Sony Pictures is in early development of a reboot of the “Anaconda” franchise, hiring “Divergent” writer Evan Daugherty to write the project.
The studio has not set up the project with a producer, director or actors.
Sony released the original “Anaconda” in 1997 as a horror thriller starring Jennifer Lopez, Ice Cube, Jon Voight, Eric Stoltz and Owen Wilson. Directed by Luis Llosa, the plot centered on Lopez’ character heading a documentary film crew looking for a long-lost tribe along the Amazon River, only to see the expedition taken over by a nefarious snake hunter, played by Voight, leading to several horrific encounters with a massive green serpent.
“Anaconda” was a success with a worldwide gross of $135 million on a $45 million budget. That led to a 2004 sequel “Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid,” set in Borneo, as the protagonists sought a life-extending flower on a remote island inhabited by deadly snakes. A trio of “Anaconda” TV movies followed in 2008, 2009 and 2015’s “Lake Placid vs. Anaconda” in a crossover with the “Lake Placid” horror comedy franchise.
Daugherty’s credits include co-writing 2012’s “Snow White and the Huntsman” with Hossein Amini and John Lee Hancock; and 2014’s “Divergent” with Vanessa Taylor. He received story credit on 2017’s “Tomb Raider,” starring Alicia Vikander.
He is repped by Verve, management firm Alibi and law firm McKuin Frankel.