Director Tom Gormican says his 2025 film is a comedic tribute to the 1997 cult classic, following friends who try to remake the original movie and end up facing a real giant snake.
The new Anaconda movie in theaters is not a scene-for-scene remake of the 1997 horror film. Instead, director Tom Gormican has crafted what he calls a “love letter” to the original, using a meta-comedy premise that pokes fun at Hollywood’s reboot culture while celebrating the so-bad-it’s-good charm of the cult classic. The film, starring Jack Black and Paul Rudd, follows a group of childhood friends who travel to the Amazon to film their own low-budget version of Anaconda, only to be hunted by an actual giant serpent.
Gormican, known for the meta-comedy The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, revealed that his approach was a direct reaction to the dozens of conventional remake pitches Sony Pictures had received.
“We heard from the producers after the fact that they’d heard 50 or 60 takes of Anaconda as a straight reboot,” Gormican told The Hollywood Reporter.
His pitch, described as “The Big Chill becomes Anaconda,” won over the studio by offering something completely different: a film about the act of remaking a film.
Why The “Love Letter” Approach Won Over The Original Cast
A key element distinguishing this film from a straightforward remake is the involvement of the original movie’s stars. Jennifer Lopez and Ice Cube return for cameo appearances, but only after Gormican assured them his goal was not to mock their 1997 work.
According to Gormican, Lopez had one critical question before agreeing to participate: “Are you making fun of the original movie?”. His response was definitive.
“I said, ‘Absolutely not. It’s a love letter to the film,’” Gormican recalled.
This assurance was crucial. Lopez’s scene was shot in November 2025, just weeks before the film’s release, and she agreed without having seen the finished movie. Ice Cube was the first original cast member to sign on, with his role written into the script. For Gormican, securing these cameos served as a vital “stamp of approval” for his unconventional take.
From Creature Horror To Comedy-Hybrid
The fundamental shift from horror to comedy represents the most significant departure from the 1997 film. The original Anaconda was a sincere, if outlandish, creature feature about a documentary crew hunted by a giant snake in the Amazon. It launched the careers of several stars and, despite mixed reviews, became a box office hit and enduring cult classic.
The 2025 version changes the formula entirely. The protagonists are not a professional film crew but amateur filmmakers—friends experiencing a midlife crisis. Their journey is less about survival against a natural threat and more about a satirical adventure where the line between making a movie and living a movie blurs.
Gormican openly acknowledges this tonal shift, connecting it to broader trends in filmmaking.
“I just felt like there was no room for fun anymore,” he told Polygon, referencing a modern preference for horror films with heavy themes. “You can have a movie that feels like a big ride where people can jump on and have a great time on this adventure, but also be clever and different.”
The movie leans into this by having its characters humorously shout “Themes!” at each other while brainstorming their remake, satirizing the very idea of forcing deep meaning into a film about a giant snake.
How The Reboot’s Ending Sets Up A New Future
The meta-narrative of the new Anaconda extends to its ending, which actively sets up a potential sequel that could continue breaking the fourth wall. After the friends’ unauthorized remake leads to a clash with a real snake and a rival, official Sony production, the film concludes with a mid-credits scene.
In this scene, Jennifer Lopez, playing herself, visits Jack Black’s character, Doug. She reveals she saw his unofficial film and, because Sony’s own official reboot was destroyed by the anaconda, she wants him to direct a new, legitimate version. This ending serves as what Gormican calls a “sequel system,” paving the way for a follow-up where the fictional characters would get to helm a real studio film.
Gormican has even tossed around ideas for where a sequel could go, joking about titling it Anaconda 2: Sasquatch and featuring “all sorts of different villains.” More seriously, he expressed a desire to set a future film in a city to avoid returning to the jungle. The realization of any sequel, however, depends on the new film’s box office performance.
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Critics Are Divided On The Meta Mix
The critical reception to Gormican’s unconventional approach has been mixed, highlighting the gamble of reimagining a straightforward horror film as a self-referential comedy. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a 51% approval rating based on 88 reviews, with the consensus noting it “can’t detach its jaws wide enough to swallow so many conflicting tones”.
Some critics found the meta-humor lacking. William Bibbiani of The Wrap argued the film is “so busy talking about how silly it is to make a new Anaconda that it never actually makes a good Anaconda”. Others, like Liz Shannon Miller of Consequence, graded it more favorably, suggesting it’s “OK for a movie to just be funny without digging too deep” and praised its “sincere sentiment about chasing your dreams”.
The film premiered in Los Angeles on December 13, 2025, and was released wide in the United States on December 25, 2025. It is currently playing in theaters.
