Black, Rudd And A Colossal Snake: The New Anaconda Trailer Looks Meta Fun

Sony Pictures has just released the first trailer for Anaconda, a comedy re-imagining of the 1997 giant-snake thriller. The original is a classic and I remember it fondly, although I advise skipping the sequels.

The new film stars Jack Black and Paul Rudd as two lifelong friends who set out to remake the original movie deep in the Amazon jungle. Predictably, things go a bit tits-up.

Director Tom Gormican is probably best known for the ludicrously fun The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, and like that underated film, Anaconda is definitely in meta-comedy territory. Which is probably a good thing.

The supporting cast includes Thandiwe Newton, Steve Zahn, Daniela Melchior and Brazilian actor Selton Mello. The screenplay comes from Gormican and long-time collaborator Kevin Etten. So it’s a pretty talented team.

Filming wrapped earlier this year and the project is now in post-production (although I’ll admit, the trailer is the first I’d heard about it). It is set to be released on Christmas Day – aka it’ll be family fun.

I think it looks like laugh, but a big caveat – the trailer seems to show at least the first half, maybe even two-thirds of the film. If that matters to you, it’s probably best to skip it. I think you can probably guess how everything is going to pan out just from the film’s description, so it didn’t spoil anything for me.

The 1997 Anaconda version, starring Jennifer Lopez and Ice Cube, was a surprise box-office hit and spawned several sequels. All of which were sadly shite. The first one was fun, although I haven’t seen it since it came out, so maybe it has aged poorly. You can check it out here.

With a great cast and a director already comfortable with self-aware spectacle, Anaconda looks like it might be fun. Here’s the trailer: