Sound the alarm because we’ve got another remake alert! If you’ve been longing for a 2025 version of the 1997 Jennifer Lopez action-horror classic, Anaconda, then I’ve got some great news for you. A remake starring Jack Black and Paul Rudd is hitting theaters on December 25. This re-imagining adds an “everything old is now funny” twist by turning it into a very “meta” action-comedy. Rudd and Black play besties that set out to remake their favorite movie, Anaconda, but are thwarted by – you guessed it – a giant snake. Thandiwe Newton and Steve Zahn co-star. Merry Christmas to everyone who is scared of snakes!
PEOPLE has an exclusive first look at the action-comedy, which stars Black and Rudd as lifelong best friends Doug and Griff, who, according to a synopsis, have “always dreamed of remaking their all-time favorite movie: the cinematic ‘classic,’ Anaconda.”
That’s the 1997 thriller about a film crew fighting to survive a giant killer snake, which starred Jennifer Lopez, Ice Cube, Owen Wilson and Jon Voight. In the new movie, a midlife crisis inspires Doug and Griff to pursue their dream, so they go to the Amazon to pull off their remake.
“But,” teases the synopsis, “things get real when an actual giant anaconda appears, turning their comically chaotic movie set into a deadly situation. The movie they’re dying to make? It might just get them killed.”
“It’s a genuine kick in the ass,” Rudd, 56, says of Anaconda, which comes from director Tom Gormican, who was behind 2022’s very-meta Nicolas Cage movie The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent.
Adds Rudd, “It was a clever script and the meta angles of it were appealing to me. I was a big fan of The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, and the tone of this and that seemed to live in the same world.”
Black, 56, echoes that Gormican and co-writer Kevin Etten “brought that same meta magic energy to this script and production.”
The Jumanji actor adds that it was “so fun” to team up with Rudd. “It was the main reason I wanted to do the movie,” says Black. “I’m a huge fan of Paul’s work. Dude is f—ing hilarious. And a sweet pea to boot!”
Likewise, for Rudd: “I love Jack and was thrilled to get to do this with him. We’ve done a few little things in the past, and to get to really work together for months like this was fantastic.”
The cast also includes Thandiwe Newton, Daniela Melchior, Selton Mello and Steve Zahn, who couldn’t help but crack up at his funny costars. “I f—ed up so many takes laughing at these guys,” says Zahn, 57. “Dream job.”
According to Black, Anaconda is an “exciting mix of comedy and horror.” He adds, “Buckle up for the thrill ride of the season — Anaconda is coming!”
So, this movie was actually announced all the way back in January 2020, but it fell off everyone’s radar because…you know. I love the original Anaconda, but I’m also a sucker for a good action-comedy. The trailer (below) dropped on Wednesday, Sept. 17, and it’s truly everything that I imagined this movie to be. It sets it up at the very beginning that they’re going to remake Anaconda and, of course, Sir Mix-a-lot’s “Baby Got Back” plays throughout it. There’s only a small portion in the trailer that’s scary, but overall, it looks like this is going to be heavy on the suspense and comedy.
While I didn’t ask for this remake, I’ll admit that I am looking forward to it. It’s giving Tropic Thunder meets the Jumanji reboot. I mean, why not? I think it’s going to be a lot of fun, and it’s not exactly the type of prestige Oscar-contending drama that we usually get during the holidays. I’m also a huge fan of both Paul Rudd and Jack Black and really enjoyed what Tom Gormican did with The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent. What’s the over/under that JLo, Owen Wilson or Ice Cube will make a cameo? We all lose if Jon Voight ends up being the sole returnee!
Here’s the trailer:
Anaconda First Photos: Jack Black and Paul Rudd Spearhead a Clever Snake Reboot (Exclusive) https://t.co/gQQpvneWiI
— People (@people) September 16, 2025
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photos credit: Oscar Gonzalez/Wenn/Avalon, Getty and Xavier Collin/Image Press Agency/Avalon
I am so here for this nonsense!
Wait wait, I just have to add that as soon as my husband rolled awake, I told him all about this and that I’ll be watching the eff out of it when it’s on free streaming. He’s like “yep.”
It looks like silly fun but I hate it when trailers like this make me feel like I just saw the whole movie.
No! This was a pure classic of American cinema that should have remained untouched. I refuse to sully it by darkening a theater’s doors for this tawdry remake.