The Hollywood remake machine has turned its attention to another ’80s classic, with Frank Oz’s 1986 filmLittle Shop of Horrorsset to be remade by Greg Berlanti, the producer who played a key role in establishing The CW network’s popular series of DC Comics superhero shows.
Warner Bros. Pictures is reportedly planning a new musical feature based on the 1986 film, which was itself based on a stage production inspired by Roger Corman’s 1960 film of the same name.
Deadlinereports Berlanti will direct the film from a script penned by Matthew Robinson (In Search of Humans), who previously wrote and co-directedThe Invention of Lyingwith Ricky Gervais.
Corman’s 1960 film followed an awkward flower-shop clerk named Seymour who discovers a strange plant that — as he soon learns — lives off human blood. Things take a dark turn as he struggles to nurture the demanding plant, which is not only growing at an extraordinary rate, but is also able to talk. The film was famous for having the first featured role for Jack Nicholson.
The 1960 film was later adapted for an off-Broadway musical by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman and then turned into a musical feature by Oz that starred Rick Moranis, Ellen Greene, and Steve Martin. (Bill Murray made a cameo in the role originally played by Nicholson.) The film earned an Academy Award nomination for its visual effects and a “Best Original Song” nomination for Menken and Ashman’sMean Green Mother from Outer Space.
Little Shop of Horrorswon’t be the first directorial project for Berlanti, who also directed 2010’sLife As We Know It. These days, however, he’s best known for executive producing and serving as the narrative architect of The CW’s four interconnected superhero series based on DC Comics characters:The Flash,Arrow,Legends of Tomorrow, andSupergirl. He’s also the executive producer on the seriesBlindspotand the upcoming Archie Comics spinoff seriesRiverdale.
