"American Werewolf" to strike again

Posted 07 3 2009 4:28AM

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) – "An American Werewolf in London," filmmaker John Landis' 1981 cult horror comedy, is set for a remake.

Dimension Films has picked up the rights to the material from Landis in what was described as a competitive environment. Bloody-Disgusting.com broke the news of the remake.

Landis wrote and directed "Werewolf," which starred David Naughton and Griffin Dunne as two American backpackers hiking in the Yorkshire moors. They're attacked by a mysterious animal who turns out to be a werewolf, and Naughton ends up terrorizing London while Dunne becomes a reanimated corpse who suggests ways for Naughton to kill himself and stop the curse.

No writer or director has yet been hired for the new version. Dimension and the producers aim to keep the comedy elements of the original while making the story relevant to contemporary audiences.

Landis will serve as an executive producer on the project and possibly consult.

Dimension has picked up other horror titles in hopes of relaunching money-making franchises. The company is releasing "Halloween II" at the end of August and is developing a remake of "Hellraiser."

(Editing by Sheri Linden at Reuters)