Paul Rudd and Jack Black Star in ‘Anaconda’ Reimagining — First Trailer Drops
The snake is back — but this time with a twist. Sony has dropped the first trailer for Anaconda, a reimagining of the cult-favorite 1997 thriller, with comedy heavyweights Paul Rudd and Jack Black leading the adventure.
Directed and co-written by Tom Gormican (The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent), the film doesn’t remake the Jennifer Lopez–led classic. Instead, it takes a meta spin: a group of middle-aged friends decides to remake their favorite childhood movie — Anaconda.
What starts out as a playful homage quickly spirals into chaos when the group heads into the jungle and discovers the danger is all too real.
Black steps into the role of Doug, a wedding videographer chasing something bigger, while Rudd plays Griff, a struggling background actor. Alongside them are Thandiwe Newton, Steve Zahn, and Daniela Melchior, rounding out the adventurous (and hilariously ill-prepared) crew.
The project has been teased for more than a year. Back in 2024, Rudd and Black made the announcement in a playful YouTube video, revealing that the movie would hit theaters on Christmas Day 2025. “We’re making a movie!” Black exclaimed, with Rudd promising fans a mix of thrills and laughs. “You want to get scared. You want to laugh. You want to celebrate with your friends,” Rudd teased.
While the original Anaconda became a late-’90s cult favorite thanks to its campy scares and star-studded cast — including Lopez, Ice Cube, Owen Wilson, and Jon Voight — the new version leans more into self-aware comedy, while still serving up plenty of snake-fueled suspense.
Producers Brad Fuller and Andrew Form, known for their work on big-screen thrillers, are backing the film under their Fully Formed Entertainment banner, with Kevin Etten co-writing the script.
With Rudd and Black’s comedic chemistry, a starry supporting cast, and a clever spin on nostalgia, the reimagined Anaconda looks set to be one of the holiday season’s most talked-about releases.
Anaconda slithers into theaters on December 25, 2025.
