Development for the remake of the horror classic, The Creature from the Black Lagoon is progressing nicely as the project has named a writer. According to Deadline, Sean Tretta, best known for producing Star Trek: Picard, Mayans MC , and 12 Monkeys has been brought on to work alongside James Wan to pen the screenplay for the reboot. The news comes barely a month after it was reported that horror maven Wan was in talks to direct the reboot with his Atomic Monster production company to produce alongside Universal.

Tretta will craft the screenplay based on a treatment that Wan, Rafael Jordan, and Bryan Coyne developed. Tretta, who cut his teeth writing and producing indie projects during his college years, is an unknown name in the horror space. However, the writer-producer seems to have dabbled a bit in the genre with lesser-known works such as The Prometheus Project, and the paranormal feature, Death of a Ghost Hunter, which he co-wrote and directed. From the looks of it, the remake of The Creature from the Black Lagoon will be the biggest undertaking of Tretta’s career, and it will be interesting to see how he takes on the challenge. Though no plot details have been revealed, given the project is still in early development, the remake will aim to pay homage to the original while telling a grounded and modernized story that leans into visceral horror.

What Was The Original ‘The Creature from the Black Lagoon’ About?
Image via Universal Pictures

With The Creature from the Black Lagoon, Universal introduced another iconic monster named the Gill-man. Gill-man is an amphibious humanoid inhabiting the depths of the Amazon jungle. This sleeping giant is awoken by a group of research scientists who want to study him, unleashing chaos on themselves as the creature sets off on a killing spree. The black and white movie released in 1954 was shot in 3D by Jack Arnold, who directed from a screenplay by Harry Essex and Arthur Ross and a story by Maurice Zimm.

The Creature from the Black Lagoon morphed into a beloved classic, spawning two sequels, Revenge of the Creature (1955), and The Creature Walks Among Us (1956). However, unlike other Universal Monsters that have gone on to receive several remakes and modern adaptations, every attempt to resurrect the Gill-man has been futile. Writers such as Will Beall and Dave Kajganich were attached to recently failed attempts, but hopefully, Tretta and Wan will be the ones who can successfully wake the beast from its deep sleep. Atomic Monster’s Michael Clear and Judson Scott are executive producers on the project. Stay tuned to Collider for future updates.