'Arachnophobia' Remake Lands 'Paranormal Activity' Director

The time to get scared of spiders again is here. A remake of Arachnophobia is now in the works, with Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones director Christopher Landon at the helm. Amblin Partners is producing the new movie with James Wan, while the original film's director, Frank Marshall, is an executive producer. There is no cast set yet.

The original 1990 Arachnophobia starred Jeff Daniels as Dr. Ross Jennings. The story by Don Jakoby and Al Williams begins with Dr. James Atherton (Julian Sands) discovering a new species of spider in Venezuela. A member of the species bits photographer Jerry Manley (Mark L. Taylor), and the spiders hitch a ride to the U.S. on Manley's coffin. The killer spiders breed and wreak havoc on a California town. John Goodman, Harley Jane Kozak, and Brian McNamara also starred in the movie.

Arachnophobia was Marshall's first film as director. The 1990 film was produced by Amblin Entertainment and Disney's Hollywood Pictures label. It was a moderate financial hit, grossing $53.2 million on a $22 million budget. Critics also loved the movie, and it holds a 93% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Wan, who directed Malignant and Aquaman, will produce the new movie with Michael Clear (The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It), reports Deadline. Judson Scott and Marshall are executives producing. Jeb Brody will oversee for Amblin with EVP Lauren Abrahams and SVP Mia Maniscalco.

Landon has a long history with horror movies. He wrote the screenplay for Disturbia (2007) before he was hired to write the second, third, and fourth Paranormal Activity movies. In 2014, he wrote and directed Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones and later contributed to Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin. His other directing credits include Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse, Happy Death Day, and Happy Death Day 2U. In 2020, he directed Blumhouse's Freaky with Vince Vaughan and Kathryn Newton.

Landon's next movie, We Have a Ghost, is expected to be released on Netflix later this year. The movie stars Anthony Mackie, Jennifer Coolidge, David Harbour, and Tig Notaro. It is based on Geoff Manaugh's short story Ernest and centers on a family whose new home is haunted by a ghost name Ernest. While the family investigates Ernest's past, they become CIA targets.