Jack Black and Paul Rudd 'in early discussions' for Anaconda reimagining

Jack Black and Paul Rudd are said to be in early talks to star in a reimagining of 'Anaconda'.

The cult classic 1997 horror movie initially featured Ice Cube, Jennifer Lopez, Jon Voight, Eric Stoltz, Jonathan Hyde, and Owen Wilson, but Black and Rudd are in discussions about a new version helmed and co-written by 'The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent' director Tom Gormican.

The original movie told the story of a documentary film crew in the Amazon rainforest who were led by a snake hunter, who was hunting a legendary green anaconda.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, sources revealed the new version could see a group of friends head to the rainforest to remake a favourite film from their younger years, only for giant snakes, violent criminals and natural disasters to risk their lives.

Black and Rudd are expected to portray either an actor whose Hollywood dreams are slipping further away from him, or a director-turned-wedding videographer.

Sources told Deadline that the new story will "lean more toward comedy", but will feature the same snake from the first movie "front and centre".

While Rudd and Black are yet to sign up for the motion picture, talks about the film are said to have been going on for "some time".

In 1997, 'Anaconda' grossed $136 million at the worldwide box office from a $45 million budget.

While it was largely panned by critics, receiving a 41 per cent rating on movie and TV review site Rotten Tomatoes, the film spawned several sequels, including 'Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid,' and direct-to-video releases 'Anaconda 3: Offspring', 'Anacondas: Trail of Blood', and 'Lake Placid vs. Anaconda', a 2015 crossover with crocodile franchise 'Lake Placid'.