Movie News

Aja on the Hook with "Piranha"

A reboot for the 1978 schlockfest "Piranha"?

French director and member of the so-called modern "Splat Pack" (including also Eli Roth and Rob Zombie) Alexandre Aja has just signed with Dimension Films to reimagine the cult classic, which rode the wave (so to speak) of the "Jaws" craze back in the day. (If you don't believe me, look no farther than the original one-sheet.) In this case, a seismic event in an idyllic (is there any other kind?) tourist town triggers a fissure in a deep lake, releasing the critters upon the summer bathers--most of whom are teenagers, of course.

Aja isn't aiming for a straight remake: "My goal is ... to create a completely new adventure paying homage to all the 'creatures' films that made me fall in love with the genre." He goes on, vowing to "pit beer-soaked, sunburned spring breakers against killer, bloodthirsty animals." Yeah, baby.

This wouldn't be the first remake tacked by Aja. He did the well-received 2006 version of "The Hills Have Eyes." And for what it's worth, the original has a certain pedigree--it was an early effort by genre-master Joe Dante, and was co-written by future Oscar nominee John Sayles. (!)

But wait, it gets funnier. This wouldn't be the first time "Piranha" has been remade. A 1995 television remake is credited to Roger Corman's production company.

Source: Reuters.

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Posted by on March 18, 2007 10:07 PM
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