Classic Monster Movie Getting Unexpected Reboot

Composer Michael Giacchino will direct a remake of Them!, the 1954 monster movie classic, for Warner Bros. Giacchino recently showed off his skills behind the camera with Disney+'s Marvel Halloween special Werewolf by Night. He made his professional directing debut with a 2019 episode of Star Trek: Short Treks.

Them! was directed by Gordon Douglas. It begins with the discovery of gigantic ants poisoned by radiation from the first atomic bomb test. The movie culminates in the ants' attack on Los Angeles. It was a huge box office hit and opened the door for more Atomic Age monster movies throughout the 1950s from Hollywood and around the world. Ted Sherdeman and Russell Hughes wrote the script, from a story by George Worthing Yates. The cast features James Whitmore, Edmund Gwenn, Joan Weldon and James Arness.

"There's always a movie in your mind that never leaves your head," Giacchino told Deadline on Jan. 4. "For me, that's Them! It wasn't until much later in life until I learned what it was about – the nuclear age." The composer said his new version will be "about immigration, and to tell a story about the subject through a lens of this insane science fiction monster movie." He is now meeting with writers and hopes to start production soon.

Giacchino plans to score his Them! remake himself. He also scored Werewolf by Night, his Star Trek: Short Treks short, and his short film Monster Challenge. His brother, Anthony Giacchino, will also be involved in the production. Anthony directed a Disney+ documentary about the making of Werewolf by Night and the Oscar-winning short documentary Colette.

"Michael Giacchino is a unique talent. We're excited to be working with him and have him at the studio," Warner Bros Pictures President of Production and Development Jesse Ehrman told Deadline. Ehrman will oversee the production for Warner Bros.

Giacchino won an Oscar in 2010 for his score to Pixar's Up and was also nominated for scoring Ratatouille. He won an Emmy in 2005 for scoring the Lost pilot. The composer has made himself a go-to for blockbusters, having also scored Thor: Love and Thunder, Lightyear, Jurassic World: Dominion, and The Batman last year. His other recent credits include Spider-Man: No Way Home, Let Him Go, Jojo Rabbit, Incredibles 2, Jurassic World and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.