Max Landis To Direct Remake Of An American Werewolf In London

By Jackie Shannon

In 1981, John Landis directed what may still very well be the best horror comedy of all time in the blood-curdling, bone-bending masterpiece that is An American Werewolf In London, in which a US tourist (David Naughton) is savaged by a mysterious beast and then, slowly, surely begins to turn into a werewolf. The film was a hit on release, and remains a bona fide cult classic today. The film copped a belatedly, decidedly sub-par sequel-of-sorts with 1997’s An American Werewolf In Paris (“I was very disappointed,” Landis – who had nothing to do with the film – told FilmInk in 2009. “It was lousy”), and since then, there have been continued rumours of a possible remake.

Well, now it looks like it’s on for real, and in a curious twist, An American Werewolf In London is set to stay in the family, with John Landis’ son, Max Landis, set to direct. Though hardly a veteran directing talent (his only credit is 2015’s little seen Me Him Her), Landis does boast an interesting resume. He penned the well-received movies, Chronicle and American Ultra, and is the screenwriter behind BBC America’s television adaptation of Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency. He also wrote Bright, the buddy-cop fantasy starring Will Smith and Joel Edgerton that David Ayer is directing for Netflix.

And it seems that even if he stuffs it up, Max Landis won’t have to contend with the wrath of his old man. Here’s what John Landis told FilmInk way back in 2009 when word of a remake of An American Werewolf In London was already out there. “There’s going to be a remake of An American Werewolf In London now,” the director said. “People got so upset when it was announced; I couldn’t see why they should be upset. When you remake a movie or make a sequel, the original still exists. In fact, it can only help me, because if it’s shitty, it makes my movie look better, and if it’s good, it’s good! People forget – particularly now that they make such crap – that remakes and sequels have always been a part of the industry. The Maltese Falcon’s a remake. David Cronenberg remade The Fly, and it was great. John Carpenter remade The Thing, and that was a wonderful film.”