Little Shop of Horrors is a classic musical that has been on stage, and then loved by millions on film. The Frank Oz directed movie just passed its 25th Anniversary and with an incredible cult following, it’s hard to say if the feature has lost its luster after all these years. But with Hollywood being Hollywood, of course they’re going reboot and remake crazy. Now, the talking cannibalistic plant is looking to get a redux, but the impressive talent behind it may bring an entire new generation of fans to an all-new adaptation.
THR reports that Glee co-producer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa has been hired to write a script for a Little Shop of Horrors remake.Wicked and Legally Blonde‘s Marc Platt will produce, while in a very interesting turn Joseph Gordon-Levitt is co-develping the movie, while also looking to star. If the stars align, Gordon-Levitt would play the lead character Seymour, the nerdy florist who discovers a venus fly trap mutation has a thirst for blood, and must feed the cannibalistic weed as both he and the plant’s popularity grow with notable attention.
Aguirre-Sacasa is both a fan of blood and musicals already, as he’s the playwright that rewrote the musical Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark in an acclaimed move, while he also penned the upcoming remake for Carrie, which will bow early next year and star Chloe Moretz as the titular character.
Gordon-Levitt too has a particular fondness for musicals and theater, as he proved with a musical monologue where he sang and performed “Make ‘Em Laugh” during his hosting gig on Saturday Night Live. With an outstanding working relationship with Warner Brothers (Inception, The Dark Knight Rises), this could actually work wonders.
Little Shop of Horrors originally started off as a 1960 film, that eventually went off to become an off-Broadway play. The 1986 film remake starring Rick Moranis, Steve Martin, and more gained massive popularity, along with some puppetry involving the plant Audrey II as well.
No director is yet lined up for the remake, but that’s expected to be straightened out once Aguirre-Sacasa hands in his draft. There’s a chance the film could head into production sometime next year for a 2014 release. Warner Brothers has become invested in musical adaptations in films these past few years. This summer, they’ll release Rock of Ages, starring Tom Cruise, Alec Baldwin, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and many others, while they also handled the international release for Tim Burton’s Sweeney Todd.
