Shortly after posting the news about Critters & Killer Klowns getting new movies, another 80’s cult classic gets snatched up. Deadline is reporting that Night of the Comet will be the latest film to get the remake treatment through Orion Pictures.
This could be very cool. The resurgence of former film distributor Orion has been rather fun for the last year. They co-distributed The Belko Experiment and Wish Upon in 2018. This year they put out The Domestics back in June and have Anna and the Apocalypse in November. Next year sees The Prodigy and sometime in the near future they’ll be co-releasing the Child’s Play reboot with MGM. So something like Night of the Comet fits in there nicely.
The big piece of news is that Roxanne Benjamin has been tapped to pen the remake. Benjamin has been very active in the horror genre as of late. She produced all the V/H/S films, The Devil’s Candy, XX and Southbound. Those last two she also directed segments on. She recently finished work writing, directing and yes, producing her first feature, Body at Brighton Rock, which Magnet looks to release next year.
For those who haven’t seen the original, here’s the synopsis to clue you in:
“A comet wipes out most of life on Earth, leaving two Valley Girls fighting against cannibal zombies and a sinister group of scientists.”
Now the article does go and mention this will be more of a re-imagining, one which “…will skew horror-sci-fi rather than comedy”. So, for fans of the film, you needn’t worry. Even though still might. The 1984 version is best described as “lite”. It is a fun and easy watch, getting a special Shout! Factory release back in 2013. Yet it’s also the kind of picture ripe for a new take. No director has been announced as of yet, as things are in very early stages.
Does the idea of a Night of the Comet remake interest you all? Where do you side on the original? Any directors you’d like to see tackle the material? Sound off in the area below. We’ll keep our eyes to the sky, in case anything big lands in the near future.
