for our actions and to deal with the consequences with grace and to reclaim some dignity, because that can be something that is really compromised, and I’ve definitely felt that. So I’m just grateful for all of it, and I think we’re in a really unique time in human history where we have so much that we can learn from in the past, and so much hope for a future. The sky’s literally the limit.”
Anaconda premieres in theaters on Thursday.