It makes some sense that James Wan might consider joining a contemporary adaptation of The Creature From the Black Lagoon, considering his background bringing horror franchises to the big screen and his time spent on aquatic adventures with the Aquaman movie. It is therefore not really surprising that he is in early talks for that specific project.
The Jack Arnold-directed 1954 original used 3D technology to tell the tale of the Gill-Man, an ancient fish-human hybrid creature who lived in the water, and Julie Adams’s character, an ichthyologist who draws his attention.
Over the years, several revisions have been attempted; they include those by Breck Eisner, Ivan Reitman, John Landis, and Gary Ross, the son of the original film’s scriptwriter, Arthur A. Ross. However, all of these attempts have fallen further into the development. Will Beall wrote the script in an attempt to include the Creature in Universal’s shared Dark Universe movie concept.
The Hollywood Reporter describes Wan’s adaptation as a realistic, contemporary interpretation that will honor the original while veering toward visceral horror.
Wan is now in early discussions to direct, and he is looking for a writer to collaborate with on the project. Thus, we’ll just have to wait and watch if it sinks or swims.